Germany, activists march against major NATO exercises

German anti-war activists mobilized in front of Wunstorf Air Base against upcoming military exercises"Air Defender 23" of NATO led by the United States, demanding a ceasefire in Ukraine and the removal of U.S. nuclear weapons from their country. Germany is hosting the largest air deployment exercise in NATO history, in what German and American officials call "a show of force" to "impress allies and potential adversaries such as Russia."

The Air Defender 23 exercise is scheduled to begin Monday with 10,000 participants and 250 aircraft from 25 nations responding to a simulated attack against a NATO member country. The United States alone is sending 2,000 U.S. Air National Guard personnel and about 100 U.S. aircraft to take part in the 12-day training maneuvers. According to local police, activists from all over northern Germany have gathered at Wunstorf Air Base in the Hanover area, which serves as a logistical hub for the international Air Defender 2023 maneuver.

Several peace groups in northern Germany called for the protest, including the Neustadt/Wunstorf Peace Initiative, the Bremen Peace Forum and the North German Peace Conference. Protesters carried flags and posters with peace symbols, but anti-NATO slogans could also be read with messages such as "Peace with Russia and China, out of NATO" and "Peace in Ukraine and with Russia, stop the war, negotiate now. " among others.