The war in the Middle East and compassion for the victims of that violence shaped the demonstrations in downtown Munich at the weekend. The largest crowd was a pro-Palestinian rally on Friday evening on Odeonsplatz with up to 1,100 people, which was just as peaceful as the other demonstrations.
On Saturday, the Middle East was also the topic of a rally with up to 500 people on the International Day against Violence against Women. A broad alliance of Munich city council parties and Jewish organizations brought around 400 people to Odeonsplatz on Sunday afternoon to show solidarity with Israel. And about the same number of people took part in a peace silent march on Sunday evening from Odeonsplatz to Friedensengel.
Demonstrators called for “solidarity with Israel” on Odeonsplatz at the weekend.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
The silent march for peace organized by Egyptologist and Coptologist Professor Stefan Wimmer and the “Friends of Abraham” cleverly avoided all rhetorical and diplomatic pitfalls: almost 400 people marched in the cold on Sunday evening from the Feldherrnhalle to the Angel of Peace with lanterns and candles and lanterns “set out for humanity,” said Wimmer. The organizers apply their non-partisan, even universal desire for peace to Israel and Palestine, but also to Ukraine, Sudan, Syria and all other countries tormented by war.
“Many people want to do something to counteract what’s happening in the world,” says Wimmer, “but there’s little we can do in a meaningful way; words are misunderstood, even prayers are canceled. That’s why we want to march through Munich in silence, with nothing other than candlelight.” In fact, the “friends of Abraham” refrained from speaking in order to “drown up with our silence” all the prevailing discord and division. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, Bavaria’s Protestant regional bishop until the end of October, also took part in the silent march, but also Catholic religious and many families.
Ludwig Spaenle calls for more action to be taken against growing anti-Semitism
Icy wind, sub-zero temperatures and snowfall also characterized the other three events. Given the reserved turnout, some speakers at the Israel solidarity event on Sunday afternoon spoke of disappointment. Cabaret artist Christian Springer put it this way to applause: “It’s great that I have such a big crowd here – but there are still too few of us! There will be more of us next time, right?”
He was not the only speaker who would have liked a clearer signal. In his view, solidarity with Israel is vital for a healthy democracy; without it, there is a risk of “a climate of fascist oppression” given the growing anti-Semitism in this country. It is necessary to stand on Israel’s side against the terrorist organization Hamas – because Hamas denies the Holocaust “and says Hitler was a good politician.”
CSU politician Ludwig Spaenle, who has been the Bavarian state government’s anti-Semitism commissioner for a good five years, also made it clear. He called for more efforts to be made to combat growing anti-Semitism, including through greater efforts in school and adult education. Anti-Semitism must be combated strictly, “we must ban the BDS campaign”. BDS refers to the anti-Israel boycott and isolation movement “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions”.
Green city councilor Mona Fuchs, who represented Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) in the broad organizer alliance, gave the first of the 20 speeches and made it clear: “Israel must make use of its guaranteed right to self-defense.” She was outraged that there was talk of a “hostage exchange” in the media; that was “stupidity, a perpetrator-victim reversal.” Because delinquent Palestinians who were convicted in a trial would be exchanged for innocent children.
The Munich SPD board member Raoul Koether also received a lot of applause in front of the Feldherrnhalle. He quoted a letter from the present, almost 90-year-old Ruth Melzer, who survived Auschwitz as a ten-year-old. “I couldn’t imagine that 80 years after the Holocaust, Hamas could come and slaughter children, women and people,” said Melzer. “We won’t let ourselves be thrown into the sea!” It cannot be the case that Jews in Munich are now afraid to show their religion, said Koether. “Never again” applies now.
Munich women’s initiatives and associations called for protests on the International Day against Violence against Women.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
The two-and-a-half-hour demonstration by a broad alliance of Munich women’s initiatives and associations to mark the International Day Against Violence against Women had already passed without incident on Saturday. At the start at Georg-Freundorfer-Platz, around 300 people came together, the vast majority of whom were women; at the parade through the city towards Karl-Stützel-Platz at the Old Botanical Garden there were up to 500, and at the final rally there in the icy snowfall there were only 500 people around 150 more. Slogans were chanted against “patriarchy” and “the system”, also against the “shift to the right” and “the strengthening of patriarchal structures” by the AfD, but also by the CDU chairman Friedrich Merz. All demo requirements were followed, especially not to show national flags; the police had no trouble.
The police statistics on “violence against women” in the Munich area show a frightening increase: In 2022, a total of 3,069 cases of “domestic violence” and 1,892 offenses against sexual self-determination were recorded, which is 703 cases more than in 2021. In addition, there were three in 2022 Attempted homicides were recorded in the Munich area, two of which resulted in death.
At the end of the demonstration on Saturday there were also speeches that dealt with the Middle East conflict. Israel’s policies were sharply and pointedly criticized with words such as “oppression”, “occupation” and also “genocide” and “apartheid”, but without verbal attacks on Israel’s right to exist and always in connection with explicit criticism of the current Hamas terror.
Demonstrators demanded “Freedom for Palestine” in front of the Feldherrnhalle.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
Under the motto “Freedom for Palestine. Stop the genocide. Stop the war,” up to 1,100 people demonstrated on Friday evening and marched from Odeonsplatz to Mariahilfplatz. The Munich branch of the Germany-wide movement “Palestine Speaks” called for this demonstration and pointed out that they did not accept racist or anti-Semitic slogans and that Israel’s right to exist should not be questioned. According to police, the demonstration remained peaceful until it ended.