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Category: Campaign of the week

Rechtsextremismus stoppen

Stop Right-Wing Extremism – Defend Democracy


05/06/2024

With demonstrations from 23 May to 8 June 2024 across the country

We stand for a democratic, open, and diverse society, for peace and freedom, diversity and human rights, the preservation of human dignity, economic security, and social justice. All of this is attacked by the AfD and other right-wing extremists.
As a confident society, we do not stand idly by. We unite across the full democratic spectrum against them. Just before the European and local elections in nine federal states on 9 June, we take to the streets against the extreme right. We call on our fellow citizens: Join us in sending a strong message against racism and right-wing extremists. Go vote and choose democracy!

We won’t let democracy in Europe be destroyed!

The right-wing extremists want to raise the borders within Europe again. But a Europe of national egotisms endangers freedom and prosperity. We defend a united Europe – as the historical consequence of eternal wars and fascism.
We want to boldly develop the EU further: Our Europe sets ambitious social and environmental standards, which nation-states would never dare to set on their own. It is based on future investments and consistent climate policy. And it allows all people to participate socially, ti defends human rights, and it protects the persecuted.

We are a resilient democracy!

People with a migration background, other marginalized groups, and all who do not fit into their exclusive worldview are particularly threatened by the rise of the AfD. With a climate of fear, right-wing extremists want to suppress any contradiction. All democratic parties must now make it clear that they do not seek majorities with such forces. We must prevent victories of the right-wing extremists in the local elections and their participation in government at the state level!

Hope and confidence are back!

The wave of protests against the AfD that has swept our country encourages us. Now we want to ensure that the extreme right also loses at the ballot box. Before the local and European elections, we will take to the streets in hundreds of places from 23 May. The climax of the demonstrations is Saturday, 8 June. Be there!

Demonstration in Berlin: Saturday 8th June 2pm, Siegessäule

Honouring the Children of Gaza

Vigil and Public Reading


29/05/2024

On Saturday, June 1,  Berliners from all national backgrounds and all religious and political creeds are invited to meet in front of the Neue Wache to read aloud the names of the 15,000 children who’ve been killed in Gaza since October 2023. 

Initiated by three International Berlinerinnen, the action means to break the silence surrounding the tragedy unfolding in Gaza, and express compassion. Behind the anonymity of the mass tallies, there were 15,000 children who each had a family, a life, and a face — they had names, which Berliners are invited to speak together over a 14-hour public reading.

“Faced with the German media’s failure to inform, and the subsequent silence surrounding the horrific death tolls of so many innocent victims, we want to speak aloud: our frustration, our outrage, our grief…. and those children’s names!”

Strictly apolitical and 100% independent, the movement is supported by local initiatives Grieving Doves, gesundheit4palestine and Stimmen aus Gaza, as well as associations, groups and artists calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. 

  • The public reading: Berliners of all backgrounds and all political and religious beliefs will gather and honour the memory of the children killed in Gaza by reading aloud their names. The reading starts at 9am and continues without interruption until the last name on the list (after midnight). 
  • The shoe display: The public reading will be accompanied by the display of thousands of children’s shoes — a symbol aiming to materialise the scope of the mass killings. 

A symbolic location and a special date:

  • When: On International Children’s Day, June 1, 2024, from 9am till after midnight — without interruption
  • Where: Outside the Neue Wache, on Unter den Linden 4 — Germany’s official Memorial to “the victims of wars and tyranny,” which houses Käthe Kollwitz’s famous Pietà (“Mother and her Dead Son”) — a symbol!

Hundreds of Berliners of all nationalities and backgrounds, including Jews and Germans, have already signed up to read between 9am and midnight. Anyone can book a slot of 5 to 10 minutes ahead of the event (see below, no Arabic skills needed). Or just drop by on Saturday either to help read or simply to join the collective expression of solidarity, human grief and compassion for the innocent victims of Gaza and their families. 

To Contribute/book a slot:  

Email: starttalkingaboutgaza@gmail.com 

IG: honouringthechildrenofgaza 

TG: https://t.me/honouringthechildrenofgaza

Press requests: n.vancauw@gmail.com 

CineForo organized by SoliSur

Latin American cinema in Berlin


22/05/2024

We invite you to join us in a space of film and political debate, where we will showcase Latin American documentaries focused on issues such as migratory rights, the advance of the right wing, and struggles against extractivism. We will screen a documentary every two months in the auditorium of Spore Initiative at Hermannstraße 86, 12051 Berlin.

In the second CineForo of SoliSur, we will show The Panama Deception (1992), a documentary shedding light on the US invasion of Panama in 1989. After the screening, we will open a dialogue to discuss other cases of US military interventions in Latin America, such as Plan Colombia and the Mérida Initiative (Plan Mexico). Come and share your opinions in this space of critical and solidarity analysis. Through memory, consciousness, and reflection, we weave networks of internationalist resistance. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, the 23rd of May at 18:00.

SoliSur is a migrant political group based in Berlin. We are united by a political practice that seeks to articulate the Latin American migration experience with our lives in the city from an internationalist perspective. For the past two years, we have focused our political work on defending migrant rights, questioning the extractivist practices that Latin American territories suffer from big capital benefiting local elites and “developed” countries, and fighting against the extreme manifestations of capitalism that result in the rise of the extreme right, both in Europe and in Latin America / Abya Yala.

International People’s Tribunal

The Filipino People vs the US Government and the Marcos and Duterte regimes


14/05/2024

The International Peoples Tribunal 2024 is a quasi-judicial forum that aims to investigate and address alleged war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law committed by the US-supported Marcos Jr. and Duterte regimes.

The tribunal will examine various cases to be filed against the defendants including political killings, torture, enforced disappearances, mass arrests, indiscriminate firing, aerial bombings of communities and other forms of political suppression tantamount to crimes against humanity.

The IPT 2024 follows a long history of peoples’ tribunals that have shaped international public opinion and tried various regimes on crimes against humanity. The IPT takes inspiration from the Russel Tribunal, also known as the International War Crimes Tribunal, which held two sessions in 1967 to expose the war crimes committed against the Vietnamese people. This was succeeded by the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) that was founded in June 1979 in Italy by law experts, writers, and other intellectuals.

The IPT 2024 seeks to address the war crimes committed by the US-Duterte regime (2016-2022) and the current US-Marcos regime (2022-present) under their respective ‘counterinsurgency’ operations patterned after the US National Security Strategy and the US ‘Counterinsurgency Guide’. The Marcos-Duterte ruling clique continue to cling to power, roaming free with impunity and complete disregard of international humanitarian law. The period in question is marked by countless cases of political killings, enforced disappearances, torture and widespread and systematic suppression of dissent with the full support and backing of the US government.

The panel will consist of individuals with recognized expertise in human rights, international humanitarian law, and other relevant fields. Witnesses will be individuals and/or representatives of groups or organizations who have firsthand experience or knowledge of the emblematic cases under consideration.

Support for the IPT 2024 can come in various forms, including:

  1. Raising awareness about the importance of the IPT 2024 and its role in exacting the accountability of the US-backed Marcos and Duterte regimes for their war crimes. Please follow us on our social media accounts to help spread the word about the event;
  2. Organizing local alliances, groupings, as well as events to support the tribunal including webinars, fora, and small discussion groups that can help educating communities and solidarity allies about the grievous war crimes of the US-Marcos and US-Duterte regimes. You can send us an email via secretariat@peoplestribunal.net if you are interested to organize activities in support of the IPT 2024; and
  3. Mobilizing communities and organizations to join protest actions and political demonstrations in support of the IPT 2024. Please visit the IPT 2024 website to get updates on planned events and demonstrations in the run up to the tribunal.

By combining efforts across these areas, your organization can play a crucial role in supporting the work of the International Peoples’ Tribunal 2024.

You can also follow the IPT 2024’s official social media accounts:

For more information, visit www.peoplestribunal.net or email secretariat@peoplestribunal.net

The tribunal will be livestreamed here on Friday May 17th and Saturday May 18th 2024

Palivision

Cultural Event for people who want to observe the Eurovision boycott


08/05/2024

The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a founding member of the BDS movement, calls for the boycott of Eurovision 2024. PACBI and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate had called on Eurovision organisers, the EBU, to ban Israel – just as Russia was banned for its illegal invasion of Ukraine – or face widespread boycotts. The EBU has instead doubled down on its shameful, hypocritical complicity in Israel’s genocide.

For this reason, theleftberlin is organising PALIVISION – an evening of live music, spoken word performances and speeches for people in Berlin who want to observe the Eurovision boycott. Join us at Al Hamra at Raumer Straße 16 in Prenzlauer Berg on Saturday, 11th May. Doors open at 6pm – the venue is relatively small, so come early to be sure of a place. The first act will take the stage at 7pm.

All money raised at PALIVISION will be donated to the European Legal Support Centre to help their fight against the repression of Palestine Solidarity in Germany. Here is the provisional programme (NOTE: times may still change):

18.00 Doors Open

19.00 Statement by Queers for Palestine

19.05 – 19.20 Amalia Chikh (France), German chansons

19.25 – 19.40 Prigari (Belgium), pop performer

19.40 Speech by Handala Leipzig

19.45 – 20.00 LIADLAND (Palestine) Electro/Arab/hip hop

20.05 – 20.20 Lucio Capece (Argentina), clarinet

20.20 Speech by Gewerkschafter4Gaza

20.30 – 20.45 J.K. Langford (no nation), spoken word

20.45 Speech by Klima4Palästina

20.50 Interval

21.10 Speech by Udi Raz (Jüdische Stimme)

21.15 – 21.30 Nasov (Italy), singer-songwriter

21.35 – 21.50 SKET Theatre

21.50 Speech by Palestine Campaign

21.55 – 22.10 Jara Nassar (Lebanon / Germany), spoken word

22.15 – 22.30 As Per Casper (Syria / Palestine), alternative fusion music

22.30 Speech by Nadija Samour

22.40 – 23.00 Nicolás Rodrigo Miquea (Chile) and friends, singer-songwriter

23.05 – 23.25 Nyio Kunt (Poland), drag act

23.30 – 23.50  Uday Al Shihabi  (Palestine/Syria), singer-songwriter

Followed by DJs

Don’t let Israel whitewash its apartheid with a glamorous Eurovision performance. Zero points!