Putin, Barbie and Palestine appear in Germany’s satirical Carnival floats

To be or Nato be - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appears as Hamlet in the streets of Cologne for Carnival. Photo / Rolf Vennenbernd, via AP

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 US President Donald Trump and many others.

Rose 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.

'Barbies and Ken' with the characters of Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, Alice Weidel of the AfD and Sahra Wagenknecht of BSW parties is driven through the streets in Mainz, Germany. Photo / Arne Dedert via AP

This year, a larger-than-life Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy progressed through the streets of Cologne with a sign reading “To be or NATO be.” Zelenskyy wants Ukraine to be able to join the Western military alliance.

Backstabber: Presidential candidate Trump made several appearances on the carnival floats in Düsseldorf. Photo / Federico Gambarini, via AP

In Duesseldorf, a float depicted Trump stabbing a Ukrainian soldier in the back — a reference to opposition among Republicans 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 “Barbies and Ken” pink car float featured Russian President Vladimir Putin behind the co-leaders of two German political parties, the far-right Alternative for Germany and the new Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, that criticize sanctions against Russia and oppose weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

A Frontex boat (The European Border and Coast Guard Agency) pulled through the streets of Cologne for Carnival. Photo / Rolf Vennenbernd, via AP

A carnival float depicting an Israel tank, Palestinians and a Hamas militant in Duesseldorf on Rosemonday. Photo / Martin Meissner, AP

The war between Israel and Hamas was also a theme. A float in Duesseldorf depicted a figure in military garb labeled “Hamas” pushing what appeared to be a family toward an Israeli tank.

Germany’s unpopular government came in for lampooning, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz 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.

- Associated Press

Donald Trump with a USA flag watched by hundreds of thousands of people in Duesseldorf for Germany’s carnival season on Rosemonday. Photo / Martin Meissner, AP