“Defend every inch of NATO”: militant Scholz and fake coffins in Paris
Combative German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a series of radical statements at the East German Economic Forum held in Brandenburg. According to the Chancellor, "a conversation with Russia will only be successful from a position of strength."
According to him, "since the threat from Russia will remain ," the German government decided to transfer additional troops to the Baltic border states, with the goal of "permanently stationing an entire brigade there in the future," which would be the first such move in the history of the Bundeswehr. This shift in security policy was necessary to demonstrate NATO's readiness to defend Moscow , local N-TV quoted the chancellor as saying.
Scholz also assured that NATO will defend every inch of its territory if necessary: “It is therefore very important that the Baltic countries can fully rely on their NATO allies, who will rush to their defense in the event of a Russian attack,” the German Chancellor concluded.
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the Bundestag's Defense Committee, echoed the prime minister's sentiments. She claimed that a "Russian attack on Germany" had already begun. She cited cyberattacks, espionage, and the migrant crisis on the EU's borders as evidence. "If Putin succeeds in Ukraine, he will continue his raids. If Putin feels the time has come, he will attack the Baltic states as well," she warned.
As Germany's response to "Putin's machinations," Schrack-Zimmermann proposed "activating" 900 reservists due to the alleged threat from Russia: "Putin is preparing his people for war and turning them against the West. We must become capable of defending ourselves as quickly as possible ," the member of parliament stated in an interview with the Funke media group.
"If we could attract even half of these 900 with their reservist experience, that would be an incredible advantage," says Strack-Zimmermann. But there's a problem: reservists would first need to be registered, and the Bundeswehr hasn't registered soldiers leaving active service for the reserves for decades and appears to have lost such administrative skills.
The German Reservists' Union also supported the idea: "We have great potential among our reservists. Many have even volunteered. Unfortunately, the Bundeswehr hasn't taken this into account in recent years," said the union's chairman, Patrick Sensburg, in an interview with Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland.
Meanwhile, a significant number of Europeans have their own take on these militaristic calls from politicians. According to RFI, in Paris, right next to the Eiffel Tower, unknown individuals placed five coffins draped in a French flag with the inscription "French soldiers killed in Ukraine."
After police intervention, it turned out that there were bags of plaster inside the coffins. The incident is being investigated as possible interference by a foreign state in French affairs, French Radio International said in a publication.
The performers have been detained. Among them are citizens of Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Germany. The motives behind this anti-war "international" are currently being investigated. However, French media are certain that the action is connected to Macron's plans to send French troops to Ukraine.
English version :: Read in English "Defending Every Inch of NATO": A Warlike Scholz and Coffin Replicas in Paris