On Thursday, activists in Berlin protested against German arms sales and militarisation policies. They opened a banner from the Molecule Man statue in Berlin with the message “Refuse World War 3 – no medium-range missiles in Germany – no Eurofighters in Kurdistan”.
The group clarified the meaning of the action in a subsequent statement. They pointed out the militarisation policy of Scholz and Germany and accused Germany of instigating war; instead, the group insists on the need for democracy based on the self-determination of the people.
The activists say that the German government is preparing the ground for possible wars by deploying medium-range missiles for NATO on German soil. According to the activists, this is not only a violation of international treaties, but could also expose the German population to retaliatory attacks. They accuse the German government of selling weapons to Turkey that are used in attacks against the Kurdish people. The sale of arms from Germany to Turkey reportedly resumed in October.
Activist Mark drew attention to the social consequences of war, using the example of the Russia-Ukraine war. “Almost a million Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the war in Ukraine so far,” he said. “Rising prices and an aggravated domestic political situation have become part of everyday life. 100 billion euros have been invested in armaments, while social benefits continue to be cut,” he added. “This is the wrong approach, because we know that more soldiers and more weapons do not bring peace. We need real solutions to the many crises of our time, not blind warmongering,” Mark continued.
The activists are clear about what those solutions might look like: “The self-determination of young people and a new democratic culture that goes beyond parliaments and into every school, university and workplace. In many places around the world, people are already taking a stand against war. And, as in Kurdistan, they are trying new democratic ways through self-government. Erdogan is trying to destroy this with his invasions in Syria and Iraq, which violate international law. Despite this, on Wednesday Olaf Scholz approved the delivery of fighter jets worth 4 billion dollars to Turkey”.
The action is claimed by the “Internationalist Youth Communes“. In this organisation, young people in Germany are committed to more democracy and self-administration based on the people.
In their final message, the youth communes also call for joining a big demonstration in Cologne on 16 November as a sign of solidarity with the Kurdish people and the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, Abdullah Öcalan.
