German Greens vote for war

By Lisa Macdonald

At a day-long congress on May 13, the German Greens voted to support NATO's bombing of Serbia and Kosova. Delegates voted 444-318 for a motion backed by Green foreign minister Joschka Fischer and the party's national executive.

The adopted motion endorses military action, but in a concession to the left in the party, it also urges a temporary suspension of the bombing to see whether Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic is ready to end his campaign against Kosovars.

Anti-war protesters formed a human chain around the congress site to prevent delegates from entering, threw eggs at pro-war delegates and held pictures of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Fischer with Hitler moustaches. Fifty-seven demonstrators were arrested and five police and at least two demonstrators were slightly injured.

Fischer — who at one point was spattered with blood-red paint while sitting on the dais — had to shout above jeers, whistles and shouts of "war criminal" to convince a majority of delegates that supporting the bombing was "necessary" to maintain the Greens' coalition with the Social Democratic Party in government. He implored delegates "not to cut me off at the knees".

Dozens of anti-war motions were put to the congress unsuccessfully. Leading Greens pacifist Annelie Buntenbach was cheered and given a standing ovation when she declared, "War is not an option ... stopping the bombing is a precondition for giving diplomacy a chance".

When the vote was taken, Fischer was visibly relieved. In an effort to pacify those who had supported a permanent end to air strikes, he promised to work in his post to represent the "entire spectrum" of the party!

Schröder never expressed doubt that the Greens would support NATO's war. Commenting before the congress, he said: "First, the foreign minister will not resign, and second, there is no government crisis". Unfortunately, he was proved correct.

From GLW issue 361