Thousands of participants expected at Easter marches in Germany
The peace movement makes its voice heard at Easter. More than 100 events are planned under the banner of the dove of peace.
Bonn (dpa) – This year's Easter marches are set to involve more than 100 events in around 70 cities across Germany, including Berlin, Bremen, Munich, Duisburg and Leipzig. The Peace Co-operative Network announced that issues would include the call for disarmament and peace initiatives in connection with the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The first Easter marches started on Maundy Thursday, but the main demonstrations will take place on Holy Saturday and Easter Monday. Tens of thousands of participants are expected in total, the Network added. The demonstrations are organised by peace initiatives along with Christian groups, trade unions and left-wing organisations.
The Easter marches were most popular in the 1980s, when hundreds of thousands demonstrated in Germany against the NATO double-track decision and against nuclear armament in East and West. The first Easter marches protesting against nuclear weapons were organised by Christian-pacifist groups in West Germany as early as the 1960s.