NO to NATO’s war exercise Red Storm Bravo – YES to civil development!
„You. Poet in your study. If they order you tomorrow not to sing love songs, but songs of hate, then there’s only one thing to do: Say NO!
You. Doctor at the sickbed. If they order you tomorrow to certify men as fit for war, then there’s only one thing to do: Say NO!
You. Captain on the steamer. If they order you tomorrow not to transport wheat but cannons and tanks, then there’s only one thing to do: Say NO!
You. Man at the train station. If tomorrow they order you to give the signal for the ammunition and the troop trains to depart, then there’s only one thing to do: Say NO!
You. Man in the village and man in the city. . If they come for you tomorrow and bring your call-up papers, then there’s only one thing to do: Say NO!
You. Mother in Normandy and mother in the Ukraine, you, mother in Frisco and London, you, on the banks of the Huang Ho and the Mississippi,
you, mother in Nepal and Hamburg and Cairo and Oslo –
mothers in all regions on earth, mothers all over the world, if they order you tomorrow
to bear children – nurses for military hospitals and new soldiers for new battles,
mothers all over the world, then there’s only one thing to do: Say NO! Mothers, say NO!“
(„Dann gibt es nur eins“, Wolfgang Borchert, 1947)
From 25 to 29 September, a major NATO exercise, this time under the code name ‘Red Storm Bravo’, is to be held for the second time – in the centre of Hamburg. As was the case during the G20 summit in Hamburg in 2017, the international world trade and port city will be taken over for several days for the geopolitical delusions of the ruling class. This includes troop transport and the transfer of heavy military equipment from the airport to the port and from there to NATO’s eastern flank, including military convoys through the city with (nighttime) helicopter escorts. Schools will train obedience during air raid drills. Hospitals will have to prove their ability to function as extended field hospitals. Employment offices will have to rehearse replacing absent workers for “life- and defense-relevant” corporations, and district offices will be called upon to support military logistics.
The purpose of all this is to gauge the extent to which the population is willing to participate in a NATO-led war against Russia (both nuclear powers). Under the abstruse pretext of an impending “invasion from the East,” which has been used for the fourth time in German history, such a world war is being prepared and an unprecedented spiral of militarization set in motion, trampling on the urgently needed civil, solidarity-based, enlightened-democratic, and public welfare-oriented development of all societal sectors. The entire (urban) public is to be accustomed to the state of war, thereby gradually creating acceptance for the unacceptable. In this way, the exercise itself is part of the confrontational escalation of the conflict.
In the event of an „emergency“, the “Operation Plan Germany” provides for a comprehensive suspension of fundamental rights, which is tantamount to general mobilization.
It is therefore perfectly clear: without the military enlistment of the civilian population, war cannot be waged!
Every NO to these plans therefore has immediate peace-promoting significance! It is a decisive YES to the realization of a civil, global development perspective, as set out in the UN Charter, international law, the German Basic Law, and the Hamburg Constitution as conclusions drawn from fascism and world war: It is time for the peoples of the world to take history into their own hands and direct all their efforts “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war” and “to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom” (UN Charter). This includes the unconditional imperative of civil conflict resolution, diplomacy, (nuclear) disarmament, and cooperative understanding in international relations.
It includes the global realization of indivisible human rights and the humane organization of all areas of social life. This means: YES to a port that is civilian and publicly owned, contributing to the increase of social wealth worldwide, to cooperative economic relations, and to international understanding. This means: YES to schools where learning takes place in a joyful and supportive environment, shaping society in an egalitarian and humane way as mature individuals. This means: YES to hospitals where the all-round recovery of the individual is the highest priority. This means: YES to art and culture that promote critical thinking and contribute to the emancipatory development of all. This means: YES to public offices and institutions that work for a high social and cultural standard of living for everyone.
In the words of Gustav Heinemann in his inaugural speech as Federal President on July 1, 1969:
“It is not war that is the serious situation in which men must prove themselves, as my generation learned in school during the imperial era, but peace is the serious situation in which we all must prove ourselves.”
There is a fundamental lesson to be learned from history: the wise and courageous commitment of the many to the worldwide realization of peace, social equality, and international solidarity is the order of the day. Hamburg—in the spirit of Wolfgang Borchert: the gateway to a better world!
So take to the streets for the peace demonstration on September 27 at 1 p.m. in Hamburg.
We work towards:
- An end to all military maneuvers and NATO exercises
- Diplomatic offensives to end all armed conflicts worldwide through the consistent implementation of international law
- Accession to the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and restoration of all disarmament treaties unilaterally terminated by the US (INF, etc.)
- A halt to all arms exports and the conversion of all arms production into socially meaningful work
- The dissolution of NATO and the reactivation of a collective European security structure in the format of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) established in 1973
- The Bundeswehr (German Army) out of schools and universities! A civil clause in the Higher Education Act instead of new conscription and standing to attention for the fatherland
- Asylum for all conscientious objectors and deserters
- Rebuilding of all international city partnerships, for example with St. Petersburg
- Disarmament instead of rearmament! An end to preparations for war! Instead, billions for education and culture, health and work, housing and civil infrastructure, as well as real development aid – return the port to public ownership!