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The
Cologne Carnival parade, at which clubs traditionally poke fun
at Germany's politicians with colourful floats, was cancelled
last week in favour of a "peace demonstration" after Russia
invaded Ukraine in the biggest assault on a European country
since World War Two.
Carnival is hugely popular in parts of western Germany,
especially in Rhineland cities such as Cologne and Duesseldorf,
where festivities peak on Shrove Monday - or "Rose Monday" -
with tens of thousands attending street parades featuring
comical or satirical floats.
Thousands of people flocked to the parade route on Monday, many
wearing costumes in blue and yellow, the colours of Ukraine's
national flag, and carrying signs reading "Peace" and "Stop
Putin".
One float in the parade depicted Putin as a puppet master
pulling the strings of Lukashenko, and another featured a dove
speared by a Russian flag.
The rally follows several days of protests against the invasion
in cities around the world, including in Russia where almost
6,000 people have been detained at anti-war rallies since
Thursday, the OVD-Info protest monitor said on Sunday.
(Reporting by Thilo Schmuelgen; Writing by Maria Sheahan;
Editing by Miranda Murray and Mark Heinrich)
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