Hundreds form human chain to protest military spending in Germany

Several hundred people protested against rising military spending in Germany by forming a human chain in Berlin's government quarter on Saturday.

Organizers said the human chain of 500 people reached from Angela Merkel's chancellery to the Bundestag, the parliament building. Police said 350 people participated in the protest.

Trade unions, social and environmental organizations had called for the protest under the slogan "Peace, not armament."

The head of the German trade union association (DGB), Reiner Hoffmann, said: "The DGB is protesting against the global armament craze and the 2-per-cent goal of NATO.

"We have to break the spiral of arms build-up. Armament and violence are not solving any problems," Hoffmann added.

Parliament is due to discuss Germany's upcoming 2021 budget on Tuesday. It foresees higher military spending.

This comes as US President Donald Trump and NATO are pressuring Germany to increase its defence spending, which falls well below the NATO target of 2 per cent of gross domestic product.

Trump announced plans for the partial withdrawal of US troops from Germany in June amid a long-running spat with Berlin over military spending, though the US Congress has taken steps to halt this plan.