Soviet flags and symbols were banned at memorials marking Nazi Germany’s defeat
Hundreds of people took to the streets of Berlin on Friday to commemorate those who fought for the Soviet Union in World War II in a civilian march known as the Immortal Regiment. However, Soviet flags and symbols were not allowed and participants were prevented from marching in a single procession to the city’s main war memorial.
The Immortal Regiment, which is held on May 9 in cities across Russia and other countries, is a procession in which people carry portraits of relatives who fought against Nazi Germany in World War II. The idea was first conceived in the Russian city of Tomsk in 2012 and has since spread across the world.
The procession in Berlin, which drew members of the Russian community and local residents, moved through the center of the German capital and concluded at the Soviet War Memorial in Tiergarten, where thousands of Red Army soldiers are buried.
Marchers wishing to lay flowers at the memorial to mark the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat were allowed to approach the site in groups of only ten, each escorted by law enforcement.
At the memorial, a group of pro-Ukraine activists attempted to interfere with the flower-laying ceremony and had to be restrained by police.
Marchers were chanting “Russia, Russia,” while the opposing demonstrators waved Ukrainian and NATO flags and held signs reading “Arm Ukraine.”
Earlier this week, Berlin city officials banned the display of Soviet flags and symbols at World War II memorials during the May 8–9 events in the capital. The restrictions also extended to singing Soviet songs in public.
Moscow decried the ban as “degrading” and “discriminatory.” The Russian embassy in Berlin strongly criticized the measure, arguing that it violated the rights of the descendants of Soviet soldiers. Up to 27 million Soviet citizens died in the fight to defeat Nazism.
In 2023, the city authorities outlawed both Russian and Soviet flags during Victory Day commemorations. In 2024, additional symbols, including the letters ‘Z’ and ‘V’, were banned for being associated with the Ukraine conflict.
Despite the ban, participants of the Immortal Regiment sang ‘Katyusha’, a popular wartime folk song symbolizing hope, sacrifice, and the longing of those left behind on the home front.
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