The Left Berlin News & Comment

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Jewish Bund

Self-loving revolutionary Jews fighting for social justice


07/10/2021

The Jewish Bund invite you to a vigil commemorating two years since the attack in Halle, and in remembrance of its victims, on 9 ​​​​​​​October 19:00, next to the Memorial for Victims of Racism and Police Violence at Oranienplatz, Berlin. On this day we want to gather, to be together, to create a space for everyone who feels less and less safe, for everyone affected by racism, antisemitism and other forms of violence.

The attack in Halle shows once more how different forms of racialised and gendered violence are and have always been interconnected. It amplifies the necessity of standing together, and not allowing Racism and Antisemitism to be played against each other. We, as communities and individuals struggling against these forms of oppression, should not compete for the limited attention and resources of the post-Nazi German state and society, but work in solidarity and build alliances.

The event will be in form of an outdoor vigil: please bring your mask and if you like, candles. ​​​​​​​Corona regulations will be upheld.

The Jewish Bund is one of many examples of a proud history of revolutionary Jewish socialist, feminist and anti-colonial politics. This radical tradition has shaped much of our Jewish history, wherever we were based: from Russia to Iraq, from Germany to Morocco, and in Palestine, too — be it the revolutionaries of Matzpen or the Mizrahi Black Panthers.

Wherever we live — is our homeland: our histories and lived experiences don’t exist simply to conform to the narratives and agendas of the nations and states we live in. We are certain that the struggle against antisemitism is inseparable from the struggle against all forms of racism.

The attacks in Hanau and Halle only underscore the need for co-resistance against a racist, imperialist, perpetrating German state. Yallah Klassenkampf! ✊🏿✊🏽✊🏾

Bundestag 3 for Palestine (BT3P)

Suing the German government for Palestinian rights


01/10/2021

Activists are taking the German parliament to court

In 2019 the German parliament, Bundestag, passed a resolution which denounces the Palestinian BDS movement as antisemitic and calla on all federal bodies, municipalities and other institutions to halt any form of support given to groups or individuals associated with BDS.

One year later a little group of plaintiffs issued a law-suit against the Bundestag (Az. VG 2 K 79/20). Now, after another year and a half and virtually hundreds of pages of communication and documents exchanged between the court and the lawyers involved, the court case is coming home to the capital city.

On Thursday, October 7th, 12pm the first court hearing is taking place at Verwaltungsgericht Berlin, Kirchstraße 7. The court might deliver a verdict subsequently.

The plaintiffs are Amir Ali (Palestine Speaks, Munich/Berlin), Judith Bernstein (Jewish-Palestinian Dialogue Group, Munich) and Christoph Glanz (BDS Initiative Oldenburg). They´ve dubbed their project #BT3P, which stands for “Bundestag 3 for Palestine” and presents itself as a “Palestinian-Jewish-German initiative” . They argue that the Bundestag´s resolution is anti-democratic and racist, chiefly so towards Palestinians, and therefore want to see it nullified in court. The issuing of a law-suit by activists against the parliament itself is a daring enterprise and a first in German history.

They are represented by Berlin-based lawyer Ahmed Abed who is also a politician in Berlin Neukölln´s BVV with DIE LINKE.

The BT3P are inviting activists, friends and supporters to come to join them at the demonstration scheduled for 11am in front of the court building. Due to Corona restriction unfortunately only a selected number of very few visitors are allowed in to attend the court hearing itself starting at 12pm. The following press conference is scheduled for 4pm, but the venue will only be published at short notice on the BT3P´s homepage and twitter account because they fear that otherwise massive pressure will be excerted on the owners- as it has been the case dozens of times before in Germany.

The BT3P are enjoying international support. Joining them at the press conference in person or via live-stream are:

  • Bertrand Heilbronn, board member of Association France Palestine Solidarité, France
  • Ben Jamal, board member of Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Great Britain
  • Prof. John Reynolds, expert on International Law, National University of Galway, Irland and
  • Alice Garcia, Communication Officer of the. ELSC European Legal Support Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The BT3P in their own words:

“Needless to say, we are very glad to come to Berlin for this exciting occasion. We are determined to counter the rogue racism entailed in the Bundestag´s anti-BDS resolution and if need be we will go to further courts to have the resolution nullified. While for the time being the judicial aspect of this case naturally is our primary focus, we are not so naive to think that the deeply-entrenched German “Staatsräson” can simply be nullified in court. Therefore we rather see this case as a trigger for solidarity, a chance to reach out to other like-minded movements in order to push for a substantial change in the absurd German discourse on everything Israel and Palestine. This absurdity has reached another low when German-Palestinian journalist Nemi El-Hassan very recently got fired for liking posts of Jewish Voice for Peace.

We hope that our international friends will see this event for what it is: a great opportunity to mingle. connect and practise international solidarity. We also hope that they will understand the organisational hardships that Corona restrictions and the full schedule present to us. That being said: welcome to everyone to whom human rights and a just world for all are dear!”

The BT3P are open for press requests and can be reached via the contacts below. 

Das BT3P Team

Judith Bernstein, Amir Ali, Christoph Glanz

Fora Bolsonaro

Progressive Collectives and Independents from Brazil


We are organizing a demonstration in favor of the impeachment of Bolsonaro and against all the harmful policies implemented by him in Brazil in the various sectors of the lives of Brazilians. We want an end to the looting imposed on the country, to the privatisations.

The aim of this protest is to urge awareness to the harmfully policies implemented in Brazil by the actual government. Bolsonaro’s neoliberal agenda is dismantling various sectors in Brazil.

We are protesting against the negligence with the health policy in combating the coronavirus (to date there are 600,000 deaths due to Covid); against the economic policy that favors large landowners and leads the population to hunger and misery, against the destruction of our biomes.

Bolsonaro has instigated violence against historically vulnerable groups such as indigenous peoples, the black population, quilombola groups, women and LGBTQI+.

We call for an end to this policy of death and all this violence against the majority of Brazilians. The international community does pay attention to the situation in Brazil, despite Bolsonaro’s statements at the UN everyone knows about our reality. (that what is happening there is very serious.)

We call for a clear position of the German government regarding  what is happening in Brazil. The Bolsonaro government must be hold accountable to their crimes.

Our democracy is facing a severe attack; therefore it is urgent to assure that we will have election process next year, and that our justice institutions guaranties that.  (constantly attacked by the coup attempts, by the campaigns against our justice institutions promoted by Bolsonaro and his allies. We want the return of the democratic rule of law in the country.

On October 2nd (Saturday) several demonstrations will be taking place around Brazilian cities, as well as abroad.  Doing so, we here in Berlin call all supporters to join us from 14:30 to 16:30 at Pariser Platz.

Our goal with this demonstration is to denounce here in Berlin what happens in Brazil, attract people to our fight and also encourage Brazilians living in Brazil to fight.

We invite everyone to support us and participate in this demonstration. Whoever wants to make a short speech about it can do so.
Thank you for your attention.

Oficina Precaria

Online and face-to-face consultations, mutual support and self-organization of the Spanish-speaking population


23/09/2021

Oficina Precaria Berlin is a self-organized group in which we work in an assembly-based, horizontal and independent way. The group is open and heterogeneous, and anyone who shares this way of working is welcome.

Objectives

Our main objective is to provide tools to the migrant population of Berlin, especially to the Spanish-speaking, through the knowledge of their rights and duties in the German state. That is to say, to empower people to be able to solve the problems that arise during their stay in this country and also to support the people around them.

Moreover, the way of doing it (assembly, horizontal, self-managed) is an objective in itself. We want to show that people can take the initiative independently and autonomously and achieve the goals they set for themselves: we care about what we do, but also how we do it.

The creation of Oficina Precaria Berlin has to do with collectively addressing a shared problem: it expresses the attempt to get out of a “state of powerlessness” in order to “empower ourselves”.

Soli Party

Next 25.09. we will celebrate a solidarity party to raise funds for the combative drums-band Rhythms of Resistance:

  • Saturday 25.09., from 4 p.m. until at least 2 a.m.
  • On the Rote Insel (Mansteinstr. 10, 10783)

Programme: in preparation, will include some workshops, some theatre, some music, etc.

Menu: vegan hamburgers and fries

Price: voluntary donation

COVID-19: the party will be in the open air with a bonfire. Please bring a recent test or vaccination/recovery certificate.

If we have ever supported you and you didn’t know how to return the favour, now you can do it by coming to our party and inviting your people. We will have a great time 😀

Facebook event

Hocker statt Höcke

Don’t let the AfD normalise hate


18/09/2021

No Votes for the AfD – Participation Campaign for the elections “Hocker statt Höcke” with Konstantin Wecker

Already over 500 people have joined the recently started social media campaign of the performance artist Rainer Opolka against the AfD. Go against Höcke [Björn Höcke, AfD politician with close links with Neo-Nazis] auf den Höcker [on a stool].

Show your face and spoil the AfD election party on 26th September. These are the declared goals of the action. Over 500 people have already taken part, including Konstantin Wecker [musician], Sebastian Krumbiegel [singer, Die Prinzen], Katina Schubert [Die LINKE Berlin], Anke Domscheit-Berg [MP, Die LINKE], Hubertus Heil [labour minister, SPD] und others.

Taking part is quick and easy. Take a photo of yourself (an existing photo will do), upload it into www.hocker-statt-hoecke.de, and share the picture on facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

For example with this text:

German: Keine Stimme für die AfD! Zeige Haltung gegen Hass & Hetze! | Foto machen, Kampagnenbild erstellen & teilen! ️ www.hocker-statt-hoecke.de

English: No Votes for the AfD! Take a stand against hate & rabble-rousing | Take a photo and create a campaign picture! ️ www.hocker-statt-hoecke.de

#HockerstattHöcke #Deutschlandabertolerant #noAfD #BTW21 #BTW2021

 

The Background

The AfD is trying to win the centre vote at the coming elections with their current campaign “Deutschland aber normal” (Germany but normal). The normality that the AfD had in mind – against “Gender madness”, multiculturalism and “climate panic” – is something that they want to normalise inside society. But right wing extremism, racism and hatred cannot be normal in our society! We want to say this clearly.

The initiator is the performance artist and author Rainer Opolka. He is a former torch manufacturer and has been engaged against right wing extremism for many years. He has been often honoured for his civic engagement. In 2016, he attracted national attention with his touring exhibition “Die Wölfe sind zurück?” (the wolves are back?) which has since been exhibited in many German state capitals in central open spaces. Just in Berlin, Dresden and Potsdam he reached over 250,000 people.