CARSTEN HANKEUprising for peace in Germany

Carsten Hanke, 26-2-2023

Translated by Fausto Giudice, Tlaxcala

Rostock-Berlin - The increasing rejecting by the German population of the war course of the Federal Government and the reporting of the bourgeois media, is reflected in street actions in many cities. It became particularly clear on the 1st anniversary of Russia's military intervention in the killing  by the Kiev government of its own population in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions practiced since 2014. According to U.N. observers, at least 14,000 people have been killed in the attacks there since then, and schools, kindergartens, hospitals, and other essential facilities for maintaining supplies to the population have been destroyed.

I would like to give two examples to show that more and more citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany are publicly expressing their opposition to the war course of the Federal Government through various peace actions. These peace-loving people are no longer deterred by defamation in the media, as happened repeatedly in the run-up to the Manifesto for Peace by Alice Schwarzer and Sahra Wagenknecht. This Manifesto for Peace was not only supported by well-known public figures as initial signatories, but also by more than 600,000 people in a very short time.

The first such peace celebration took place on Friday, 24 February at 17 o'clock on the Pariser Platz, directly before the Brandenburger gate and the USA embassy in Berlin. The Berlin Peace Coordination (FRIKO), which has been working for peace worldwide for many years with various peace activities, has been calling for this peace action for weeks. In this alliance different organizations act together, so among others the members of the Society for peace and international solidarity (GeFiS) in the Berlin area are there actively supporting.

On February 24, 2023, about 1,000 demonstrators followed the call of the Berlin Peace Coordination under the motto “Stop the killing in Ukraine - for ceasefire and negotiations!”, which was jointly written by 18 peace groups. Besides well-known speakers, e.g. the initiators of the “Darmstädter Signa”", where active and former German army officers and soldiers always stand up for peaceful conflict resolution, there was a call for protests against war and for peace, with cultural inserts like singing by Diether Dehm, to become active.

At the edge of this meeting some passers-by had tried again and again to disturb loudly and provocatively this peace demonstration. During various de-escalating measures practiced by us, such as calm conversation, it was repeatedly found that these so-called supporters of further arms deliveries to Ukraine not only had historical deficits but were also only one-sidedly informed. Despite some vicious insults our de-escalating efforts led to success and prevented possible physical clashes.

"Whoever wants peace, should talk about war" (Walter Benjamin)
Cease-fire, disarmament, peace now!

On February 25 at 2:00 pm the large gathering announced by its initiators Alice Schwarzer and Sahra Wagenknecht as well as retired Brigadier General Erich Vad took place on the west side of the Brandenburg gate in Berlin.

In the announcement of the demonstration, it was expressly pointed out that no party symbols such as flags etc. would be displayed and that party members of the right-wing party AfD and other right-wing extremist groups were not welcome. The organizers themselves had expected a number of participants of about 10,000 people. Due to the fact that nationwide the participants had traveled specially (further members of the GeFiS arrived organized with buses from Rostock and and surrounding area) the beginning of the demonstration had to be shifted around approx. 10 - 15 minutes.

I myself tried to walk the whole demonstration area to take pictures and had to stop my project because the participants were standing so close that it was not possible to get through. According to testimonies of other participants, participants still came to the rally even with a 40-minute delay. The number of participants of 13,000, which was repeatedly reported by the police and the media, did not correspond to the facts by far and gives further evidence that those people do not report truthfully if it is not in their interest.

The numerous spontaneous conversations with the participants of the demonstration were characterized by the great concern that more and more arms deliveries will only bring armament profits, but no peace. Refusing to negotiate does not show the will for peace, but endangers life. The participants are aware that the sanctions and the economic war are damaging Germany and that every citizen is already feeling the effects. They denounce the German government as responsible for inflation and economic decline with their war rhetoric.

Many visitors of the demonstration are aware of NATO commander Stoltenberg's words “rather a nuclear war than a Russian victory in Ukraine”. They have become active in order to make clear that they are against the atomic madness, against [the Installation of US hypersonic missiles] Dark Eagle, against the clearly more extensive atomic equipment with US atomic weapons in Europe and particularly in Germany,. They want to set a public sign against this madness, to rouse at the same time those citizens, who are still passive, to become finally also active.

The divisive smear campaign by politicians in unison with the bourgeois media that the event was “open to the right wing” was made absurd not only in the run-up to the manifestation but also during the entire event.

It was a powerful demonstration for peace and against the federal government and its practiced war course with the constant delivery of weapons to Ukraine. This became clear among other things also by the repeatedly loud demand of the demonstration participants, who chanted “Barebock muss weg!” [“Baerbock* must go!”].

*Annalena Baerbock: Green warmongering Minister of Foreign Affairs 

 
Carsten Hanke: Self-portrait

I was born in 1960 in Rostock, GDR. I graduated from a 10-class secondary school and then learned to be a lathe operator, driller, and miller, i.e. a metal worker. Then I joined the Volkspolizei (People's Police) and went through all ranks from the beginning, studied there and became an officer. After the so-called turnaround in 1990, the West did not recognize our degrees and since I did not want to serve in the capitalist system with the security organs anyway, where I possibly would have to protect Nazi demos, I left the service in the police. I went to the city public order department and studied again for 2 years for the higher civil service. But since I was too left-wing, they found an “unofficial” way to get rid of me. Then I went to work in the corporate world and was sent into early retirement in 1997 because of my bone disease. For the recognition of my illness I had to fight 4 years with a lawyer in court for my rights and won. Since then, I have always been politically active and in 2020 I founded with friends the “Society for Peace and International Solidarity” (GeFiS), where we support the progressive forces of Latin America and started the solidarity action "”Drugs for Venezuela”. I was invited by the Electoral Council in 2019 as the only German as an election observer to the parliamentary elections in Venezuela and again in 2021 with 3 other representatives as an election observer in the municipal elections. I was selected as a representative of the NGOs.