4) Against War, Against Violence

At 2:09 pm, the people on the Street of the 17th of June pause. Between the Victory Column and the Brandenburg Gate no one uses their phone, no one speaks to their companions. There is a moment of silence for the victims of the war against Ukraine, a moment of silence for peace. “It’s powerful when five hundred thousand people hold their breath,” says the woman speaking on the loudspeaker. The applause of the demonstrators swells, echoing a thousandfold through the Tiergarten park. Berlin hasn’t experienced such a demonstration in a long time. The police estimated the number of participants in the low six-figure range. Twenty thousand had been expected, according to the online edition of the Berliner Zeitung.
In the end, more than one hundred thousand people showed up to protest against war, against violence, and this attack on our western world, our culture, against the Russian attack on people’s right to democratic self-determination, and so much more. Before the protest, parliament held a special session and debated; there was a great deal of applause.

Spiraling
More companies withdraw from Russia every day, more countries, including the EU, enact sanctions. Turkey closes the Bosphorus to shipping. Many goosebump moments of solidarity, of standing together. Endless statements from countless organizations and always again the question: What can we do? What happens now?
We can’t stop analyzing, explaining. The special episodes on TV are filled up solely with on location reporting, media overload. I’ve also been in contact with the state secretaries from the Ukrainian Ministry of Family Affairs. It’s like we can’t stop ourselves from trying to do something. This is also because we feel so powerless, so helpless. Because no one thought that our peaceful world, our security, our prosperity, our Europe, our Earth as we know it, could be threatened.

More than Symbolic
Do I have the answer? No, where would I get it from? But hope, that diplomacy will work, that there will be a turning point, that the people on the ground will find shelter, that the war will end. Until then, we will do everything we can to help people who are in need. And yes, I too am taking to the street. Is it only symbolic, as Friedrich Merz put it in his speech in parliament? No, it’s much more than that. This is people who campaign for peace growing and standing together. It’s also a glimpse of happiness, to be here and to experience this. In a constantly noisy, wired world, Berlin – between the victory column and the Brandenburg Gate – can be silent. Berlin, you are a splendid city.