Carnival parades in Germany satirize political figures

A Cologne Rose Monday parade float depicted Chancellor Scholz as a sleepy sloth who lazily hangs from a tree instead of taking action and leading the country through crises.

World leaders have been scrambling to address conflicts worldwide. Representing Germany has been foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, who has been notable for her frequent high-profile visits to hot-spots around the world. Here, she is depicted as the proverbial "elephant in a china shop," rampaging around aimlessly and generally causing mayhem with her "values-based foreign policy."

Finance Minister Christian Lindner was depicted as a sweating pig, guarding the debt brake that is enshrined in the constitution to limit public spending.

Attention was directed to the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, currently Germany's second-most popular party nationwide and the most popular in some eastern states. On this float in Dusseldorf, a carnival clown pulls off the smiling mask of the AfD to reveal the face of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

This float in Cologne, however, also levels the blame on Germany's current government for enabling the AfD to gather support. The ruling coalition of Social Democrats, pro-business Free Democrats and the Greens is often referred to colloquially as the traffic light (Ampel) due to the colors associated with each party. Here, they are depicted pumping air into the figure of AfD leader Alice Weidel.

This float shows what the people of Dusseldorf think about Donald Trump's politics, depicting the former US president as having cut the American flag into the shape of a Nazi swastika.

In a further dig at Trump and his supporters, this float depicts the current front-runner for the Republican nomination stabbing a Ukrainian soldier in the back. Trump has threatened to cut US military aid to Ukraine should he become president for a second time, which would severely undermine Kyiv's ability to continue to withstand the Russian invasion.

This float, making its second consecutive carnival appearance, reiterates the artist's message to Russian president Vladimir Putin as he attempts to swallow Ukraine: "Choke on it!"

Staying on the subject of Ukraine, this float in Cologne depicts a tired-looking Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy holding a NATO helmet, accompanied by the Shakespearean pun: "To be or NATO be?"

With so many issues gripping the world, some parade participants felt that one serious problem is clearly being ignored: climate change. On this float in Dusseldorf, the Medien (media) are shown fixated on Kriege (wars) while, in the meantime, "the hottest year since records began" is tapping them on the shoulder, saying: "Hey, there!"

Hendrik Wüst, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany's most populous state where the majority of the carnival frivolity takes place, took part in the parade in Cologne. "The times aren't mega-easy, so it's good to just have a bit of fun", he said, praising the carnival event as a celebration of diversity.