On 26^th September 2021, 59.1% of Berliners voted to expropriate the big landlords. In a referendum organised by Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignen, a clear majority voted for change. If people without a German passport had been allowed to vote, this majority would have been even greater.

One year later, no landlord has been expropriated. A clear decision to reduce our rents has been sent to an “experts’ commission” which has shown no inclination to carry out our democratic decision. How likely is it that the referendum will be simply ignored?

On the same day as the housing referendum, Berlin voted in a Red-Green-Red government, and Germany voted for a “traffic light” coalition. There have been some benefits – the €9 travel ticket, for instance, although train prices are now higher than ever. Meanwhile, the government has doubled military spending despite rising inflation and serious cuts in our living standards.

On the anniversary of the election, the Berlin LINKE Internationals are organising a public meeting with housing activist Katalin Gennburg and anti-racist and environmental activist Ferat Kocak. Both Katalin and Ferat were voted in as LINKE members of the new Berliner Senat. Since then they have tried to balance their activism with being part of parliament.

What are our prospects in the fight for fair rents, a healthy environment and an end to racism? What is the connection between work inside parliament and in the extra-parliamentary movement? Should die LINKE concentrate its activities inside or outside government? What can so-called “normal people” do to ensure that our parliamentarians stick to their promises?

We would like to discuss these questions and more with Katalin, Ferat and you on 26^th September 2022 from 7pm. The meeting will be at Moosdorfstraße 7-9, 5 minutes walk from Treptower Park S-Bahn on the Ringbahn. You are warmly invited to join the discussion.

If you have any questions, you can contact the Berlin LINKE Internationals at lag.internationals@die-linke-berlin.de. Together with other non-German Leftists in Berlin, we run the website www.theleftberlin.com.