Easter marches for peace come to an end across Germany

A group of Easter marchers reaches the Roemerberg. The Easter marches in Hesse conclude on the Roemerberg in Frankfurt under the motto "Lay down your arms! Peaceable instead of warlike". Andreas Arnold/dpa

Germany's traditional Easter marches come to an end on Monday, with events in several cities.

According to the organizing Peace Co-operative Network, the largest marches will be in the cities of Frankfurt, Dresden and Hamburg.

The motto of this year's Easter marches is "Now more than ever - together for peace."

The central themes are demands for negotiations in Russia's war against Ukraine and the war in Gaza, nuclear disarmament and criticism of rising arms spending, the organizers said.

On Holy Saturday, traditionally the main day for the Easter marches, numerous participants took to the streets in 70 cities.

"I am satisfied," Kristian Golla from the Peace Co-operative Network told dpa on Sunday. The level was roughly the same as last year or slightly higher, he said.

However, it is not possible to give a reliable total figure for the whole of Germany.

A rally participant holds a poster showing Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister, and Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor, demonstrating against the conflict in Gaza during the Easter marches in Hesse. Andreas Arnold/dpa
A rally participant holds a poster showing Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister, and Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor, demonstrating against the conflict in Gaza during the Easter marches in Hesse. Andreas Arnold/dpa

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