Security and peace
30 hours in Munich
I addressed the topic of security recently. So now: Security CONFERENCE. The Munich Security Conference has a long tradition. Founded in 1963 as a ‘defence conference’ but always internationally oriented, in 2011 it was the venue where Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, signed the New START Treaty, which expired just a few days ago as the last nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the US.
Peace and security belong together. But they are two different things. I tend to lean towards the former. Therefore I was attending the Munich PEACE Conference last weekend with the kind support of Attac. Here is a brief report. Incidentally, the Security Conference did not invite me.
For 24 years now, the meetings have been held in parallel with the Security Conference. In 2026, it was organised on a largely voluntary basis by eight civil society organisations from Munich under the leadership of Maria R. Feckl. For the first time, they had to manage without any major sponsors. And so, in addition to the €30 conference fee, we were not only asked to pay for every drink during the breaks, but also to fork out 50 cents for a printed programme. This seems to me to be the near future for such civil society events in times of cuts in all areas (with the exception of the military).
Around 200 participants gathered at the Salesianum youth hostel and event centre in the Haidhausen district, about 3 kilometres from the Bavarian Hof, where the world’s military strategists were meeting. The age group of those who had already been actively involved in the peace movement of the 1980s was clearly in the majority. But there was also a group of young people, especially on Friday evening, when the topic of conscientious objection was discussed under the heading ‘Against the tide of violence’. The topic is particularly controversial in Germany due to the debate about the reintroduction of compulsory military service for young men. According to moderator Kerem Schamberger (Medico International), German talk shows no longer discuss rearmament, but take it for granted. ‘What can we do to support others in actively refusing military service?’
All four panelists were under 30 and came from Israel, Russia, Ukraine and Germany. In the published opinion, there is hardly any contradiction to be heard in Simon David Dressler, characterised by ARD as a ‘left-wing influencer’. David is one of the few (alongside Ole Nymoyen) to speak out clearly against it in public. Four years ago (shortly after the pandemic), when the first voices were raised, he posted his first video on compulsory military service, which was shared many times. He feels that he and his generation are being exploited as a means of geopolitical positioning for Germany and finds this coercive relationship between the state and its citizens unjust. He perceives a great deal of support for this view among the younger generation, who will ultimately be most affected by the plans. The second ‘school strike against conscription’ is planned for 5 March 2026.
20-year-old peace activist Sofia Orr from the Israeli refusers network “Mesarvot” grew up in a non-violent, non-Zionist household. She said that deciced to refuse military service, when she was 14 years old, long before the Gaza war, and sat in military prison for that for 85 days.
In her family it was said that Israel is an army with country not a country with an army. However, she also lost friends with her decision. “After genocide it became more difficult to refuse”, Sophia said. “Nevertheless, the number of people who refuse publicly is rising significantly.”
Even much more difficult is the situation for refusers in both Russia and Ukraine. Yan Kormilishin, a young conscientious objector from Ukraine, was born in Kiev and came to Germany only two months ago. He studies civil engineering while Timofy Vaskin, a human rights lawyer left and also conscientious objector from Russia, left his country in 2023.
Yan’s main intention is to “fight against Ukrainian propaganda of war. I have nothing against Timofy.” At his university, half of the men in his degree programme have left the country before they turned 23. “They don’t want people who build hospitals and schools. They want people who fight” he said.
Russian refugees often face deportation and are denied asylum. Russians and anti-war activists suffer most from EU sanctions against Russia, adds Timofy. Every day, 1,000 people die on the Russian-Ukrainian border.Schamberger describes the trauma suffered by soldiers as a major problem that will continue to affect us as a society for decades to come.
„Solders Mothers“ protect rights to object in Russia. Women play a most important role, says Timofy. “Putin fights against them. Mothers still fight with him”, and Yan adds similar observations from Ukraine. Currently, civil conflict management, peace conferences, negotiations, and dialogue are financed with only 0.4% of military spending.
Katharina Rottmayr from the German “Peace Tax Network” presented an interesting proposal, calculating on the basis of sound financial principles that, according to current armament plans, every German citizen contributes around €100,000 in taxes to armament over the course of their lifetime. The aim of this initiative is to recognize the right to refuse to pay taxes for armaments, the military, and war on grounds of conscience and to allocate these taxes exclusively to civilian purposes. There is also an international network of similar initiatives from various countries around the world. Austria is not yet involved.
On Saturday, I took part in a simulation game developed by Pax Christi on the subject of arms exports, in which a “decision” had to be made on a fictitious application for an arms export license, similar to those frequently submitted in Germany and Austria.
The initiators are not concerned with the outcome, but rather with
gaining a better understanding of the political and ethical dimensions of arms exports
the legal basis of German arms export policy
the scope for action available to politics, business, and civil society.
I found this an interesting didactic approach that could also be of interest to us in Austria. The relevant documents are available for download. The rock band Silly has recorded an impressive song and an even more impressive video on this topic - but not for the faint-hearted. Here are the lyrics:
Chorus: How I love such a country / with heart or mind / Blind or with a view beyond the edge
My fatherland makes a lot of money with machines / Machines for killing for almost every war in the world
Chorus: How I love such a country ...
Death insists on quality that sells well / Money turns into foreign blood on the horizon
Chorus: How I love such a country ...
We bring death to the world for money / How I love such a country / with heart or mind / Blind or with a view beyond the edge.
Incidentally, the parallel second workshop was also participatory: “Theater of the Oppressed – Explorative Play on Conflict, Peace and Security”. There is also a corresponding group here in Vienna. Perhaps we should get in touch with them.
For me, the two days ended with the extremely colorful demonstration against the security conference (“Anti SIKO Demo”) under the slogan “Let’s stop the arms madness” (Stoppen wir den Rüstungswahnsinn), which I document here with a small photo gallery.
The rally was attended by a wide variety of peace activists—from Pax Christi to Greenpeace to Turkish communists. But it was just one of many rallies in Munich that weekend, one of which attracted 250,000 participants protesting against the regime in Iran.
Speaking of demonstrations, in two weeks’ time, a rally will be held in Munich under the slogan #unkürzbar München (“unabridged München”) in front of Munich City Hall on Marienplatz, which is not unlike our City Hall in Vienna, combining the demands of the social, climate, trade union, and peace movements as well as culture. Attac Munich is also calling for this. They are demanding:
No cuts to citizen’s income, pensions, and social benefits.
No staff reductions and no hiring freeze in the public sector.
Securing daycare centers, health, and social services.
A reduction in spending on armaments, climate-damaging subsidies, and large-scale projects in favor of social and ecological projects.
Maintaining cultural subsidies and measures for environmental and climate protection.
Taxation of capital and large profits
Transparent budget decisions at all levels
I couldn’t agree more. Thank you, Munich!
All photos: Fritz Hinterberger.