Fight the warmongers – for our future! Rheinmetall disarm camp in Cologne (September 1st - 6th, 2026) and days of action against the NATO maneuvers in Hamburg (September 24th - 26th)

dossier

“…Everything is geared towards war: the companies, schools, advertising, hospitals and and and... Militarization does not just mean the mass production and export of weapons, but that all areas of life are made ready for war. Anyone who thinks that this will continue without our resistance is mistaken: the antimilitarist movement has shown that we will not just let this happen and that we will fight for each other! We fight together in solidarity with Palestine, with the Kurdish freedom movement, with the striking students against conscription, with the protests against the deportation authority ICE in the USA and Frontex in the EU. We fight together against racist violence and femicide. We refuse! We sabotage! We protest! We're on strike!…” From the (multilingual)Call from Rheinmetall to disarm for theCamp in Cologne and theAction days in Hamburg – see more about this:

• Days of action in Hamburg against the NATO maneuver Red Storm Charlie start on September 24th. – including a concert and demonstration on the 24th/26th. September 2026
  • Rheinmetall’s action days are disarming! will take place from September 24th to 26th. took place in Hamburg
    Already from September 23rd. The alliance will be present in the Old Elbpark and kick off the action days with a kick-off event. In addition to the substantive program in the Old Elbpark, decentralized actions will take place during the action days to disrupt the NATO maneuver. In addition, on September 25th. the school strike against compulsory military service, on the same day a demonstration about Rheinmetall's involvement in the armament and militarization of the EU's external borders and on September 26th. At 3:00 p.m. a demonstration against militarization and social cuts will take place following the nationwide protests against social cuts. Information about the program:https://rheinmetallentwaffnen.org/hamburg/programm/ 
  • Peace capability instead of NATO maneuver Red Storm Charlie in Hamburg: concert and demonstration on 24/26. September 2026
    “…We invite you to practice peacekeeping skills in Hamburg and to drive the Bundeswehr out of the city from September 24th to 26th, 2026, along with their planned NATO military exercise Red Storm Charlie! If we refuse, the war cannot be waged: We say NO to NATO, militarization, rearmament and YES to life, to the realization of human and international law: the university hospital as a recovery center instead of a war hospital! The port as a civilian center of international solidarity instead of war logistics and arms production! The (college) schools for developing democratic personalities instead of being a subject factory!��
    This is why we, the “No NATO Port” alliance, are organizing:
    Thursday (September 24th), 3 p.m. - 7 p.m., Jungfernstieg (Reesendamm Bridge)
    CONCERT FOR PEACE 
    Concert flyer:www.kein-nato-hafen.de/konzert-fuer-den-frieden/  
    Saturday (September 26th), 2 p.m., Jungfernstieg (Reesendamm Bridge)
    DEMONSTRATION: No to the Red Storm Charlie war exercise! Yes to social progress!
    Speakers include Ingar Solty (author, speaker for peace policy at the RLS), Norman Paech (Professor of International Law), Marité Diaz Castellanos (Friendship Association of the Federal Republic of Germany and Cuba in Cologne), Leonie Corinth (International Doctors for the Prevention of Nuclear War: IPPNW), activists from trade unions.
    With cultural contributions from, among others, Sefu Sanni (singer, Communist Party of Kenya).
    Demo call:www.kein-nato-hafen.de/demo-aufruf-2026/ …” Invitation from the No-NATO-Port Alliance (via e-mail)
• Rheinmetall disarm camp in Cologne: Thousands against rearmament - Blockade of the Bundeswehr barracks - Injured in the police cauldron - Medical service and the press hindered
  • Dozens injured in “Disarm Rheinmetall” demonstration
    “Cologne: Those affected report shocking scenes. Demonstrators were held in police circles until the night.
    Thousands of people marched through downtown Cologne on Saturday to protest against rearmament and militarization in Germany and Europe. The demonstration marked the end of the Rheinmetall disarm camp, which took place in Cologne for the second time this year. For many demonstrators, however, the day ended with injuries and a police siege that lasted for hours.
    After just 900 meters, the police stopped the protest march. As a reason, she cited the setting off of pyrotechnics from the crowd. As a result, she forcibly surrounded around 300 people. The front part of the demo procession was able to continue running after a while, while the rear part remained in the police cauldron. The police then separated the group again. The dividing line appeared arbitrary from the outside. (…)
    The lawyer Simón González told the “nd” that, in his view, proportionality was particularly relevant when it came to police measures during the demonstration. According to rulings by the Federal Constitutional Court, such police encirclements are only constitutional under very strict conditions. This is particularly problematic in groups that include many people who have not been accused of a crime. In his opinion, there is a lot to be said for a encirclement lasting more than six hours as a violation of the principle of proportionality. There is also no legal basis for obstructing marked paramedics who are not themselves involved as demonstrators.”Article by Clemens Christian from September 8th, 2026 in ND online 
  • Cologne: Thousands against rearmament - hundreds in the police cauldron. Demo at the end of the Rheinmetall disarm camp: arbitrariness and harsh action by the security forces against anti-militarists.
    “From Saturday afternoon onwards, thousands of people marched through Cologne city center under the motto “Stop the warmongers”. The demonstration marked the end of the antimilitarist Rheinmetall disarm camp. According to media reports, around 2,000 people visited the tent camp over the course of the week.
    During the camp, various organizations hosted educational events and discussions on anti-militarist and other political topics. The camp was temporarily observed by armed police officers, i.e. the military police of the Bundeswehr.
    An action day took place on Thursday. On this occasion, activists in Cologne and the Cologne area carried out various protest actions. They blocked the Liège barracks in Cologne, where the Federal Office for Personnel Management of the Bundeswehr is based. Further actions were also directed against companies benefiting from the rearmament, such as the company that gave the camp its name or Deutz AG.
    The final demonstration began at 1 p.m. at Cologne Central Station. From there the participants moved towards the city center. Numerous organizations took part in the demonstration. In addition to anti-militarist groups, feminist, socialist and communist forces, activists from the Left Party and from the Palestinian and Kurdish freedom movements were also represented. The police were also on site with a large contingent from the start. Already during the opening rally, a few demonstrators were surrounded by emergency services. Hundreds of police officers accompanied the later demonstration on both sides. (…) As the situation progressed, the police operation intensified. Less than a kilometer after the procession began, the police separated the demonstration into two larger groups and trapped hundreds of participants. People were crowded together in a small space. The officers repeatedly squeezed people far too tightly together in narrow streets. Several people temporarily lost consciousness and required medical attention. Two water cannons also appeared on one side of the demonstration…”Article by Clemens Christian from September 5th, 2026 in ND online 
  • Rheinmetall Disarmen – treatment refused by medical service
    “Cologne, September 3rd, 2026. The South-West Medical Group is the official medical service of the “Rheinmetall Disarmen” camp and the resulting protest actions in Cologne and the surrounding area. The group is supported by other demonstration groups from Cologne and Hamburg. Two teams accompanied a group of around 200 demonstrators who gathered for a blockade in front of the barracks in Cologne-Longerich. The blockade wanted to express its rejection of conscription in one of the places from which the first muster letters were recently sent and continue to be sent.
    After about 1.5 hours, the police declared the meeting dissolved and began to clear the blockade that still existed. The evicted people were processed for identification purposes. Within sight of our teams, the local police forces repeatedly hit the people taking part in the blockade with the aim of removing them from the blockade. Several people were injured, and in six cases subsequent hospital treatment was necessary.
    In two cases, the police forces did not allow the paramedics present to get to the injured person.
    In one case, participants in the blockade loudly called for paramedics. We tried to get to the injured person but were stopped by the police. Even the repeated indication that preventing treatment was a failure to provide assistance did not result in treatment being made possible. It was stated that they would check on the person asking for help themselves. After being repeatedly ignored, multiple questions about the qualifications of the personnel provided by the police to assess the injured person were ultimately answered by saying that there were paramedics on site, but no emergency paramedics. If necessary, you would dial 112. As demo paramedics, we were on site with four emergency paramedics and a team in direct sight of the injured person, so in this case we, as more highly qualified personnel, would have had the right to provide the person with medical care. A short time after the calls for paramedics, the medical staff observed a person being taken out of the blockade by police officers. She was visibly injured. It is unclear whether this was the person for whom help was called. Despite her face being obviously distorted in pain and a clearly visible limp, treatment by the medical teams was still refused…”Press release from September 3, 2026 from Sanitätsgruppe Süd-West e.V. 
  • Police brutally break up peaceful blockade against war machine!
    “…The Sanitätsgruppe Süd-West e.V., which is responsible for the camp's medical service, reports: After about 1.5 hours, the police declared the meeting dissolved and began to clear the blockade that still existed. The evicted people were processed for identification purposes. Within sight of our teams, the local police forces repeatedly hit the people taking part in the blockade with the aim of removing them from the blockade. Several people were injured, and in six cases subsequent hospital treatment was necessary (…) The obstruction of medical assistance, especially by medical staff, is a disregard for basic humanistic principles and an expression of global brutalization. Even in war zones, the Geneva Convention stipulates unhindered access for medical personnel to the injured - including the enemy. Within Germany, police officers are violating their duties if they prevent paramedics or emergency doctors from helping the injured. There were similar massive police attacks and violations last year. We reported! Those responsible were found out at that time. Consequences this year? Apparently none…”Contribution by Peter Vlatten from September 4, 2026 in the Trade Union Left Forum Berlin , see also:
  •  Cologne police bludgeon and surround antimilitarists! These show solidarity and attitude – “Our voices cannot be surrounded”
    “From Saturday afternoon onwards, thousands of people marched through Cologne city center under the motto “Stop the warmongers”. The large demonstration marked the end of the antimilitarist Rheinmetall disarm camp, with 5 days of workshops, lectures and actions. The focus was on criticism of rearmament, militarization and warmongering, but also of the inevitably associated social clear-cutting and the destruction of all civilian tasks in our society…”Contribution by Peter Vlatten from September 5, 2026 in the Trade Union Left Forum Berlin 
  • Rheinmetall Disarm: Activists block Bundeswehr barracks - The police react with violence and restrict medics and the press
    “On Thursday, around 200 activists blocked a Bundeswehr barracks that plays an important role in recruiting new soldiers. The police reacted with violence and restrictions on paramedics and the press. There were also various anti-militarist protests outside of the blockade.As part of the Rheinmetall disarm camp in Cologne, over 200 activists blocked a Bundeswehr barracks on Thursday. At 8:30 a.m. they began blocking the gate to the site, denying access. (…)
    Police use police force to evacuate
    The police responded to the blockade with repression and police violence. Groups of police repeatedly tried to break into the demonstration and pull individuals out. The police kicked and punched the demonstrators who had linked arms in solidarity. In some cases, however, the police were unable to pull people out of the blockade and had to withdraw temporarily. After demonstrators were pulled out of the blockade, the police used further violence against them. People were thrown to the ground and sometimes several police officers knelt on their bodies - and again and again on their heads and necks. One participant was brutally thrown to the ground and had her hands tied with cable ties behind her back for no reason…”Report from September 3, 2026 from Perspective Online 
• Armament meets resistance: Rheinmetall disarm camp starts in Cologne: thousands of participants, workshops and protest actions from September 1st to 6th, 2026
  “The antimilitarist and internationalist alliance “Rheinmetall Disarmen” opened this year’s camp in Cologne on Tuesday. Under the motto “Fight the warmongers – For our future!” Workshops, discussions, demonstrations and other activities will take place until September 6th. According to the organizers, several thousand participants are expected over the course of the week.
  Anti-War Day opens a week of protest
  To kick things off, the alliance will take part in a demonstration on September 1st together with the Cologne Peace Forum to mark Anti-War Day. Political events and actions are planned at various locations in Cologne in the following days. The public highlight will be a large final demonstration on Saturday, September 5th. The camp ends on September 6th. With the action week, the alliance wants to draw attention to the consequences of rearmament, arms production and increasing militarization. It criticizes the fact that the federal government is providing extensive funds for military purposes, while at the same time cuts are being made in the social sector and the climate crisis is becoming increasingly noticeable…” Press release from September 1st, 2026 via email
• 24th-26th September in Hamburg: Sink NATO maneuvers!
  “Rheinmetall’s action days are disarming! will take place from September 24th to 26th. took place in Hamburg. Already from September 23rd. The alliance will be present in the Old Elbpark and kick off the action days with a kick-off event. In addition to the substantive program in the Old Elbpark, decentralized actions will take place during the action days to disrupt the NATO maneuver. In addition, on September 25th. the school strike against conscription and on September 26th. At 3:00 p.m. a demonstration against militarization and social cuts will take place following the nationwide protests against social cuts…”Information from the Rheinmetall Alliance Disarm! 

See also:

• Dossier:Brave new Bundeswehr: Due to the war in Ukraine, the debate about compulsory military service is returning - and so are the school strikes
• Dossier:The “Employment Security Act” authorizes the employment agency to force almost everyone to work in the event of war – which is what “RED Storm Bravo” does in Hamburg
• and last:Rheinmetall Disarmen camp in Cologne from August 26th to 31st, 2025: Let us collectively refuse the war regime!

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