It was a more muted affair for President Obama in Berlin today as he spoke at Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate before an invite-only crowd of 4,500 guests – a remarkable difference from the rock-star welcome he received five years ago in front of 195,500 cheering supporters.
Then, Obama had it all to play for – the glowing presidential candidate symbolizing America’s revived hope for the future. This time, he arrived back in Berlin under the cloud of NSA surveillance programs which have outraged many Europeans and the ever-growing crisis in Syria.
The President removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves as he battled the 86F temperature on Wednesday, quipping: ‘People of Berlin, your welcome is so warm I’m going to take off my jacket.’
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Warm reception: President Obama battled the blistering heat as he delivered a rousing speech in Berlin on Wednesday
Feeling the heat: Obama loses the jacket as temperatures soar in Berlin
Feeling the heat: President Obama takes off his jacket prior to give a speech on a podium in front of Berlin’s landmark the Brandenburg Gate
Taking a breather: Obama wipes his face as he sits on the podium in the blistering Berlin heat
Casually does it: Obama gestures next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel as he prepares to address the capital close to 50 years after JFK’s address at the historic site
Sparse: Crowds gather ahead of Obama’s speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Wednesday
What a difference five years makes: 200,000 people came out to see then presidential candidate Barack Obama speak in 2008 at the Victory Column, around a mile from his speech today
He used the bulk of his speech to call for a reduction in the world’s nuclear stockpiles – as he stood behind high walls of bullet-proof glass in the public square. The two-inch thick sheets are routinely used when the President appears before large crowds in public spaces.
Appealing for a new citizen activism, Obama renewed his call for the world to confront climate change, a danger he called ‘the global threat of our time’.
In a wide-ranging speech that enumerated a litany of challenges facing the world, Obama said he wanted to reignite the spirit that Berlin displayed when it fought to reunite itself during the Cold War.
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‘Today’s threats are not as stark as they were half a century ago, but the struggle for freedom and security and human dignity, that struggle goes on,’ Obama said at the city’s historic Brandenburg Gate under a bright, hot sun.
‘”And I come here to this city of hope because the test of our time demands the same fighting spirit that defined Berlin a half-century ago.’
The German press had mixed reviews for Obama on Wednesday, a marked difference from five years ago when ‘Obama-mania’ greeted him in the streets.
National newspaper Die Zeit published an article online on the Berlin speech, saying that Obama appeared to be the ‘young, fresh, uninhibited’ political force he was five years ago – but that the time between his speeches has been marked by ‘bitter disappointment’.
The article said Obama’s battles over gun control and equality for same-sex marriage must be remembered, otherwise his speech in Berlin could be seen as just ‘nice words’ in light of his decisions on Guantanamo and the NSA surveillance.
Reflective: The thick sheets of bullet-proof glass in front of and behind the President can been seen in this wide angle shot
Welcome back Mr President: Obama returned Berlin to make a speech following his rousing address in 2008 while he was still a presidential candidate
How did I do? Obama gestures to Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit at the Brandenburg Gate
Strong words: U.S. President Barack Obama gives a speech in front of Berlin’s landmark the Brandenburg Gate on June 19
Rousing words: Obama addresses the crowd in Berlin from behind safety glass
The president called for a one-third reduction of U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles in his speech, saying it is possible to ensure American security and a strong deterrent while also limiting nuclear weapons.
Obama’s address comes nearly 50 years after John F. Kennedy’s famous Cold War speech in the once-divided city.
WALLED IN: OBAMA’S NEED FOR BULLET-PROOF GLASS
Obama’s comments today in Berlin about ‘breaking down the walls’ come tinged with irony as the President delivered his remarks behind thick walls of bullet-proof glass.
The safety measure has been a constant presence throughout his presidency when he makes appearances in large public spaces.
The last time that Obama spoke to 200,000 people in Berlin, there was no safety glass – but then, he was not yet president.
It was put up at his victory speech in November 2008, when Obama and family waved to supporters behind the two-inch thick walls. Since then, it has been in constant use.
The reported $100million cost of Obama’s trip to Africa this month includes three trucks with sheets of bulletproof glass – some of which will be used to cover hotel windows.
Obama told Berlin that countries should not focus inwards and that in order to be stronger we need to break down the walls in our hearts.
He added: ‘When Europe and America lead with our hopes instead of our fears we achieve things no other nations can do.’
He challenged Americans and Europeans not to become complacent even though the Cold War is over.
Obama says there’s a temptation to turn inward now that barbed wire and concrete walls no longer separate East and West in Berlin.
He said that he returned to Berlin because the tests of our time require the same fighting spirit.
Obama added: ‘Our work is not yet done.’
Other than his landmark speech, the President spent Wednesday in talks with German chancellor Angela Merkel and other top politicians including president Joachim Gauck.
He touched down with his family in the German capital on Tuesday night, waving to the crowds gathered at Tegel Airport.
His wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha visited the city’s Holocaust memorial on Wednesday, accompanied by the President’s half-sister Auma, who studied in Germany.
Strong words: Obama spoke about reducing nuclear arms during his speech today
Echoes of history: Obama reference JFK’s famous words at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
Phew! Obama appeared to struggle in the heat today as the temperatures in Berlin soared to 86F
Political friends: U.S. Ambassador to Germany Philip Murphy and Auma Obama, half-sister of the President, wait for his speech in front of Brandenburg Gate.
Five years ago, when he was still seeking election as President, Obama received a rapturous reception on a brief tour of Europe where he was greeted as a leader who could give the world a fresh start after the controversial presidency of George W. Bush.
Now he is a much more divisive figure – although his re-election last year was welcomed by most Europeans, recent revelations about his administration’s spying on internet communications have tarnished his record in the eyes of many.
Mr Obama’s speech tomorrow will inevitably be compared with JFK’s, which took place on June 26, 1963 at the Rathaus Schöneberg, a few miles away from the Berlin Wall which had been under construction over the previous two years.
Kennedy’s speech, considered one of his best, held up West Germany as a symbol of freedom on the front line of the battle against communism.
It featured the famous line: ‘All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words, “Ich bin ein Berliner!”‘
Sombre occasion: First Lady Michelle Obama visits the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe on Wednesday with her daughters Malia and Sasha and husband’s half-sister Auma
Keeping close watch: Police monitor the area prior to the arrival of President Obama at the Brandenburg Gate
Anticipation: Guests wait before the speech of Obama to invited guests in front of the Brandenburg Gate at Pariser Platz
Clearing the decks: A man wraps up the U.S. flag after the Obama speech at the Brandenburg Gate
Parallels: John F. Kennedy delivered an iconic speech in Berlin on 26 June, 1963 – almost exactly 50 years ago
Source: Dailymail
I wonder if he could follow other footsteps of Kennedy? Let us send him to Dallas!
I would not give two pop bottles for that fool.
One thing is for certain, Obama is not Jack Kennedy, Did not JFK get popped sometime after he gave his speech in Berlin .. LOL
Wasn’t this “by invitation only,” not open to the public?
better get used to the heat, the fire, THE PIT!