Peace is universally a good thing. War on the other hand is universally bad.

At least that was my idealistic view for my entire life. For that reason I was under the impression, that being part of the peace-movement was obvious. Of course I am for peace and against war!

Therefore it was shocking to me that today I did not feel comfortable attending the “Ostermarsch” in Münster. The Ostermarsch is a traditional peace-protest all across Germany. Many people protest for peace and against war.

But this time it was different. A woman handed me a paper on which some party was demanding immediate stop of weapon deliveries to the Ukraine. The paper also called for and end of the sanctions against Russia and the acknowledgement of Luhansk, Donezk and the Krim regions as independent states.

Only 2 months ago I would have agreed that sending weapons into war zones would be bad. However, the war in the Ukraine changed my view on that. I guess it is important to reflect every now and then, and to accept a change of opinion based on a changed situation.

Yes, sending no weapons to the Ukraine would at some point end the war, simply because the Ukraine would lose it. But would “peace” be the result? I doubt it.

I believe that this war can only end if Putin decides to end it. For long I would have thought that diplomacy would be the best way to achieve that, but many years of diplomatic efforts appear to have lead to nothing.

Many of the attendees of the Ostermarsch were elderly. Some may have even been old enough to have been born before the allied forces defeated Nazi Germany in 1945. One may draw parallels between the cruelties of Nazi occupiers in eastern Europe and the recent war crimes in Butcha. Was the second world war ended by pacifists?

While it is noble to be pacifistic and to demand “Never again war” before a war is actually happening, you cannot end a war responsibly by cutting one party off from military help. At least not without having the blood of innocent on your hands.