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Twilight of the Gods at the Brandenburg Gate: 20,000 demand peace for Gaza!
On September 13, 2025, up to 20,000 people gathered at the Brandenburg Gate to demonstrate against the war in Gaza.
Twilight of the Gods at the Brandenburg Gate: 20,000 demand peace for Gaza!
On September 13, 2025, a significant demonstration under the motto “Stop the genocide in Gaza” took place in Berlin in front of the Brandenburg Gate. The event, organized by Sahra Wagenknecht, attracted up to 20,000 people, while police said there were around 12,000 participants. The demonstration aimed to send a clear signal for peace and against the arms race. Despite the high number of participants, the event was largely peaceful; only one man was arrested on Simonstrasse for displaying a criminal poster. In her speeches, Wagenknecht emphasized that no one should be silenced when it comes to peace and criticized the Chancellor's arms deliveries to Israel.
As Berliner Zeitung reports, the well-known actor Dieter Hallervorden also spoke at the rally. Hallervorden announced that he was against war and called for peaceful disobedience. In front of an audience he reads a poem entitled “Gaza Gaza”, which he wrote together with Dieter Dehm. His speech included quotes from Martin Luther King as well as a reference to Lenin, where he emphasized that “peace must come from below.” He warned younger generations against joining the military and ended his speech with a call for reflection on the values of peace and disobedience.
Criticism and support
In her speech, Wagenknecht not only condemned the Hamas attack, but also questioned the justification of Israel's actions. She demanded that Germany not only be a spectator, but also an “accomplice.” Supporters of the rally included prominent personalities such as the rapper Massiv and the musician Peter Maffay. In his appeal for humanity, moderator Daniel Aminati also addressed his thoughts to the hungry in Gaza and the victims of October 7th.
This demonstration is part of a larger trend that reflects the structure of the peace movement in Germany today. Compared to the more unified movement of the 1980s, the current peace movement is highly divided. Larissa Daria Meier, conflict researcher, emphasizes that there is no unified movement, but rather a “peace mobilization” with many different groups and goals. While some protests are organized by right-wing groups, there is also a fragmented classic peace movement.
Social context
Like Tagesspiegel and rbb24 note, the discourse is currently shaped by a cross-party consensus that strongly supports military support for Ukraine. However, in this divided landscape, protests against the German government are often not directed against Russia. Coherent research on the demarcation processes within the peace movement is still missing, which underlines the complexity of the current protests.
There were also parallel events in Berlin, such as the one organized by the German Peace Society/United War Resisters, which also pointed out the problems of the global peace movement. The current developments and rising energy prices seem to be fueling the discussions and highlight the growing potential for frustration among the population, which is also being taken up by right-wing groups.