Germany’s Rose Monday carnival: Artist’s provocative floats feature Putin, Trump, other leaders
World | Trending | Some provocative floats by artist Jacques Tilly featured various world figures, including US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Rose Monday parades in Germany’s Cologne, Mainz and Düsseldorf attracted thousands of people. The annual carnival is celebrated in the country’s mainly Catholic western and southern regions. The festival features parades of floats that often depict comical or satirical references to current affairs.
Some provocative floats by artist Jacques Tilly featured various world figures, including US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Germany’s next chancellor Friedrich Merz, and others.
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“This year was a special construction period,” Tilly said, referring to Trump’s inauguration and German federal elections, which took place shortly before Rose Monday. He announced “particularly harsh satire” this year.
Political, provocative floats
Tilly portrayed Olaf Sholz steering a sunken SPD barrage to the bottom of the sea. Near that lay a skull with the inscription “Lindner” on it. He also depicted the next Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, as a donkey harnessed to a cart, which seems to be loaded with a lot of problems like recession, investment backlog, debt, Trump, and more.
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Addressing the international issues involving Russia and Ukraine as the US tries to strike a deal with President Zelensky, a float featured Trump and Putin shaking hands and crushing Zelensky between them.
A float also showed Trump with fire depicting annexations, tariffs, climate destruction, and mass deportations. A provocative float showed naked Putin, Trump, and Xi Jinping.
Trump’s close aide billionaire Elon Musk was depicted in an AfD diaper and a Napoleon hat as he ran away from a doctor. He was also holding an X-megaphone.
A satirical depiction of Putin was also seen showing him in jail.
Apart from these, a float depicted artificial intelligence eating the brain, showing concerns about the new field taking and its possible associations with laziness of thought or dominance of machines.
(With inputs from agencies)
