German Day of Unity Oct. 3 Marked by Berlin Mass Rally for Peace

by Elke Fimmen and Rainer Apel

[Print version of this article]

Oct. 4—At least 25,000 demonstrators gathered at the big pro-peace rally in Berlin on Thursday, Oct. 3, on the Day of Unity in Germany, with numerous organizations taking part. The theme of the event was War Never Again, as conveyed on the official demonstration website.

Speakers from several parties, and spokesmen for many points of view addressed the large rally in front of the Victory Column, but a focused message connected all the speeches. These priorities were declared: Stop the war escalation with Russia in Ukraine and in Southwest Asia; start negotiations as a necessity to deal with the crisis; do not make Germany a target; stop the deployment of nuclear-capable U.S. missiles into Germany.

Strong messages drew attention to the many large banners on display in the crowd. One of them, carried by the Peace Alliance of Northern Germany, read “Yesterday Hiroshima, Tomorrow Euroshima—No Stationing of U.S. Medium-Range Missiles on German Territory!”

BüSo: ‘Germany’s Future Is the New Silk Road’

Among the peace organizations present at the Berlin rally, the BüSo (Civil Rights Movement Solidarity Party) participated, displaying its large banner, always a special attraction: “Germany’s Future Is the New Silk Road.” Continuous discussions took place at the BüSo’s organizing table, with the BRICS and the concept of “peace through development” active topics. People eagerly took up the BüSo leaflet (text below), which had a link to the archived video of the Oct. 2 international event reported above, “Another Step Closer to Nuclear Armageddon—Germany Needs a New Security Architecture.” More than 2,000 of these leaflets were circulated and many contacts made for future collaboration.

The most prominent speakers were Sahra Wagenknecht (leader of the BSW—Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht, a party founded earlier this year); Peter Gauweiler (CSU—Christian Socialist Union), who was one of the earliest signers of the February 2023 Wagenknecht-Schwarzer anti-war petition; and Ralf Stegner (SPD—Social Democratic Party of Germany).

In her address to the large crowed at the Victory Column, Wagenknecht thanked Mikhail Gorbachev for making peaceful reunification possible, but she denounced the current Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock (Green Party), as a “security risk” for Germany. This was a direct counter to a recent comment by Baerbock, who has denounced the Wagenknecht party’s electoral success in the three September state elections in East Germany—Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. Wagenknecht lashed out at the “War Party”—which has been calling for Germany to exert all efforts for “readiness for war,” which they say will come in the near future. She called, instead, for the formation of a “battalion of war-mongers,” who then could go and prove their “war readiness” at the front.

East German State Leaders Call for Diplomacy

It is notable that on the Day of Unity, leaders of the three East German states which had just manifested a peace vote in their September state elections, had a jointly-authored guest article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily newspaper, headlined, “We Want a More Active Diplomatic Role for Germany.” They are in talks with the BSW of Sahra Wagenknecht, who made it a precondition for forming a coalition, that the stationing of U.S. missiles in Germany in 2026 be denounced. Brandenburg’s Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD), Saxony’s Minister President Michael Kretschmer and Thuringia’s CDU Chairman Mario Voigt wrote, “A strong and united alliance is needed to bring Russia to the negotiating table. Germany and the EU have been too indecisive in pursuing this path.” The broader the international alliance, they said, the greater the pressure will be. “It’s about achieving a ceasefire and offering Ukraine reliable security guarantees.” Noting that “the Peaceful Revolution is celebrating its 35th anniversary,” they wrote, “What remains of paramount importance is the freedom of our country in a secure Europe.”