Anti-war protesters turn out for Munich Security Conference
More than 1,500 people took part in a demo against rising military spending and the soaring anti-immigration movement. But Munich police said the numbers were lower than expected.
More money for education
Protesters waved banners demanding that Germany's leaders resist US demands to increase its military spending to 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2024. Rather than arms, war and the military, they called for better investment in the country's education system.
Protesters decry anti-immigration rhetoric
Pro-refugee activists carried banners demanding "No fences, no borders" after US President Donald Trump vowed to build a wall at the US-Mexican border. Similar fences were built at the frontiers of several EU countries at the height of the 2015 migrant crisis.
Disarm before the world is obliterated
The Marienplatz area of downtown Munich saw the largest number of protesters on Saturday. One banner accused Wolfgang Ischinger, the head of the Munich Security Conference, and "the 1 percent" of planning to destroy the earth.
Rally coincides with truce announcement
Saturday's demonstration took place as Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France brokered a new temporary ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine after a recent flare-up in violence. Almost 10,000 people have been killed since a Moscow-backed separatist movement began in Russian speaking provinces of Ukraine in 2014.
Police presence stepped up
Around 4,000 police have been deployed for the three-day conference in Germany's third largest city. Analysts say the Munich Security Conference has become a major annual fixture to allow military experts and politicians to debate defense and security issues. Author: Nik Martin