Around 13,000 people demonstrated against the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. A rally organized by the lateral thinker scene attracted the greatest number of people, attracting four times as many people as the parallel demonstration of the left-wing “Anti-Siko Alliance”. Both assemblies shared their criticism of NATO. The police report that the process was peaceful “with only minor security disruptions”. Nevertheless, 22 criminal offenses and three administrative offenses were reported, including the burning of pyrotechnics, physical attacks on police officers and media representatives, violations of the assembly law and the use of anti-constitutional symbols. A total of 33 people were temporarily arrested by the police.
“When is the clown coming?” asks the little boy, who, together with his sister, watches with interest on Saturday on Munich’s Augustenstrasse as 10,000 people pass him by. He is disappointed: no clown is planned – that’s why the motto of the demonstration is “Make peace!” then too serious. But otherwise, the initiators from Munich’s lateral thinker scene and those who followed their call have mobilized what is possible: Vogtland drummers and Swiss “freedom trychlers” with cow bells are there, numerous greats of the conspiracy ideological scene, connected live or via video, Citizens of the Reich with the German flag upside down, which – because it is too big – has to be rolled up, and many people with peace flags.
One group is dressed in the orange overalls worn by Guantanamo detainees
In between and next to it there are also many people with the colors of Russia. The white-blue-red tricolor is worn as a pin on the jacket (“I am not at war with Russia”), waved as a flag with the national coat of arms, or shown together with the German colors under the abbreviation “Gerussia”. If the friends of peace have an image of the enemy, it’s not Vladimir Putin’s country, but: the USA, NATO, the German federal government. One group has dressed in the orange overalls worn by Guantanamo detainees, wear chains and masks with the faces of the Ukrainian president and members of the German government. A “tribunal for US war criminals” is called for.
“Peace with Russia instead of continuing into the Third World War,” reads one poster. And underneath: “Germany: Get out of NATO! NATO: Get out of Germany!” The slogan is framed by the black and orange stripes of the George Ribbon, a Russian military decoration that signals support for Putin’s course. The Russian dictator hardly features in this demonstration of a “new peace movement” that proudly claims to no longer know any political camps. “Hopefully Putin will keep his nerve,” reads one poster.
“Ami go home” signs and a lot of crowds at the demonstration of the lateral thinker scene on Königsplatz.
(Photo: Lorenz Mehrlich)
The tone was set at the opening rally on Königsplatz. Diether Dehm (Die Linke) speaks of “Ukrainian killer gangs and Nazi fascists”. Then he agrees to the song “Ami go home” he composed. The crowd happily sways and sings along. Former CDU politician Jürgen Todenhöfer received rather sparse applause when he said that “of course” people were also opposed to Russia’s war in Ukraine. But cheers when he accuses the German government of “madness” and claims: “The West wanted this war.” At the edge, three counter-demonstrators are harassed by rally participants. Media representatives were attacked twice, and in one of these cases, according to the police, a mobile phone was stolen.
Antifa chants “fascist pack”
Previously, at a demonstration at the Old Botanical Garden, “the great transverse front” had already been conjured up by left and right. The AfD wants to stage itself as a peace party. That’s why she has the head of the right-wing extremist, according to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution Compact-Magazin, Jürgen Elsässer, invited as a speaker, but also called upon to join the peace demonstration of the lateral thinker camp afterwards.
About 300 left-wing counter-demonstrators have gathered at the barriers before the first AfD listeners arrive, peace flags are waving on both sides. Antifa chanted “Fascist pack” and “Nazi plague”, AfD supporters scolded back: “Bolsheviks!” – “Sick!” – “Bugs!” During a scuffle, counter-demonstrators become violent: According to the police, a woman hits an officer in the side of the face with her right hand, a man stabs an AfD participant with a flag and then hits a police officer.
A poster is displayed inside the cordon depicting Jewish billionaire George Soros and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as an octopus — an anti-Semitic cipher, as well as the oft-used catchphrase “globalists.” Young activists associated with the right-wing extremist “Identitarians” show it on a poster and try to look grim. Later, the right-wing activists on Königsplatz are said to have attacked a counter-demonstrator, she reports. “Everything is as bad as was to be expected,” comments SPD member of parliament Florian Ritter on Twitter. “Relativity of responsibility for the war of aggression, solidarity between Querdullies and right-wing extremists, lack of adjacency to the right, anti-Semitism.”
An anti-Semitic poster at the AfD rally.
(Photo: Lorenz Mehrlich)
When the participants in the right-wing rally later marched in groups in the direction of Königsplatz, Antifa activists suddenly appeared from a subway exit and tried to block the passage through Luisenstrasse with banners. Shortly there is a scuffle, left and right fight each other. “More men! Men to the front!” demands a masked right-wing extremist. Calls for the police grow louder. But since the blockers have disappeared again in the subway.
Minute of silence for the victims of the wars and for the victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria
The rally of the left anti-Siko action alliance on the Stachus begins much quieter. With a minute’s silence for the victims of the wars and for the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. People hold up placards that read: “Make peace without weapons”. Organizer Claus Schreer exclaims: “We are against weapons in general. We clearly distance ourselves from nationalists.” The alliance had clearly rejected an attempt by the lateral thinker group “Munich Stands Up” to make common cause against the security conference.
When the left-wing alliance started to symbolically encircle the conference venue in two arms, around 2,700 people gathered. Your route is tricky for the 4,500 police officers deployed, who were brought together from all federal states. More than 1,000 Ukrainians living in Germany and their supporters have gathered at Odeonsplatz. The dominant colors are yellow and blue, and Ukrainian flags are flying everywhere.
The demonstrators at Odeonsplatz are wrapped in Ukrainian flags.
(Photo: Lorenz Mehrlich)
Politicians such as Anton Hofreiter (Greens) and Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP) speak in front of the Feldherrnhalle under the motto “Together against the war”. Hofreiter exclaims that he is happy to see so many people on the Odeonsplatz: “We need your support in the discussion about each individual tank.” Only if as many weapons as possible come to Ukraine will Putin understand that he is going to lose the war. The cheers on the pitch are even louder when Hofreiter says: “How do people get the idea that the aggressor suddenly wants to negotiate?”
Some Ukrainian women start crying
Strack-Zimmermann, previously reviled by anti-Siko demonstrators as “armaments shares that have become human”, joins in with the “Slavi Ukraini” calls on Odeonsplatz and says: “World peace has been upset. It’s a European one world catastrophe.” People keep chanting: “Thank you, Germany, for the help!”
When the left-hand protest march from Brienner Strasse turns the corner, it gets loud, very loud. “Go to Putin,” the pro-Ukraine demonstrators shout at Siko opponents. Cries of outrage can be heard again and again. There are no physical fights. A lateral thinker lawyer and blogger who wants to film the meeting is later excluded as a disturber and temporarily detained by the police.
The left-wing Siko opponents meet the demonstrating Ukrainians at Odeonsplatz.
(Photo: Lorenz Mehrlich)
Some Ukrainian women begin to cry when they see the armament opponents’ posters: “Negotiate instead of shooting” is written on them and “100 billion for the climate instead of armament”. Later, at the final rally of the anti-Siko action alliance on Marienplatz, the member of parliament Sevim Dağdelen (left) will accuse the West of “cynical double standards” and describe arms deliveries to war zones as “state-organized murder”.
There were a total of 22 meetings related to the Munich Security Conference this weekend in Munich, which, according to the police, totaled around 20,000 people.
“Peace with Russia,” demands a participant in the anti-Siko demo at the final rally on Marienplatz.
(Photo: Lorenz Mehrlich)