Organizers say 50,000 rallied in Berlin against arming Ukraine

Berlin police say 13,000 demonstrated on Saturday against giving more weapons to Ukraine. Organizers have put the estimate at 50,000.

The Uprising for Peace rally called for a deescalation of the Russia-Ukraine war through peace talks. Rally organizer and German MP Sahra Wagenknecht said the protest signaled the start of a new and strong peace movement.

She said the “terrible suffering and dying in Ukraine” can end through offering Russia negotiations “instead of a never-ending war of attrition with ever newer weapons”. Wagenknecht says there is a risk of the war expanding to Europe and even the world.

The Alternative for Germany party says that while the government and mainstream media’s motto is “war is peace”, demonstrators have shown how much they want real peace.

Germany’s finance minister said demonstrators are on the wrong side of history. Christian Lindner believes playing down Russian actions in Ukraine, refusing to send arms to Ukraine and demanding a diplomatic solution is the wrong strategy.