Thousands protest in Berlin against Ukraine, Gaza wars

Thousands of people demonstrated in the German capital Berlin on Thursday against the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Thousands of protesters, upon the call of mostly left-wing groups, marched from parts of the city and gathered around the Victory Monument in the city center.

Under the slogan: "War, never again - Put down your weapons," the demonstration also protested Germany's supply of arms to Ukraine and Israel.

The banners and placards read: "Those who don't go to war want war," "Peace," "No to war," "Give peace a chance," "Diplomats instead of grenades," "Bread and roses instead of bombs and death," and "German weapons, German money, murder all over the world."

Sahra Wagenknecht, co-chair of the newly formed left-wing populist party Bundnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), urged talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

"We need diplomacy and negotiations for peace," she told the crowd in response to criticism from those who want talks to end the war.

Stating that those who started the war are guilty, she stressed: "Please let there be no double standards."

"If a politician who started a war is guilty, then what about the US politicians who are responsible for many wars in recent years in which millions of people have suffered? Are they not guilty?" she asked rhetorically.

"Those who remain silent about the war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip, those who remain silent about the deaths of 40,000 people, 20,000 of them children, should not come to me saying that they are moral," said the politician. "No, this is hypocrisy. This war must also end."

She emphasized that people should not remain silent on the endless provocations of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Israel, and said they do not increase Israel's security, on the contrary, "they endanger many people in Israel because they could lead to a barbaric war there."

She said there must be a two-state solution that takes into account the interests of all parties, otherwise the war will not end.

She accused Berlin of "blindly following what someone in Washington says" and criticized the deployment of U.S. missiles in Germany.

Ralf Stegner, a member of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD), told demonstrators about Ukraine's right to defend itself and the benefits of the air defense systems provided to Ukraine.

He was whistled by demonstrators.

Russia launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine in February 2022.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 41,600 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 96,200 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.