An estimated 13,000 to 50,000 people attended the event calling for peace talks

Tens of thousands of Germans braved the elements to attend the Uprising for Peace, a massive rally organized by Die Linke (Left Party) politician Sahra Wagenknecht and author Alice Schwarzer on Saturday. 

The demonstrators massed at the Brandenburg Gate, calling for peace talks to end the conflict in Ukraine and demanding Berlin cease supplying Kiev with weapons. 

Wagenknecht slammed the German government for trying to “ruin Russia,” urging leaders to make Moscow an “offer” so that peace talks could begin. The rally, she said, represented the “start of a citizens’ initiative” and the launch of a “new, strong peace movement in Germany.” 

50,000 protesters came to the huge peace rally in Berlin, Germany today.

They are demanding an end to Europe’s escalation of the NATO proxy war in Ukraine and immediate peace talks https://t.co/vk3I62yRYr

— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) February 25, 2023

The rally welcomed protesters from across the political spectrum, declaring anyone who wanted peace “with an honest heart” was welcome, though neo-Nazi provocateurs jostling for media attention were not. 

The organizers counted some 50,000 participants, while the police gave a lowball figure of 13,000. 

I just came from the peace demo in Berlin. I saw tens of thousands of people from all walks of life calling for diplomacy for the Ukraine war.

Thousands more were unable to join the demo because the roads were blocked. #b2502 pic.twitter.com/mHCgu0I6kr

— Kevork Almassian🇸🇾🇦🇲 (@KevorkAlmassian) February 25, 2023

Wagenknecht and Schwarzer earlier this month published a Manifest for Peace urging Chancellor Olaf Scholz to “stop the escalation in weapons deliveries.” It has since been signed by over half a million people, including well-known public intellectuals and political figures.

Signs of hope from Germany. Huge peace demonstration at the Brandenburger Tor in Berlin. The Germans are waking up. Sleepers awake. Ami go home. pic.twitter.com/BwexEVV4DM

— E. Michael Jones (@EMichaelJones1) February 25, 2023

Scholz has repeatedly declared peace talks to be outside the realm of possibility, insisting that it is Russia that is unwilling to come to the table, despite Moscow’s many attempts since the start of the conflict to resolve things peacefully.