Thousands join Germany’s March for Life as activists attack pro-life stand

Counterdemonstrators threw paint at a pro-life information stall as Germanyʼs March for Life filled the streets of two cities for the fourth year running.

Thousands of pro-life demonstrators took to the streets of Berlin and Cologne on Saturday, Sept. 19, for Germany’s annual March for Life, which for the fourth time was held in both cities at once. Organizers put the combined turnout at about 6,000.

At the start of the Cologne rally on the Neumarkt square, counterdemonstrators threw paint at an information stand.

The Cologne rally, organized by Mona Schwaderlapp, a 27-year-old occupational therapist and mother of three, opened at 1 p.m. under the motto “The Right to Life Is a Human Right.” The route passed the Basilica of the Holy Apostles and ran along Zeughausstrasse through the city center before returning to the Neumarkt, where the march ended around 4 p.m.

Paint, smoke, and blockades in Cologne

The paint was thrown by two counterdemonstrators who had obtained the green vests worn by the pro-life marchers and moved unnoticed to the stand of the pro-life foundation Stiftung Ja zum Leben, according to the Catholic weekly Die Tagespost. CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, observed on the scene in Cologne that the attackers also set off purple smoke bombs.

During the stage program, several counterdemonstrators pushed to the front of the stage with a banner. One counterdemonstrator, who sprayed the banner with paint during the march, faces a criminal complaint for property damage.

Cologne police said the march had been registered for 3,000 people and that the “pro-choice” counter-event was likewise expected to draw 3,000. Police gave no figures for actual turnout.

CNA Deutsch observed officers using drones to monitor the march. Apart from two sit-in blockades, the procession through the city center passed without major disruption.

“We are here today because there are people who need our help,” said Ludwig Brühl of the federal board of the pro-life group Aktion Lebensrecht für Alle at the rally. He warned: “Surrogacy arrangements are being sold in the middle of Cologne.”

Brühl said he and fellow campaigners had gone undercover to track down people taking in large sums from the business. “They know how to get around our laws,” he said. “We have to stop these people.”

Surrogacy and Down syndrome in Berlin

The group’s federal chairwoman, Cornelia Kaminski, also spoke against surrogacy, in Berlin.

The 22nd March for Life took place in Berlin at the same time, drawing 4,200 people according to the German pro-life group Bundesverband Lebensrecht. Berlin police put the figure at about 2,200.

Five Bavarian bishops took part in the Berlin march, reported the Diocese of Regensburg. They were Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg, Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau, Auxiliary Bishop Josef Graf of Regensburg, Auxiliary Bishop Florian Wörner of Augsburg, and Bishop Emeritus Gregor Maria Hanke of Eichstätt.

Cologne Auxiliary Bishop Dominikus Schwaderlapp took part in the march there. Several other bishops had sent written greetings to the organizers ahead of the marches.

“In all, well over 6,000 people (4,200 Berlin, 2,100 Cologne) of all generations set out today to take to the streets for the right to life of every human being from conception to natural death,” the Bundesverband Lebensrecht said.

The group’s chairwoman, Alexandra Linder, said: “Democracy means universal human dignity, the right to life from conception to natural death, and a prohibition on the killing of the innocent.”

This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.