Germany’s Easter peace rallies kick off in central city of Erfurt

Erfurt, Apr. 18, (dpa/GNA) – The peace movement in Germany kicked off its annual Easter marches, aiming to protest against war and rearmament plans, with a demonstration in the central city of Erfurt on Thursday.

According to the state operations centre for Thuringia, of which Erfurt is the capital, approximately 260 people participated in the event.

Nationwide, organizers have planned around 100 Easter marches across the country, with most scheduled for Holy Saturday and Easter Monday.

The protests primarily oppose the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip and express dissatisfaction with increasing defence spending and the planned deployment of US intermediate-range weapons in Germany.

The United States intends to station weapons systems in Germany from 2026 that can reach far into Russia. Acting Chancellor Olaf Scholz argued that the weapons serve as a deterrent in light of Russian rearmament and aim to prevent a war.

Kristian Golla from the Network Peace Cooperative stated that the deployment of intermediate-range weapons planned for 2026 nullifies what many in the peace movement have advocated for decades.

He emphasized that more security for Europe and the world could arise from resuming negotiations on arms control and disarmament, not through rearmament.

GNA

PDC