Suche
Mein Konto
Peace demonstration in Berlin: 20,000 demand an end to armaments!
On October 3, 2025, over 20,000 people demonstrated for peace and against rearmament in Stuttgart and Berlin.
Peace demonstration in Berlin: 20,000 demand an end to armaments!
On October 3, 2025, large-scale demonstrations took place in Berlin and Stuttgart under the motto “Never again fit for war!” instead of. The aim was to demonstrate for peace and against rearmament. Over 450 groups, associations and parties, including the Alliance for Peace and Social Justice (BSW) and parts of the SPD, called for these simultaneous actions. In Berlin, the police estimated the number of participants at around 7,500, while the organizers even reported 20,000 people. The demonstration started at Bebelplatz in Mitte and led back to the starting point via Friedrichstrasse.
The speakers at Bebelplatz included, among others, the SPD member of the Bundestag Ralf Stegner, who questioned Germany's general ability to make peace. His agenda included 21 wars and 150 military conflicts worldwide, for which he made an urgent plea for peace. In addition to Stegner, representatives of the BSW, the Left and several conscientious objectors from Russia and Ukraine will also speak. The demonstrators held banners demanding, among other things, “Peace in the Middle East” and “Jobs and environmental protection, no weapons!” Occasionally Russian flags could also be seen in the audience. Critical statements were also made about the Federal Government's stance regarding Israel's actions in Gaza and the EU's role in the Ukraine war.
Heterogeneous peace movement
Ralf Stegner was calm about possible boos and emphasized the heterogeneity of the peace movement. Despite the different opinions, especially regarding the Ukraine conflict, he did not rule out continuing to express his opinions publicly. In particular, he described the war in Ukraine as a war of aggression by Russia. On October 3rd, speeches pointed out that many peace organizations, including DFG-VK, Pax Christi and the International Reconciliation Association, had called for participation, while the SPD-affiliated Erhard Eppler Circle and the Left Party also took part.
The demonstrations in Stuttgart also had prominent speakers: Margot Käßmann, Rihm Hamdan and Lothar Binding were among those announced. The demands formulated by the numerous peace organizations included, among other things, a stop to the stationing of US medium-range weapons in Germany and a rejection of the introduction of compulsory military service. There were also calls for asylum for conscientious objectors and deserters from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. However, the different positions within the peace movement, particularly with regard to the war in Ukraine, were described as difficulties in finding a unified approach.
The demonstrators are submitting a joint package of demands to the federal government, which also includes criticism of the Israeli government's arms buildup and military actions after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. The discussion about the understanding of peace in the movement remains ambivalent, especially due to the different views regarding the Ukraine conflict, which was not explicitly mentioned in the call texts. This is interpreted by some activists as a reference to the perception of the conflict as a US proxy war against Russia.
Overall, the demonstrations in Berlin and Stuttgart illustrate the diverse opinions and demands within the peace movement, while at the same time capturing the urgent desire for a common goal, such as “Russia out of Ukraine”. It remains to be seen how the various currents within the movement will position themselves in the future.