More than 100 Easter peace events are planned across dozens of German towns between April 2 and April 6, with organizers expecting thousands to take part. The Network of the German Peace Movement lists marches, “Bikes for Peace” rides, concerts and afternoon rallies on its website, with programs addressing conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, the Rojava region of northern Syria, alongside human-rights and climate-justice themes. Several national newspapers have run ads encouraging people to join.
This year’s demonstrations come as Berlin moves to partially revive compulsory service. Since the start of the year, all 18‑year‑olds have been sent a military questionnaire assessing “motivation and suitability.” Young men are required to respond; women remain constitutionally exempt but may volunteer. The measure sparked nationwide school strikes and is expected to draw more young people to some rallies. Kristian Golla, a spokesperson for the Network, said around 20 of the planned events will include speakers specifically addressing conscription.
Decentralized, locally organized and issue-driven, the Easter marches do not follow a single party line. The Network is urging the government to pursue diplomatic solutions to ongoing wars, strengthen respect for international law and increase support for those affected by conflict. In its statement the group also criticized what it called a selective application of international law, arguing that attacks by the US or Israel on Iran should be condemned as firmly as Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Not everyone expects record turnouts. Hendrik Hegemann, a senior researcher at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy in Hamburg, said mobilization is harder now because many of today’s crises are more complex and contested than past flashpoints. He contrasted current divisions over support for Ukraine with the broad public opposition to the 2003 Iraq war, when mass peace protests drew huge crowds. That ambivalence, he suggested, makes it more difficult to mount a single, large protest movement.
The Easter marches have a long history in Germany. Inspired by Britain’s Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, they began in the early 1960s and expanded through the Cold War, growing from a few thousand participants to the hundreds of thousands seen by the late 1960s. Churches, trade unions, left‑wing parties and pacifist organizations such as the German Peace Society (DFG‑VK) have traditionally helped organize the events. Pacifist groups also continue to advise and support young people seeking conscientious objection to military service.
Organizers face fresh challenges: established groups no longer have the same mobilization reach, and some have shifted their positions on security and defense. The involvement of far‑right actors and polarizing political figures — for example Sahra Wagenknecht, who has criticised militarisation — has also discouraged some would‑be participants by co‑opting the message. Still, observers say pacifism retains a meaningful place in public debate, offering an established set of ideas and alternatives at a time of re‑militarization.
Public attitudes indicate rising unease. A recent Allensbach security report found only 55% of Germans now feel safe, down from 60% in 2025 and more than 70% in 2019. About two‑thirds fear Germany could become directly involved in a war. Confidence in NATO’s ability to defend Germany has also fallen: just 42% believe the alliance would successfully repel a Russian attack, a decline of roughly 14 percentage points year‑on‑year, reflecting waning trust in the US as Europe’s security guarantor.
Golla said the unsettled international environment could boost turnout compared with last year, but he cautioned that poor weather might depress numbers. “I’m cautiously optimistic we’ll see more people than last year,” he said.
Edited by Rina Goldenberg