The left-wing politician Wagenknecht and the women’s rights activist Schwarzer called for the rally under the motto “uprising for peace”. Schwarzer spoke of the beginning of a citizens’ movement that was sorely needed. Wagenknecht criticized the discussion culture in Germany and complained about campaigns against the initiative. She accused the federal government – literally – of “war obsession”. In her speech, Schwarzer warned that the great nuclear power Russia could not be defeated.
The rally was also attended by representatives and supporters of the nationalist and far-right spectrum. The publisher of the Compact magazine, classified as right-wing extremist, Elsässer, got into a loud argument with a group of left-wing counter-demonstrators. The Berlin police, who separated the two groups, said they had “no knowledge of right-wing extremists”. Other speakers at the event warned of nuclear war and condemned further arms sales to Ukraine.
Critics speak of “naivety”
Two weeks ago, left-wing politician Wagenknecht and publicist Schwarzer published a so-called “Peace Manifesto” in which they called, among other things, for a stop to arms deliveries to Ukraine and an initiative for peace negotiations with Russia.
Critics accuse Wagenknecht and Schwarzer of naivety. The left co-chairman Wissler distanced himself from the event again. In the newspapers of the Funke media group, Wissler called for AfD politicians and right-wing extremists not to be tolerated at the rally.
Federal Economics Minister Habeck accused Wagenknecht of misleading the population with the term peace. The Greens politician said on ARD television last night that she wants to sell something as peace that an imperialist dictator is forcing on Europe. Federal Minister of Finance Lindner made a similar statement. The protest action must be answered clearly: Anyone who does not stand by Ukraine is on the wrong side of history, wrote the FDP chairman on Twitter.
Additional information
This message was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on February 25, 2023.
