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April 10, 2022 – 6:39 pm
By Victoria Enzenauer and Jan Dafeld
On Sunday, several people took to the streets in pro-Russian demonstrations in Germany. Hundreds of protesters with Russian and German flags gathered in Frankfurt alone. According to the protesters, the main objective was to protest against racism against Russians.
Demonstration in Frankfurt: Participants have questions about photos from Ukraine
“It’s about peace. Nobody here is a friend of war,” said one participant at the pro-Russian rally in Frankfurt. “It’s about racism against Russians, who can’t help it and who are discriminated against and held accountable for something no one can do.”
Alex, who also participated in the demonstration in the city center, said some Russians are no longer allowed to eat in German restaurants. Another participant also expressed doubts about the authenticity of many images published from Ukraine, such as the killing of civilians in Bucha – although many of these images can be verified by independent media.
Demonstrators in Frankfurt partially with questionable statements
One participant in the rally accused the German media of bias and claimed that information about the war was given out more freely in Russia than in Germany – although words like “war” are now punishable in Russia. Numerous independent media outlets have had to stop or restrict their work in Russia due to the new laws.
Another protester spoke out in favor of peace talks between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but soon afterwards demanded that the Donetsk and Luhansk regions belong permanently to Russia. Russia had declared the two Ukrainian regions independent, contrary to international law.
Counter-demonstration in Frankfurt: Refugees from Ukraine also on the ground
Many people participated in a counter-demonstration in Frankfurt.
© RTL
However, many participants in a counter-demonstration also gathered in Frankfurt. “It was very difficult to bear,” said Michael Rubin of the start of the war in Ukraine. “Now all this is coming to Frankfurt, to my adopted home.” He himself has Belarusian and Ukrainian family members, he explained. “We’re not going to leave Frankfurt to the warmongers. Because the people we see here are leading the war,” says Michael.
Among the counter-demonstrators were some refugees from Ukraine. “We want to go home. Many people, many women and children are dying,” said 16-year-old Varvara. According to her own statement, she fled with her family on March 8. “My mother and brother are disabled, so my father had to come with me,” she said. “My grandmother is here too, but my grandfather is still in Ukraine, and many of my friends are still in Ukraine. One of them died.”
Andriy Melnyk harshly criticizes the demonstration in Frankfurt
Varvara said she fled Ukraine with her family.
© RTL
Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk harshly criticized the pro-Russian rally in Frankfurt. “Is this still free speech? Or a tolerated glorification of a war of annihilation against Ukrainian women and children?” Melnyk asked on Twitter.
The ambassador also called for a ban on Russian flags at demonstrations in Germany. “The use of all official symbols of an aggressor state – such as the Russian flag – would have to be prohibited by law while Russia is waging this war of annihilation against the Ukrainian nation,” Melnyk told the German Press Agency. Showing Russian symbols has nothing to do with freedom of expression, but with “glorifying a barbaric aggression” in the middle of Europe. At the same time, Melnyk condemned the anti-Russian graffiti on the Soviet memorial in Berlin-Treptow.
There were also demonstrations in other German cities on Sunday. In Hanover, more than 600 people took part in a pro-Russian motorcade and thousands gathered for a counter-demonstration. There were also demonstrations in Osnabrück, Stuttgart and Lörrach, which, according to the record, were supposed to be directed against racism against Russians.