Anti-war protesters carried banners bearing slogans such as ‘Negotiations! No weapons!’, ‘No to war!’, and ‘Pacifism is not naïve.’. Some banners also bore anti-American messages.

The protest took place a week before a planned visit by U.S. President Joe Biden.

Although a major donor of aid to Ukraine, Germany has a checkered track record of support.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has criticized other European countries for doing too little to support Kyiv, while himself seeming to sit on the fence.

According to influential Politico magazine, this apparent ambivalence is due to a “deep seated fear of Russia.”

Federal elections scheduled for next year are also a factor.

Politico reported in March that almost 60% of the country opposed supplying Ukraine with Taurus missiles, up from 49% a month earlier.

The European Parliament wrote in March that, according to one survey, “49% of Germans feel that the delivery of heavy weapons to Ukraine will increase the risk of a Russian attack on western states, while 45% do not fear this.”