Disarmament instead of rearmament, more diplomacy, away from nuclear weapons: this year’s Easter marches focused primarily on the classic demands of the peace movement. The organizers see themselves strengthened by the actions.
Thousands of people in Germany took part in the Easter March movement, which traditionally demonstrates for peace and disarmament. There were over 120 marches, peace services, bicycle demonstrations or rallies nationwide, said the Easter March information center in Frankfurt am Main. The peace movement sees itself strengthened by this year’s actions, explained the information center’s spokesman, Willi van Ooyen.
Classic themes of the peace movement had been taken up in numerous regions, it said: such as the abolition of nuclear weapons, the demand for de-escalation of conflicts through diplomacy instead of arms deliveries, and disarmament instead of rearmament. Specifically, the federal government was called upon to rely on diplomatic initiatives in the Ukraine war, to end arms deliveries to Ukraine and Israel, to support refugees from conflict regions and to end “senseless armaments projects”.
“Resistance to war continues”
Van Ooyen warned that war had once again become a means for political leaders to deal with global problems. The peace movement should not let this get away with it: “German politics bears great responsibility for the murders all over the world. That is why our resistance against war and for peace will continue.”
At the end of the Easter marches, further actions are planned on Easter Monday in Hamburg, Munich, Dresden, Frankfurt am Main and Mannheim, among others. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the Ruhr Easter march was to continue from Essen via Wattenscheid to Bochum. This year’s Easter marches have the motto “Now more than ever – together for peace”.
According to the Peace Cooperative Network, the Easter March call was signed by more than 2,000 individuals and 71 organizations this year – more than ever before. According to the information, the main days of action should be Holy Saturday and Easter Monday.