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Peace protesters form human chain outside German parliament

About 300 people formed the chain stretching from the parliament building to German chancellor Angela Merkel’s nearby office.

Demonstrators in front of the Federal Chancellery (dpa/AP) Expand

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Demonstrators in front of the Federal Chancellery (dpa/AP)

Demonstrators in front of the Federal Chancellery (dpa/AP)

Demonstrators in front of the Federal Chancellery (dpa/AP)

By AP Reporters

Hundreds of peace protesters have formed a human chain outside Germany’s parliament, calling for disarmament and an end to weapons exports.

About 300 people formed the chain stretching from the parliament building to German chancellor Angela Merkel’s nearby office, the dpa news agency reported.

The demonstration, organised under the motto: “Peace, not armaments”, came as the German government prepares to approve its budget proposals for the next two years, which include hefty defence spending.

Anti-highway expansion activists are pushed back by the police at the forest in Dannenrod(dpa/AP) Expand

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Anti-highway expansion activists are pushed back by the police at the forest in Dannenrod(dpa/AP)

Anti-highway expansion activists are pushed back by the police at the forest in Dannenrod(dpa/AP)

AP/PA Images

Anti-highway expansion activists are pushed back by the police at the forest in Dannenrod(dpa/AP)

Protesters carried signs with slogans such as: “No killer drones”, and: “Achieve peace without weapons”.

German Trade Union Confederation president Reiner Hoffmann told the protest crowd it was time for the country to back away from the Nato commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence.

“We need to break the armament spiral,” he told the crowd. “Armaments and armed conflicts don’t solve any problems.”

An anti-highway activist stretches a wooden sword towards the police (dpa/PA) Expand

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An anti-highway activist stretches a wooden sword towards the police (dpa/PA)

An anti-highway activist stretches a wooden sword towards the police (dpa/PA)

AP/PA Images

An anti-highway activist stretches a wooden sword towards the police (dpa/PA)

Germany has been criticised by the United States for not meeting the 2% Nato goal, but Berlin has pledged to work toward it and has been increasing defence spending.

At an unrelated demonstration elsewhere in Germany, police turned water cannon on protesters in a snowy forest between the western cities of Frankfurt and Kassel.

Environmental activists have been demonstrating regularly against the planned expansion of the A49 highway.

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