report
The self-proclaimed peace movement is stalling. The fact that Sahra Wagenknecht and the Left Party are once again demonstrating together against arms deliveries does not change this. Especially since they had nothing to say to each other.
The announcement sounded almost like a threat. “They are afraid of us,” Sahra Wagenknecht shouted to the demonstrators in front of the Brandenburg Gate in February of this year. This is just the start of a “new peace movement” – against the traffic light coalition’s Ukraine and Russia policy.
Nine months have passed since then. The demonstration at that time and a manifesto that preceded it are now seen as the final break between Wagenknecht and the Left Party. At the time, the party executive committee accused her of a lack of differentiation to the right. Since then, Wagenknecht has obviously put her energy primarily into building her future party. Only now, this Saturday, did the next major anti-war demonstration with their participation take place here.
Ukraine and Gaza war in the foreground
This time, behind the demonstration with the motto “No to wars” was an initiative by various activists and former politicians from various left-wing circles. The presenter on stage nevertheless made it clear that they wanted to continue the February demo.
In addition to Wagenknecht, leading left-wing politicians such as Gregor Gysi and Dietmar Bartsch have signed the call against arms deliveries to Ukraine, for a ceasefire and immediate peace negotiations and disarmament in this country. The Left Party itself also formally supported the demo. In addition to Ukraine, Gaza was also at stake.
It was the first major public event at which the departed Wagenknecht camp and their old party appeared together. However, there was no direct meeting: Wagenknecht was one of the first to speak at midday and left immediately afterwards.
Wagenknecht attacks traffic lights
In her speech, Wagenknecht said that the people of Ukraine “don’t need weapons, but immediate negotiations.” The following applies to Ukraine, Israel and the Palestinians: “Peace can only come if the interests of both sides are taken seriously.” After all, it is “absurd to believe that bombs weaken Islamist terror.”
Wagenknecht did not present any concrete solutions, but her tone was filled with contempt. The federal government called them “pathetic”, the SPD chairmen Klingbeil and Esken “sad figures” and the Greens a “war-drunk bunch”. The crowd applauded.
Wagenknecht said of Defense Minister Boris Pistorius: “He wants Germany to master the craft of war again.” The SPD politician was particularly criticized that day for his statement that Germany had to become “war-ready” again. The fact that Pistorius is concerned with defending against a war of aggression – and not with waging one – remained unmentioned.
The publicist and former ARD journalist Gabriele Krone-Schmalz sounded similar to Wagenknecht. She called the federal government’s argument for military aid “sneaky.” Former Environment State Secretary and ex-SPD MP Michael Müller, however, sounded more objective: The federal government must present a negotiated solution to Russia and Ukraine – if necessary together with China, Brazil or India.
Demo smaller than in February
Several thousand people heard this. According to the Berlin assembly authority, the demonstration only reached the expected number of 10,000 participants at its peak, when it moved through the government district. Before and after there were significantly fewer. The organizers, in turn, spoke of 20,000. There were smaller, pro-Ukrainian counter-protests on the sidelines.
What is clear is that the response remained below that of the February demonstration. And it was many times smaller than that of several large demonstrations that were explicitly directed against Russian aggression in Germany in the first year of the war.
Right-wing extremists and lateral thinkers, who had mingled openly with the demonstrators in February, hardly came this time. On the extreme right, the more tactical affection for Wagenknecht has cooled. However, there were isolated cases where the war in the Middle East was equated with the Holocaust. And in addition to trade unionists and members of the traditional peace movement, left-wing extremist organizations such as the MLPD were also represented.
The Left Party comes without Gysi
A handful of Bundestag members of the Left Party and dozens of party members walked in between. There was no party bloc. Gregor Gysi and Dietmar Bartsch were also not there. Instead, Ates Gürpinar spoke at the final rally in the late afternoon.
The left-wing federal deputy is actually a health politician in the Bundestag, but has at least already spoken at anti-war demonstrations. Gurpinar said tagesschau.denow that “everything is leading to a militarization of society,” a loud voice against it inside and outside the Bundestag is “urgently necessary.”
A clear demarcation of the organizers to the right was also crucial for his participation. “I’m very happy about that.” You can’t decide who else will run, Gürpinar told Wagenknecht. It can be heard that the left cannot ignore such a demonstration.
This is also possible because the substantive break with Wagenknecht is only limited to the handling of sanctions and the tone towards Russia, but not to the rejection of arms deliveries and the call for negotiations.
Cautious reactions to left-wing speakers
However, it was not a home game for Gürpinar. Audibly displeased, the moderator first remarked that the Left Party as such had “after all” – in other words: after initial hesitation – called for people to take part in the demo. A group led by former left-wing politicians Diether Dehm and Bijan Tavassoli – both supporters of Sahra Wagenknecht – also tried to disrupt the speech.
And Gürpinar received applause for his statement that the war in Ukraine only served as a “justification to implement the long-planned rearmament.” You have to defend yourself against this. The crowd, however, accepted Gürpinar’s demands to support refugees or to take more decisive action against the assets of Russian oligarchs in Germany. Apparently most people in the movement preferred a different tone.