Floats at Germany’s Carnival parades satirize leading political figures

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Throngs of revelers have taken to the streets of Germany’s Carnival strongholds along with floats that satirized the Ukrainian and Russian presidents, German politicians, former U.S. President Donald Trump and many others. Shrove Monday parades are a traditional high point of Carnival celebrations in Cologne, Duesseldorf, Mainz and other places in western Germany. Every year, floats address current national and global political issues with biting sarcasm. In Duesseldorf, a float depicted Trump stabbing a Ukrainian soldier in the back, a reference to opposition among Republicans to aid for Ukraine. Another depicted a figure in military garb labeled “Hamas” pushing what appeared to be a family toward an Israeli tank.