The Protestant theologian Margot Käßmann does not want to take part in the rally for the controversial “Manifesto for Peace” in Berlin on Saturday. Käßmann justified her rejection on Tuesday with a lack of demarcation between the publicist Alice Schwarzer and the left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht to the right. The thrust of the “Manifesto for Peace” initiated by Schwarzer and Wagenknecht, which calls for a halt to arms exports to Ukraine and immediate negotiations a year after the Russian attack, continues to support them.
According to a joint statement by Käßmann and the federal spokesman for the German Peace Society – United War Service Opponents (DFG-VK), Jürgen Grässlin, anyone who campaigns for peace must clearly distance themselves from nationalistic and misanthropic people and groups. “Unfortunately, this was not clear enough in the statements made by the initiators of the rally mentioned,” complain the former chairperson of the council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Käßmann, and Grässlin, who are among the 67 first signatories of the manifesto.
Käßmann wants to speak at peace demonstrations in Bonn and Münster on Saturday. The demonstration, initiated by Schwarzer, Wagenknecht and former Brigadier General Erich Vad, entitled “Uprising for Peace” is to take place at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Among other things, the manifesto received support from the AfD, and federal chairman Tino Chrupalla expressed his approval.
Wagenknecht recently told the “Spiegel” about possible demonstration participants from the right: “Anyone who wants to demonstrate with an honest heart for peace and negotiations is welcome at our rally. Far-right flags or symbols, on the other hand, have no place on it and will not be tolerated. More is nothing more to say.”
