10,000 in Germany protest Afghanistan war

Photo: Gabriele Senft

More than 10,000 protesters took to the streets of Germany’s capital Berlin and the southern metropolis Stuttgart on Sept. 17 to demand the withdrawal of German troops from Afghanistan.

All surveys and opinion polls show that a majority of people living in Germany oppose the country’s massive participation in the illegal occupation of Afghanistan, although only a minority in the Bundestag (Parliament) reflect this position. Here, the demonstrators from the Left Party carry a banner that reads: “Federal Army out of Afghanistan.”

Many of the NATO countries are participating in the occupation of Afghanistan, even if their governments refused to join the occupation of Iraq or have withdrawn from Iraq. In these countries the anti-war movement focuses on demands that the troops be withdrawn from Afghanistan.

Beside this protest in Germany, there is another set for Canada, whose troops have taken relatively heavy casualties. The Canadian Peace Alliance and Collectif Échec à la Guerre are calling for a pan-Canadian day of action on Oct. 18 to end the war in Afghanistan and bring Canadian troops home.

—John Catalinotto