BERLIN, Oct. 22 (DPA/EP) –
Thousands of people have demonstrated this Saturday in several German cities to ask the Government and their compatriots for gestures in favor of energy security and solidarity for the most favored before the arrival of winter in the midst of the war between Ukraine and Russia.
Under the slogan “Autumn solidarity: achieving social society and accelerating energy change”, the organizers demand aid for people with few resources, redistribution based on taxes for the rich and, at the same time, a more consistent energy change.
According to the organizers, some 24,000 people took to the streets in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Dresden, Frankfurt, Hannover and Stuttgart. Police, meanwhile, estimated that the figure was lower.
The call was made by a leftist alliance made up of unions, environmental groups and social associations.
Police referred to a “calm and relaxed” situation in Berlin, estimating the number of participants at less than 1,800. The organizers, meanwhile, estimated about 6,000 attendees this afternoon.
Previously, the attendance of about 20,000 people was expected. Numerous left-wing politicians took part in the protest march, such as the head of Integration, Labor and Social Affairs of the Berlin local government, Katja Kipping, and her colleagues from Justice, Lena Kreck, and Culture, Klaus Lederer.
The convening alliance accounted for 2,000 participants in Dresden. Sylvia Buehler, a member of the Verdi union’s board of directors, told the rally in the eastern German city that there is huge concern for people who can no longer afford horribly rising prices for food and energy.
Meanwhile, Sebastian Wegner, executive director of the Volkssolidarität social organization, called for a “protective umbrella for the provision of social assistance, to also protect social institutions.”
The alliance includes the networks Campact and Attac, the environmental associations Bund and Greenpeace and the citizen movement Finanzwende, as well as the unions Verdi and GEW.
Marissa Reiserer, a Greenpeace expert on traffic and climate, has considered that energy change and social justice go hand in hand.
“If we now work together to finance the development of renewable energies, mobility for all and emergency energy assistance for everyone who needs it, together we will give the starting signal towards a just and safe society”, he underlined.
