German protesters: We want to live peacefully in Europe with Russia

Supporters of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party have held a rally in Nuremberg to protest against their government's financial and military aid to Ukraine amid war with Russia, calling for peace in their continent.

“We want peace with all peoples in Europe, which includes Russia as well as Ukraine. We also want to live peacefully in Europe with Russia in the future,” Tino Chrupalla, AfD party co-leader stated at the rally on Saturday.

Footage of the protest show the crowd waving flags and holding banners and placards reading 'No to German participation in the war' and 'Ami go home!' among others.

Some protesters also carried placards and flags with doves of peace, along with Germany and party flags.

“As the only party, we say unanimously and clearly diplomacy instead of arms deliveries. The arms shipments must stop and diplomacy must finally take place. That must be the goal, after a year of bloodshed,” Chrupalla added.

Talking to the crowd, deputy leader of the party, Peter Boehringer, mentioned that in the case of a world war, you don't even accept a 0.5 percent risk probability, so “Let's not allow even small misunderstandings to trigger a major war, even nuclear war under certain circumstances.”

Rainer Rothfuss, a member of the German Parliament, also said that “according to which rules is war propaganda made, also here in the West. Because of the media coverage alone, peace no longer has a chance here at the moment.”

Showing a German-Russian peace banner reading 'Friendship' in English and Russian, Rothfuss added that “one only thinks of arms deliveries and no longer of dialogue and compromise.”

He referred to the media’s role in truly supporting human rights around the world and said “to expose the media in their truly destructive role in this Ukraine conflict, the media now have to play their role again and they have to ensure balance.”

Moreover, parallel to the AfD rally, a counter-protest was held in Nuremberg under the motto “No peace with the AfD”, while they shouted words against AfD supporters. Police at the scene separated the two rallies.

Germany sending 8 billion Euros of military aid to Ukraine

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The AfD has a reputation for its pro-Russian stances among Germans. The party leaders in their speeches after the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia war have called for the lifting of sanctions against Russia and have accused German officials of declaring “economic war” on Moscow but waging war instead on the German population.

Germany, along with the US, has been among the biggest suppliers of weapons for Ukraine.

Last month the German parliament’s budget committee approved spending about eight billion Euros ($8.7 billion) to buy weapons and equipment for Ukraine between 2024 and 2032 amid Russia's repeated warnings that the Western military assistance will only prolong the war.

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