Hundreds on Saturday protested Germany's rising military spending, forming a human chain that stretched from parliament to Chancellor Angela Merkel's office, DW reported.

Protesters gathered in Berlin's government district as part of nationwide demonstrations calling for disarmament.

Berlin police said 350 people took part in the protest in the German capital, while organizers said 500 people were there.

Demonstrators gathered under the slogan "Peace, not armament."

On December 8, German lawmakers are set to discuss the country's budget proposals for 2021, which would see a hefty spike in defense spending.

Reiner Hoffmann, the head of the German Trade Union Confederation, said his association was demonstrating "against the global armament craze" and NATO spending targets. "We have to break the spiral of arms buildup. Armament and violence are not solving any problems," he said.