Berlin’s Luxemburg-Liebknecht march unites history and modern protest tensions
Thousands gathered in Berlin for the annual Luxemburg-Liebknecht (LL) Demonstration, marking the 1919 murders of socialist leaders Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. The event remained largely peaceful, though tensions flared earlier when activists targeted a Rheinmetall news plant. This year’s march also reflected a shift in demographics, with younger protesters and more visible communist factions taking part.
The demonstration began with a customary wreath-laying at the Socialists’ Memorial in Friedrichsfelde Cemetery, where 8,500 people paid their respects. As the march progressed, it took on the solemn tone of a funeral procession, with groups laying flowers at the graves of Luxemburg and Liebknecht—both killed by far-right militias over a century ago.
Before the main event, anti-militarist activists attempted to storm Rheinmetall’s new ammunition plant in Wedding. The protest’s core message centred on opposition to conscription and growing militarisation, themes echoed at the 31st Rosa Luxemburg Conference held the previous year. That conference, hosted at the offices of Junge Welt newspaper, featured speeches from prominent figures. Tatjana Sambale, a DKP party leader, criticised systems fuelling war risks, while UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese accused Germany of complicity in Israel’s actions in Gaza. Former Red Army Faction member Burkhard Garweg also addressed attendees, rejecting terrorism allegations and voicing support for the Palestinian movement. The demonstration itself has changed in recent years. Younger activists now dominate, though some groups have revived controversial slogans like ‘Long live Stalin!’ and ‘The GDR was our state—all power to the proletariat!’ Despite this, the event remained calm, with no major disruptions reported.
The LL Demonstration continues to draw large crowds, blending historical remembrance with current political struggles. While the protest stayed peaceful, the presence of hardline communist factions and clashes at Rheinmetall’s plant highlight ongoing tensions. The event’s evolving demographics suggest a new generation is engaging with its socialist roots—though not always with new ideas.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
