"Ich bin ein antiwar Berliner!" Cyberista A 12 picture photo essay of Germany's October 26th protest activities from Cyberista's American correspondent in Berlin. info@cyberista.com www.cyberista.com 10/28/2002  8:56:50 AM
"Ich bin ein antiwar Berliner!"
K.T. Cappellini
Berlin, Germany

Things have changed a lot since President Kennedy told screaming throngs here that he was a jelly doughnut.

If President Bush were to appear before this screaming crowd of Berliners, they would probably throw jelly doughnuts at him.

         On Saturday, people took to the streets in cities around the world to protest the Bush Administration’s plans for a new war in the Middle East.

         Demonstrations took place throughout the United States and Europe, with more than 70 demonstrations in Germany alone, the largest held in Berlin.

         Polls here show that 70% of Germans are opposed to a war against Iraq. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder still maintains that Germany will play no part in such a war.

         In Berlin, amidst the soulless architecture of the former GDR, graying Alexanderplatz seemed a fitting place for a demonstration against “capitalist aggression.”

         This time, it was neither an ill fated workers’ uprising nor a military parade that shut down the oversized Karl-Marx-Allee, but the makeshift stage of peaceful antiwar demonstrators that snarled traffic for kilometers.

         By police estimates, more than 10,000 demonstrators joined a protest march after an hour-long rally on this historic boulevard.

         The large crowd proved very inclusive, accommodating many different faces, religions, and ideological credos, as demonstrators rallied around the central theme of, “No blood for oil.”

         There was also a strong party turn out, with many flag-waving members of the Green Party, Social Democratic Party (SPD), and Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) present.

         Compared to similar antiwar demonstrations in the U.S., police presence here was relatively light.

         After a second and final rally, the demonstration ended without major incident... Read More.

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