Rally in Konstanz: Protest against militarism and rearmament!

Rally in Konstanz: Protest against militarism and rearmament!

On September 1, 1939, the Wehrmacht attacked Poland, a terrible war that plunged the world into a state of emergency for many years. This day has since been used as an anti-war day to point out the dangers of militarism and war. A rally took place in Konstanz last weekend, which was partly characterized by skepticism regarding German society's reflection on this dark part of history. The news portal Seemoz reports that about a hundred people, mostly under the age of 40, came together to loudly raise their voices.

The event was organized by various groups, including the Left Youth 'solid, the Save Gaza Committee and the BIPoC Collective. Participants carried flags and banners that made their message clear, including a Palestine flag and the banner “No to Militarism, Imperialism, Capitalism, Fascism.” The rally was moderated by Lars Hofmann, a left-wing state parliament candidate, who urgently warned: “We have to fight against increasing military spending and declining social spending.”

Arms spending under criticism

Defense spending in Germany is once again in the crossfire of criticism. Desiree Becker, the state chairwoman of the Die Linke Hessen party, expressed concern about the planned drastic increases on the occasion of Anti-War Day. According to Becker, almost half of the federal budget over the next ten years is expected to go towards rearmament. She emphasizes: “We stand against the reintroduction of compulsory military service and the massive militarization that is coming our way,” reports The Left Hesse.

The rally in Konstanz was part of a broader movement that emphasizes that rearmament is linked to human suffering. Accordingly, the lessons from the world wars are that militarization fuels violence. The speaker from the BIPoC collective addressed the German culture of remembrance and criticized the complacency of politics with regard to colonialism, imperialism and racism. The role of German politics in supplying arms to Israel was also clearly denounced, which the Save Gaza Initiative activist strongly condemned.

A call for movement

The “Disarm Lake Constance” action week, as part of which the Konstanz rally took place, entails further actions. Further events are planned for September 6th in Friedrichshafen and October 3rd in Stuttgart. The left not only calls for no profiting from war and suffering, but also for investment approaches in social areas, health and education. “We must finally address the causes of conflicts, not just the symptoms,” Becker continued. Several actors in the peace movement are called upon to raise their voices and fight for a peaceful future, a demand that is also... South Germans can be heard again and again.