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Month: August 2025

August 28 1968 – Police attack protests outside the Democratic National Convention

This week in working class history


27/08/2025

The 1968 Democratic National Convention took place in Chicago from 26-29 August against the backdrop of international unrest following the assassination of Martin Luther King in April, the May Events in France, and growing opposition to the Vietnam War. By then, a military draft was in effect, and 500,000 US Americans were serving in Vietnam. It was an election year, and President Lyndon B. Johnson had announced he would not seek re-election.

Chicago mayor Richard P. Daley was a Democrat with a track record of repression. In April 1968, cops under his command had attacked peaceful anti-war marchers, and following King’s assassination he ordered police to “shoot to kill”. For the Convention, Daley put 12,000 police on 12-hour shifts and called in 13,000 National Guardsmen. Demonstrations were called outside the Convention, but the threat of police violence meant that only 10,000–20,000 demonstrators came to Chicago.

On 28 August, protestors marched to the conference headquarters in the Conrad Hilton Hotel, where cops wielding clubs and pepper spray attacked demonstrators, journalists, and passers-by. An official investigation later called this a “police riot”. On the conference floor, Senator Abraham Ribicoff denounced the “Gestapo tactics”. Daley replied by shaking his fist at Ribicoff and yelling, “Fuck you, you Jew son of a bitch.” 

The attack was captured on TV news, which showed the demonstrators chanting: “The whole world is watching!” The US state looked for revenge, and put eight people on trial for allegedly organising the demonstrations. The only Black defendant, Black Panther leader Bobby Seale, was bound and gagged before he was allowed to enter the courtroom. Six of the defendants were sentenced to four–five years in prison. All convictions except Seale’s were overturned on appeal.

Looking back at the 1968 Convention, it is easy to spot similarities to the latest. In 2024, an election year in which an unpopular Democrat President—who would not stand again—was financing an unpopular war, the Democrats held their convention in Chicago. Later that year, Richard Nixon, a right wing Republican, won the election. Then, as now, the Democrat establishment blamed the anti-war movement for their defeat. Then, as now, they had only themselves to blame.

La France Insoumise prepares for a hot autumn

Report on FI summer school and larger impacts on the French left


Members of the France Insoumise party on a float during a parade. Some are triumphantly raising fists.

Well over four thousand people attended the radical left France Insoumise (FI, “France in Revolt”) summer school in Valence, in the South of France, this weekend. Around five hundred of them had spent two days previously at a young people’s event for activists under 26.

Meetings at the summer school ranged from “Introduction to Historical materialism” with Stathis Kouvélakis to “Building a Young People’s Antifascist Movement Across Europe” to “Is the Nation a left wing idea?” Among the 110 debates and round tables, there were meetings on secularism, Islamophobia, the conflict between China and the US, racism at work, housing injustice, defending the climate, building local branches, pesticides, animal rights, police violence, Palestine, extractivism, and fighting homophobia.

While this is a sharply radical organization, it is not a revolutionary Marxist one. Thus, many talks emphasized relying on the United Nations, and changing the laws on racism or sexism. But the insurgent tone of the movement was very real. In a situation where many forces are calling for a yellow-vest style day of action on September 10th, Jean-Luc Mélenchon said in his (two hour!) keynote speech, “We need a general strike on the tenth of September.” He also said that if in coming years the France Insoumise is elected as the government, the role of the activists will not be to obey but “to be in revolt everywhere.”

Islamophobia was spoken of in many meetings and was central to Mélenchon’s keynote––something absolutely unheard of on the French Left. The FI is attacked everywhere in the right wing and left wing press for its principled stand against Islamophobia, and it is now recognized as the leading force which has brought about a sea change in left attitudes to Islamophobia in France. There were also a number of activists present, many of them Muslim, who were pushing for the FI to go further against Islamophobia and demand the abrogation of the 2004 law which bans Muslim headscarves in high schools (the FI is divided on this).

A series of meetings was organized on local politics, since the municipal elections, which happen every six years, will take place in March 2026. Six years ago, the FI was smaller and unable to stand in many towns. This year the plan is to stand in as many towns as possible. Some FI proposals, such as not allowing municipal police officers to be armed, are already hitting the headlines. The talks covered experiences of left councils today, from Naples and across Spain, historical examples of radical left local councils, and debates on specific challenges today, such as reversing the privatization of water supply, building social housing, and so on. Left mayors, who in France are local council chiefs, spoke at several debates 

Stands from various campaigns and political groups were present: Palestine groups, antifascist groups and others. Three far-left groups had their own stands, but the vast majority of revolutionary groups in France––3-4 of which have over a thousand activists and 5-6 with over a hundred––are haughtily dismissive of debating with the France Insoumise, and hardly ever even invite FI people to debate at the far-left summer schools.

While national press coverage on the summer school continues to be largely negative, with a huge smear campaign against the FI, portraying us as antisemitic fans of Putin, mesmerized by the charisma of Mélenchon, there were some more objective reports. 

All in all, it is a vibrant movement with tremendous potential––I have never been at a political event where the average age of the speakers was so young, though it definitely needs far more revolutionary Marxist input, in particular on the nature and processes of French imperialism.

News from Berlin and Germany, 27 August 2025

Weekly news round-up from Berlin and Germany


NEWS FROM BERLIN

A100 extension to be opened on August 27

After twelve years of construction, the new section of the A100 between Dreieck Neukölln and Treptower Park is set to open. The 3.2-kilometer stretch has cost €720 million. According to the federal motorway company Autobahn GmbH, this will significantly improve access to Berlin Brandenburg Airport and to Adlershof, as well as long-distance connections to Dresden, Cottbus, and Frankfurt (Oder). However, the construction work was accompanied by protests from environmentalists. Protests are also directed against the next, 17th construction phase. According to plans by the Federal Ministry of Transport, this phase is planned to be continued from Treptower Park across the Spree and through Friedrichshain towards Lichtenberg. Source: rbb24

Mohrenstraße in Berlin renamed after long dispute

After many years of intense dispute, Berlin’s Mohrenstraße has been given a new name: Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Straße. Speakers from various initiatives emphasized at the ceremony that such renaming was not a mere formality. Rather, it was an expression of social change. The Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court (OVG) had cleared the way for this on Friday evening, after the renaming had been in jeopardy at the last minute. The new name comes from the West African scholar Anton Wilhelm Amo, who worked in this country in the 18th century. He is considered the first known black philosopher and lawyer at German universities. Source: n-tv

Six people were injured at the Humboldt Forum

On 23 August evening, a brawl broke out near the Humboldt Forum on Museum Island. The exact circumstances are still unclear, but it appears that an argument between two groups escalated dramatically, with some individuals drawing knives. Six people were injured in the ensuing fight. One of them, a 24-year-old who sustained life-threatening back injuries, required emergency surgery. Police were called at around 21:45. No knives or other weapons were found at the scene, and police believe it is possible that others involved in the brawl escaped before officers arrived. All of the injured are also under investigation. Source: theberliner

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Buchenwald Memorial may prohibit visitors wearing Palestinian scarves

The Buchenwald Memorial may refuse entry to visitors wearing a so-called Palestinian scarf. The background to this is a court proceeding in which a woman sought to obtain permission from the Weimar Administrative Court to enter the site wearing the keffiyeh. This is precisely what she was denied at the commemoration ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp in April. According to the court, the woman’s intention was to “visibly take a stand against the support of current Israeli policy.” The foundation running the memorial claims however that it does not consider the keffiyeh to be anti-Semitic “per se”. Source: BZ

What Nazis wear today

In the 1990s, neo-Nazis were easy to spot at first glance: bomber jackets, combat boots, and shaved heads were the norm. Although the old cliché still exists, right-wing extremists now appear much more inconspicuous. Their clothing has become more mainstream. The difference is often only apparent in the details: numerical codes, symbols, or certain logos serve as secret messages that insiders understand immediately, but outsiders hardly notice. Many of the relevant fashion labels deliberately use encrypted numerical codes and symbols that serve as identifying marks in the right-wing extremist scene. The best known is certainly “88,” which stands for “Heil Hitler.” Source: taz

Die Linke stays away from Gaza rally

Die Linke wanted to organize a broad coalition to protest Israel’s war in Gaza. Now the party is not participating in a central rally but planning other “actions” instead. So far, only one date has been set, September 27. It is also unclear with which partners Die Linke wants to demonstrate on that day. The exact call to action for the rally has also not yet been determined. Meanwhile, organizations with which Die Linke  has been discussing protests against the war in Gaza for weeks are planning their own action. These include the human rights organizations Medico International and Amnesty International. Source: spiegel

“Ad blocking is not piracy”: decision overturned by German court

The German publisher Axel Springer (“Bild” and “Die Welt”), has been given another opportunity to have ad blocking outlawed on copyright grounds. After a series of defeats in its years-long legal action against the makers of Adblock Plus, Germany’s top court has now overturned a 2023 ruling by the Higher Regional Court of Hamburg. It refers to the case back for reconsideration of the core issues. The law firm Lubberger Lehment pointed out the case isn’t just about protecting the integrity of online media, but also because such “trial will determine whether this future technology is protected by copyright or can be manipulated at will by third parties.” Source: torrentfreak

A railway for wartime

The current tense geopolitical situation is leading to considerations of reactivating railway lines. With them, military goods can be quickly transported eastward in the event of war. Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany are accelerating talks on reopening the “Iron Rhine” railway line, a 19th-century connection between the port of Antwerp and the Ruhr region. The line between Rheydt and Antwerp, which went into operation in 1879, is the shortest connection between Belgium’s seaports and the Ruhr region. It has been largely unused since 1991. Belgium now sees it as an opportunity to promote both trade and military mobility in the EU. Source: taz

Robert Habeck retires from politics

In an interview published on 25 August with the newspaper taz, the former Federal Minister of Economics and Green Party leader, Robert Habeck, said he had just informed the Bundestag Presidium that he would be resigning his seat in the Bundestag on September 1. He was vice-chancellor in the traffic light coalition of the SPD, Greens, and FDP. In the last Bundestag election, Habeck was his party’s candidate for chancellor. However, the Greens only achieved 11,6% of the vote with him, a decline of more than 3%. Many politicians from the Green Party thanked Habeck for his work and added they regret his decision. Source: dw

Red Flag: The New A100 Autobahn — A Monument to Car Supremacy

In his weekly column, Nathaniel Flakin looks at Berlin’s antediluvian transport policy.


26/08/2025

As much as we like to think of our city as avant-garde, on Wednesday we will get a massive reminder that Berlin remains a backwater stuck firmly in the 1950s. At 14:00, politicians such as transport minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) will cut the ribbon on a new inner-city freeway at a ceremony inside Estrel Hotel in Neukölln. Why not gather outside, on their beloved asphalt desert? Because this project is extremely unpopular, and there will be protests starting at 13:00.

The latest segment of the A100, made of 750,000 tons of steel and 650,000 cubic meters of concrete, is the most expensive Autobahn ever built: the 3.2 kilometers cost 720 million euros (2.3 times more than planned!), working out to 225,000 euros per meter. In other words, each meter of highway could have paid for an affordable housing unit. Instead, five perfectly good buildings with 100 apartments were demolished to make room for this tiny strip through Neukölln and Treptow.

When critics denounce a transport policy from the 1950s, that’s not hyperbole: the plan for a ring highway in Berlin literally dates back to the 1930s, with a first section completed in 1958. Now, 67 years later, the 16th segment is going online.

Catastrophe

From the first day, it’s going to be a catastrophe. If 85,000 cars race down this part of the A100 each day, as predicted, they will be spat out at Treptower Park with nowhere to go. The bridge across the Spree, Elsenbrücke, is currently being replaced, with just a single lane open until at least 2028.

Immediately, there will be demands for more Autobahn: A 17th segment of the A100, cutting a path of destruction through Friedrichshain toward Storkower Straße, is in planning. This would be even more absurd, as it would require tearing down a dozen clubs (though I don’t mind the idea of bulldozing pro-Zionist club ://about blank, the building should be preserved and turned into a less racist venue). 

A Friedrichshain freeway would require a double-decker tunnel under the narrow, historical Neue Bahnhofstraße, followed by a bridge over the Ring Center 2 shopping mall. Cost estimates of a billion euros seem hopelessly optimistic, since construction would take decades. Nonetheless, huge swaths of inner-city land are being kept empty for this pipe dream — with one study showing this could provide space for 8,000 apartments.

Induced Demand

Car lobbyists — known in Germany as Verkehrsminister:innen — argue that there is a fixed amount of traffic and it needs to go somewhere. But no serious urban planner believes this is true. Berlin is currently carrying out an unplanned experiment in what scientists call “induced demand.”

Back in March, a freeway bridge on the oldest part of the A100, in Charlottenburg next to the ICC, had to be closed and demolished. A road carrying 230,000 cars per day was suddenly reduced to one lane. Everyone expected a massive traffic jam in surrounding streets. Yet after a few days, all the cars just kind of disappeared, with numerous drivers choosing other means of transportation.

This is why new freeways never clear up traffic jams — roads don’t reduce traffic, but actually induce it. Berlin will offer yet more proof for this well-established scientific fact starting on Wednesday: the endless investments in car infrastructure will just mean more cars and more chaos. 

Hope

It’s embarrassing that our multicultural, rebellious, queer city is governed by a parochial, car-obsessed bumpkin like Kai Wegner, who commutes into the city each day from his sleepy village. It’s even more embarrassing that Berlin might be the only city in the Western world building new inner-city highways in the 21st century.

The CDU’s transport policy is not an abstract question of personal preferences: Wegner’s government has managed to increase the number of traffic fatalities by over 50 percent, up to 56 people last year. That is several dozen lives extinguished in the name of slightly faster travel for the privileged minority who use cars.

Germany’s car industry, largely owned by Nazi billionaires, is destroying the planet and our city in the name of maximizing profits. The CDU is their political wing. Every euro they spend on roads is a euro that’s missing for keeping the trains running.

Berlin’s history offers some hope. Back in the 1970s, the Red Island in Schöneberg was set to be torn down to make room for a six-lane monstrosity. Yet direct action was successful in stopping that Autobahn.

Just about every European metropolis is building bike lanes, expanding public transport, and opening up streets for people, instead of for cars. Maybe this is just a fantasy, but I imagine that with enough protests, we can drag Berlin’s rulers, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century.

Red Flag is a weekly opinion column on Berlin politics that Nathaniel has been writing since 2020. After moving through different homes, it now appears at The Left Berlin.

Standing in Solidarity with Palestinian Liberation and All Marginalized Voices

We need everyone on the streets. This fight is bigger than any one community


Trans Pride Berlin stands unequivocally with Palestinian liberation and in solidarity with all racialized communities fighting for justice and freedom. Our commitment to trans liberation cannot be separated from our commitment to global liberation.

To our LGBTQIA+ siblings, allies, and everyone who believes in justice: we urgently need you with us. When trans people are under attack (through state surveillance, legal restrictions, and violence) it threatens the freedom of all marginalized communities. When any of us are targeted, we all become less safe. Your presence at Trans Pride Berlin is not just solidarity; it’s self-defense for all our communities.

Learning from Our Past, Building Our Future

We acknowledge the harm caused by last year’s national flag policy, which silenced Palestinian voices at a time when solidarity was most needed. We failed our community, particularly those standing with Palestine, and we take full responsibility for that exclusionary decision. This year, we are rebuilding Trans Pride Berlin from the ground up (centering the voices and leadership of those most impacted by systemic oppression).

Trans Pride Berlin is stepping away from white feminism and homonationalism that have dominated our spaces and community for too long. We reject the sanitized politics that prioritize respectability over liberation, that center whiteness while tokenizing racialized voices, and that align with state power instead of challenging it. True trans liberation requires dismantling these systems, not reforming them.

Our Solidarity is International

We stand alongside the International Queer Pride and Community Dyke March, whose powerful statements on Palestinian liberation reflect our shared values. There can be no queer liberation without Palestinian liberation. There can be no trans freedom without racial justice. There can be no true pride while genocide and occupation continue.

Fighting All Forms of Oppression

We stand firmly against antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Blackness, and all forms of religious and ethnic hatred. We reject the weaponization of antisemitism accusations to silence legitimate criticism of Israeli state policies and Palestinian solidarity. True opposition to antisemitism means fighting all systems of oppression (including the occupation and genocide of Palestinian people).

We also acknowledge the voices of Jewish queer community members who stand in solidarity against occupation, racism, and antisemitism—their perspectives are an essential part of our movement.

Our anti-colonial politics must include a clear commitment to addressing anti-Blackness, which has long been central to systems of domination across the globe. These systems continue to impact many communities, and Black trans people, especially Black trans women; experience this harm at multiple intersections. Their lives, leadership, and liberation are essential to the broader struggle for justice. We cannot speak of freedom without centering those most affected by these overlapping forms of oppression.

Recognizing Patterns of Repression

We recognize that the same systems used to silence Palestinian voices in Germany are blueprints for silencing all marginalized communities, including queer and trans people. When states criminalize solidarity, ban symbols of resistance, and label liberation movements as threats, they create precedents that will inevitably be used against all of us who dare to resist.

Over the past year, our queer and trans siblings (especially racialized, Muslim, and Jewish community members) have been subjected to extreme police and state violence. We condemn this violence unequivocally. The targeting of our people for their identities, their solidarity, or their resistance exposes the lie that we live in a free and equal society.

This pattern extends to the German government’s proposed registry system for trans people seeking legal gender recognition (a dangerous violation of privacy rights that echoes Germany’s own dark history of registering and tracking marginalized communities). The state also threatens to withdraw the Selbstbestimmungsgesetz and appears ready to follow the UK and US in criminalizing us and stripping away our rights. Any system that creates lists of vulnerable people for state surveillance should alarm us all. We know where such registries lead, and we refuse to accept that trans people should be tracked and monitored by the state under any pretext. 

The fight for Palestinian freedom is inseparable from our fight for trans and queer liberation. State surveillance, whether targeting Palestinians or trans people, serves the same function: control, intimidation, and the systematic erosion of our rights to exist freely.

Our Commitment Moving Forward

This year’s Trans Pride Berlin will be:

  • Anti-colonial: Rejecting all forms of settler colonialism and occupation
  • Anti-racist: Centering the leadership of racialized trans people
  • Trans-feminist: Amplifying trans women’s voices and experiences
  • Pro-sex work: Supporting the full humanity and rights of sex workers
  • Disability justice-oriented: Creating accessible spaces for all bodies and minds

A Call to Action

We call on our community to join us in building a Pride that reflects our true politics (one that doesn’t shy away from global solidarity), that doesn’t sanitize our resistance, and that doesn’t abandon our most vulnerable community members for the comfort of respectability.

Get involved – we need you:

  • Register a bloc for your community (Black, SWANA, Asian, disabled, sex worker, trans fem, and more)
  • Give a speech or performance that centers our politics of liberation
  • Help with logistics – from marshaling to sound tech to accessibility coordination
  • Support organizing through social media, flyering, or community outreach

To our Palestinian trans and queer siblings: your liberation is our liberation. We see you, and we commit to standing with you. Let us unite our fight towards collective justice and freedom for us all.

To our racialized community members: your leadership is not just welcome. It is essential. Help us build something worthy of our collective power.

Trans liberation means liberation for all