Overview

• The "Rheinmetall entwaffnen" demonstration set off from Heumarkt toward the Konrad-Adenauer-Kaserne after officers initially stopped the procession.
• Police delayed the start by roughly two hours to enforce bans on sticks, flagpoles and face coverings before allowing the march to proceed into the Südstadt.
• Organizers framed the event as an artistic anti-military parade without planned blockades, and police and a dpa reporter said it initially remained peaceful.
• Attendance was described as hundreds, with organizers claiming up to 3,000 participants and local reporting estimating around 1,000.
• Authorities deployed 1,600 officers citywide, also covering the Kölner Lichter event, as the march followed a week of actions including a Bundeswehr blockade, a protest near Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger’s home, a brief SPD office occupation, a Deutz blockade, and an ongoing camp in the Grüngürtel.