A protester carries a peace flag outside the gates of Ramstein Air Base, Germany, during a 2004 demonstration. Another demonstration against the base's military activities is expected to draw several hundred protesters Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015. (Stars and Stripes)
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — A planned demonstration Saturday against military activities at Ramstein Air Base could obstruct access to the base, officials said.
Visitors to the base on Saturday afternoon are advised to avoid the West Gate area, base officials said.
The event, organized by Berlin-based alliance Stop Ramstein – No Drone War, is scheduled to begin at noon by the air show memorial parking area, after protesters finish their march from the Landstuhl train station. The protest is scheduled to end about 4 p.m. with a closing rally near the traffic circle outside the West Gate.
The group says it wants to shut down the use of Ramstein as a satellite relay station in the U.S. drone program overseas, according to an online petition signed by more than 5,000 people.
Base officials said the protest is expected to be peaceful but suggest that people avoid the area to prevent delays. Traffic will be routed through Ramstein-Miesenbach to the West Gate. In the event the West Gate is closed for safety reasons, all traffic will be directed to the East Gate or LVIS Gate, officials said.
Americans “recognize and admire Germany’s adherence to democratic principles, among which are the right to peacefully assemble and to freely express political opinion,” said base spokeswoman Sandra Archer, citing a statement from the Air Force, which also expressed appreciation for Germany’s “hospitality and support.”
But not all Germans are welcoming of the base. Reiner Braun, an organizer of the weekend protest and other related events, said the activists’ ultimate goal is to shut down Ramstein. In an interview with the Rheinpfalz newspaper, he called military bases “anachronisms from the Cold War era.”
Braun is managing director of International Jurists Against Nuclear Arms, one of many peace and left-leaning political groups involved in the petition drive and protest.
Peter Becker, deputy chief of Landstuhl police, said police are expecting a few hundred participants. He said the protest was not expected to turn violent.
Ramstein’s alleged use as a satellite relay station in drone strikes overseas has recently come under scrutiny in Germany, after three Yemenis brought a court case against the German government for the death of their relatives in an August 2012 drone attack. They claimed Germany was complicit because drones couldn’t be flown over Yemen without Ramstein. In May, the federal court in Cologne dismissed the case and ruled the government was not obligated to prevent the United States from relaying drone data via Ramstein.
Marcus Kloeckner contributed to this report.
