Give peace a chance, sing young E. Germans

Press, 15 February 1982, Page 6

Give peace a chance, sing young E. Germans

NZPA-Reuter Dresden Iman unprecedented unofficial .. peace demonstration, several thousand young East Germans lit candles and sang. “We Shall Overcome” around the ruins of a Dresden church at the week-end. More than 6000 young people packed another church earlier in. the day for a peace forum at which Church leaders tried to deal with questions which called into doubt Government policies on arms. Church officials said the forum was a response to a clear , demand from the coun-try’s-youth for some form of active peace campaign. It did not directly give support to the open-air demon-

stration marking the thirtyseventh anniversary of Dresden's destruction by wartime bombing. The young people, wearing “Ban the Bomb” badges or symbols depicting swords turned to ploughshares, held hands in a .circle to sing in English. They also sang “Give Peace a Chance” by the late John Lennon. Bishop Johannes Hempel, of Saxony, asked why the Church did not take a more active role in leading a peace campaign, said: “The Church is not a revolutionary force. It is at its best when it has no power although it might sometimes lack it.” The East German Govern-

ment has praised West Germany’s militant peace movement. But it has also said that Socialist countries do not need such a force because the Soviet Union and its allies are not a threat to peace.

Church leaders from Saxony were booed when they said they had not enough information .to discuss a disarmament appeal launched by an East Berlin pastor.

The pastor. Reiner Eppelmann. was detained for two days after publication in West Germany of his appeal calling for withdrawal of Soviet troops from East Germany and N.A.T.O. troops from West Germany.