DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) 鈥� Throngs of revelers took to the streets of Germany's Carnival strongholds on Monday, accompanied by floats that satirized the Ukrainian and Russian presidents, German politicians, former U.S. President and many others.
Shrove Monday parades are a traditional high point of Carnival celebrations in Cologne, Duesseldorf, Mainz and other places in western Germany, drawing large crowds of locals and visitors.
Every year, floats address current national and global political issues with biting sarcasm.
This year, a larger-than-life Ukrainian President progressed through the streets of Cologne with a sign reading 鈥淭o be or NATO be.鈥� Zelenskyy wants Ukraine to be able the Western military alliance.
In Duesseldorf, a float depicted stabbing a Ukrainian soldier in the back 鈥� a reference to to aid for Ukraine. Another had the ex-president and 2024 presidential candidate carrying scissors and a U.S. flag cut into the shape of a swastika.
In Mainz, a 鈥淏arbies and Ken鈥� pink car float featured Russian President Vladimir Putin behind the co-leaders of two German political parties, the far-right and the new , that criticize sanctions against Russia and oppose weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
The war between was also a theme. A float in Duesseldorf depicted a figure in military garb labeled 鈥淗amas鈥� pushing what appeared to be a family toward an Israeli tank.
Germany's came in for lampooning, with portrayed as a sloth and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock as an elephant in a porcelain shop, the German equivalent of a bull in a china shop.
The Associated Press
