Overview
- Germany’s decentralized Easter peace marches, which wrapped up Monday with events in Frankfurt, Hamburg and at the Büchel air base, drew several tens of thousands across more than 100 locations according to organizers and dpa.
- Police reported about 3,000 participants in Stuttgart and roughly 1,000 in Berlin, with far smaller crowds in many other cities compared with the movement’s 1980s peaks.
- Core demands called for ceasefires in Ukraine and the Middle East, diplomacy over rearmament and no return to conscription, while the three‑day Rhein‑Ruhr march concluded in Dortmund after stages from Duisburg through the Ruhr area.
- Nuclear policy dominated parts of the agenda as activists spotlighted the U.S. bombs stored at Büchel and warned about Urenco’s plans for HALEU fuel at the Gronau enrichment site, noting that HALEU means uranium enriched to about 20 percent and raises fears of a path toward weapons‑grade levels.
- The broad coalition of unions, churches and peace groups also saw flashpoints, with sharp stage criticism of the United States and Israel at some rallies and disputes over Iranian flags in Berlin and Kassel.