91Èȱ¬

This is a cloth badge one of 100.000 printed in the GDR by christian peace groups in 1981. These groups and a general peace movement developed with general European peace movements at the time, but specifically also in reaction to a new compulsory "defence education" in schools and the discrimination against pacifists in the conscription system of the GDR.

My own family have suffered from this as my father, refusing to serve with a weapon but nonetheless forced into military service, was sent away from his wife and young children,for two years with only a few weekends of leave. He had to serve at the place most remote from his home as he and his fellows built a sea port at the Baltic using mostly the trademark of these pacifist soldiers, the spade.

Wearers of this badge who refused to take it off were expelled from schools and higher education or were refused apprenticeships and forbidden to enter their work place. Badges were forcefully cut out of clothes by teachers and policemen or the whole garment confiscated. Yet from this movement started the same weekly prayers for peace in the Nikolaikirche, Leipzig that, 8 years later, brought down the regime.