Frankfurt and Hanover: Again pro-Russian protests – and counter-demos
Status: 10.04.2022 18:02
There were again pro-Russian rallies with several hundred participants – especially in Hanover and Frankfurt. But there were also counter-demonstrations there. The Ukrainian ambassador called for a ban on Russian flags at protests.
Against the background of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, several pro-Russian rallies have again taken place in German cities. But there were also counter-demonstrations.
In Frankfurt, hundreds of people gathered at the Opernplatz for a pro-Russian rally, the police spoke of a high three-digit number of participants. They waved Russian and Soviet flags and chanted “Russia”. The demonstration was registered under the motto “Against hate speech and discrimination against Russian-speaking fellow citizens/Against war – For peace”. An originally registered motorcade with 700 vehicles was not allowed to take place after a decision by the city.
Counter-demonstration in Frankfurt: “Stop Russia”
Several groups in Frankfurt had organized counter-rallies. Pro-Ukrainian demonstrators take to the ground to commemorate war crimes against Ukrainian civilians. They shouted “Bucha”. Numerous bodies of murdered civilians were found in the Kiev suburb. A pro-Ukraine rally was also held on the Römerberg. Posters read in English: “Stop Russia”, “No Gas from Russia” and “Stop Genocide”. An alliance of democratic parties and also Russian civil society organizations called for the action “We don’t give Frankfurt to the warmongers” to show solidarity with Ukraine and to advocate an end to the Russian war of aggression.
Pro-Russian rallies in several German cities
Tagesschau 8:00 p.m., April 10, 2022
With a view to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the city of Frankfurt prohibits the wearing of certain symbols and badges – such as images with the letters V and Z and the “Saint George ribbon”. These stand for Russian wartime activities in Ukraine. It was forbidden to condone Russian aggression and denigrate the state of Ukraine, its people and victims of the Russian invasion.
Pro-Russian motorcade in Hanover
There were also actions and rallies in Hanover: According to the police, more than 600 people with around 350 cars gathered at noon to join a pro-Russian motorcade through the city. You could see Russian flags and German flags.
Around 3,500 people gathered in the center of Hanover for a counter-demonstration, betting Ukrainian flags, “Stop War”, “Stop Genocide” and “You are all accomplices” are on the posters.
There were also actions and rallies in other places: According to police estimates, around 275 cars with around 600 participants drove in a parade from Kaufbeuren to Kempten and back in the Allgäu.
Melnyk calls for a ban on Russian flags at demos
Meanwhile, Ukrainian ambassador Andriy Melnyk called for a ban on Russian flags and other state symbols at pro-Russian demonstrations in Germany. “The wearing of all official symbols of an aggressor state – such as the Russian flag – should be banned by law as long as Russia is waging this war of annihilation against the Ukrainian nation,” Melnyk told the dpa news agency.
Showing the Russian symbols has nothing to do with freedom of speech, but with “glorifying a barbaric aggression” in the middle of Europe. Melnyk announced that he would have “very concrete talks” with the federal government about this. “I can’t understand why German politicians are turning a blind eye to this,” he said. “If you demonstrate with a Russian flag, then you automatically support a state that is waging a war of annihilation against Ukraine and our civilian population.”
Several pro-Russian motorcades
In the past few days there had been pro-Russian motorcades in several German cities. Only on Saturday did a long column of cars with many Russian flags on the hoods roll through Stuttgart. The motto is: “Against discrimination against Russian-speaking people”. The demonstrators demand “Stop Russophobia” and applied themselves “Against discrimination against Russian-speaking children in schools”.