The Left Berlin News & Comment

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Month: November 2024

News from Berlin and Germany, 13th November 2024

Weekly news round-up from Berlin and Germany


13/11/2024

NEWS FROM BERLIN

“From the river to the sea” leads to condemnation

The pro-Palestinian slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” has led to the first conviction in Berlin for using the ’emblems of a terrorist organisation’. A 42-year-old Berlin woman was sentenced to a fine of 1,300 euros at the regional court – to be paid in 130 daily instalments. The accused is said to have spread the slogan on two occasions via her publicly accessible Instagram account on the internet. The offence was committed around a year ago. The lawyer of those convicted has already announced that she intends to appeal. Source: rbb

Greens accuse Senator Chialo of “burning” money from the anti-Semitism pot

Green MP Susanna Kahlefeld has accused the Berliner Administration for Culture and Social Cohesion of misusing funds from the 10 million € fund for projects related to anti-Semitism and interreligious dialogue. Since this sum was added to the budget at short notice by the current Berlin CDU-SPD government, Kahlefeld has regularly asked how the money is being used. In the response to an information request (as of yet unpublished), some of these projects seem to show little reference to anti-Semitism. For example, half a million euros might go to ‘Kiezradar’, a digital information channel, which intends to inform citizens about important events in general, highlighting opportunities for participation. Source: rbb

Horror at Forum Köpenick: video allegedly shows man shooting into snack bar

A video from a surveillance camera, which is circulating on social media, allegedly shows a suspected shooter firing at Forum Köpenick. It shows a man with his hood pulled over his head at 10.53 am. The perpetrator calmly approaches the shop and takes a gun out of his jacket pocket. But he subsequently has problems with his weapon. Then he apparently takes out a second gun, aims and shoots through the window. He misses the snack bar employee, who is working at the cooker and throws himself on the floor when the shop window shatters. The armed perpetrator has been on the run since. Source: berliner-kurier

 

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Bundestag votes by a large majority in favour of motion against hatred of Jews

On 7 November 2024 the Bundestag debated a cross-party motion for decisive action against anti-Semitism in Germany. The proposal by the SPD, CDU/CSU, Alliance 90/The Greens and FDP is entitled “Never again is now – protecting, preserving and strengthening Jewish life in Germany” (20/13627). The German Bundestag observed that Jewish life and culture once again exist in Germany after the National Socialist dictatorship and despite the Shoah. Their existence is a “special declaration of trust” in the country, the MPs emphasised. The parliamentary groups also observed the increase in anti-Semitic attacks, demonstrations and criminal offences. Source: bundestag

Downfall of Germany’s governing coalition

The “traffic-light” coalition has collapsed amid divisions over economic plans. Germany’s Free Democrats (FDP) withdrew all ministers from the Scholz government, formally ending the three-party “Ampel” coalition. A minority government is not completely new to Germany, although they have been rare at the federal, rather than state, level. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) says a vote of confidence is planned for January. Among possible future alliances, each party has shown their own interest. For instance, CDU and its Bavarian sister party, CSU, ruled out joining a coalition with the SPD as a junior partner under Chancellor Scholz. Currently, these conservative parties seem to be more interested in pushing for new elections. Source: dw

AfD expels ‘Saxonian Separatist’ militants

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) says it is expelling three party members over connections to the “Saxonian Separatists.” The group follows Nazi ideology and seeks to use social collapse to seize parts of eastern Germany. The day before the announcement, police arrested eight suspects in connection with the group. Prosecutors said the militants share a deep rejection of Germany’s free and democratic constitutional order and an ideology underpinned by racist, anti-Semitic and apocalyptic beliefs. The leaders of the AfD, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, said in a statement that they supported the expulsions. Source: dw

BDI calls for ‘sovereignty’

The German industrial lobby wants to better control “raw material sovereignty”. Under a Brandt-ian motto, the Federation of German Industries (BDI) met in Berlin and its president, Siegfried Russwurm, affirmed that Germany’s dependence on critical raw materials is “higher than ever” and requires political action. His arguments were based on a study, co-produced by the association and a management consultant firm. Its main demand is a package of measures to strengthen domestic raw material extraction and processing, the strengthening of existing and new raw material co-operations and the expansion of the circular economy. They propose a three-pronged strategy: “Domestic promotion plus international alliances plus technological innovation.” Source: jungewelt

Film Review: Insumisas

Documentary about Sahrawi woman is part of a series of documentaries about Western Sahara


11/11/2024

From the rooftops of Western Sahara to the corridors of Geneva’s institutions, Sahrawi resistance is steadfastly led by women wrapped in their Melhfa.

Sahrawi women have always been at the forefront of their people’s unyielding struggle for self-determination and independence, opposing Moroccan colonialism since 1975. After Spain’s illegal handover of Western Sahara to Morocco and Mauritania, Sahrawi women shattered societal and racial barriers, organizing their lives, coordinating resistance in occupied territories, and bolstering it in exile.

The short documentary Insumisas, co-directed by Brazilian Laura Daudén and Colombian Miguel Angel Herrera and produced by the Hegoa Institute (UPV/EHU) and Forward Films, is a compelling 26-minute homage to the strength, courage, and resilience of the Sahrawi women who fight every day for their rights and the liberation of their homeland.

Using a masterful mix of personal interviews and striking animation, Insumisas unveils the harrowing experiences of women enduring Morocco’s brutal occupation. These women recount the horrific abuses they have suffered, giving a human face to statistics and reports often overlooked by international media. The documentary weaves these personal narratives with findings from the report Bring Everything to Light: Human Rights Violations Against Women in Occupied Western Sahara (1975-2021). This report, the product of collaboration between Hegoa and dedicated Sahrawi activists, exposes the harsh reality Sahrawi people—and particularly women—have faced since 1975.

The report’s findings are staggering. Based on interviews with 81 women across all age groups, it documents severe human rights abuses, including violations of the right to life, torture, cruel and degrading treatment, sexual violence, and forced displacement. Special focus is given to economic, social, and cultural rights. The numbers are alarming: over 90% of Sahrawi women interviewed report torture and humiliating treatment, while 68%—despite the stigma worldwide around sexual violence—admit to having suffered sexual assault. Yet, while these women’s voices are finally heard, the tragic truth remains: 100% of these crimes go unpunished.

The film features remarkable figures like El Ghalia Djimi, Mina Baali, and Soultana Khaya, who offer firsthand accounts of their relentless fight. They demand visibility and recognition for the victims of occupation and torture, including their own experiences. In their narratives, they analyze the complex socio-political landscape of both past and present, reflecting on their roles as women within this context. They identify as defenders of universal human rights, urging the international community to respond to the injustices suffered by their people.

The film also follows the efforts of diplomats Jadiyetu El Mohtar and Omeima Mahmud, who work in Euskadi and Geneva, using this report to call on European nations to uphold their own values of international law and human rights. These women are leading a movement for justice and freedom for the Sahrawi people.

Another key theme in the film is the recent resumption of war in 2020 and Spain’s disappointing shift on Western Sahara. In 2022, Spain’s socialist government caved to pressure and blackmail from Morocco, which uses migrant flows to Spain as a bargaining chip. In May 2021, for instance, Morocco allowed 12,000 migrants into Ceuta in two days. Spain, abandoning its supposed neutrality, accepted Morocco’s proposal for Saharan autonomy as “the most serious, realistic, and credible basis for a resolution.” Since then, the Spanish government—while professing commitment to human rights—has continued to comply with Morocco’s directives, denying entry and deporting Sahrawi people and activists to Morocco. This betrayal of the Sahrawi people is also a retreat from the human rights principles Spain claims to uphold.

Yet, the Sahrawi women’s struggle remains strong and unrelenting. After decades of effort and numerous victories, in October 2024, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) nullified the 2019 EU-Morocco trade agreements covering fisheries and agricultural products. The ECJ ruled that the people of Western Sahara had not consented to these agreements, which violate the principles of self-determination and the limited effect of treaties. This is a significant victory for the Sahrawi people and proof that international pressure can make a difference.

Insumisas reflects the unyielding struggle of Sahrawi women, who have achieved this historic victory. Despite ongoing humiliation, torture, and sexual violence, they continue their daily fight for a free and independent Sahara. Their voices are not merely testimonies of suffering; they are symbols of resistance and an unending quest for justice and freedom. The film calls on all those who value human rights and justice to hear these women’s voices and support them in their struggle.

All in all, Insumisas is a powerful, moving, and essential work that brings attention to the ongoing struggle of the Sahrawi people. It urges us to reflect on the colonial backdrop and systemic injustices facing many nations today and inspires us to act in solidarity.

This entire month Media Space k18 (Kreutzierstr. 18) and La Jaima de Tiris are presenting different documentaries every Tuesday to bring to light the plight of the Saharawi people, and having talks afterwards with Saharawi activists. Everyone is welcome to join. More info at La Jaima de Tiris Instagram.

When a Zionist Riot is Reported as an Antisemitic Pogrom

What really happened in Amsterdam


10/11/2024

Something terrible happened in Amsterdam last Thursday, although if you just read the mainstream media, you’d be forgiven for not knowing exactly what that was. The liberal Guardian wrote that: “Amsterdam police have made more than 60 arrests after what authorities called “hateful antisemitic violence” against Israeli football fans.”

According to Amsterdam mayor, Femke Halsema: “Men on scooters crisscrossed the city looking for Israeli football fans. It was a hit and run. I can easily understand that this brings back memories of pogroms … Our city has been deeply damaged. Jewish culture has been deeply threatened. This is an outburst of antisemitism that I hope to never see again.”

Zionist writer Bari Weiss tweeted “There is a pogrom unfolding right now on the streets of Amsterdam.“ Ursula von der Leyen took a break from imposing austerity on Europe to say: “I am outraged by last night’s vile attacks targeting Israeli citizens in Amsterdam.” Germany’s hawkish Green foreign minister Annalena Baerbock tweeted: “The images out of Amsterdam are awful and deeply shameful for us in Europe, The outbreak of such violence against Jews breaks all boundaries. There is no justification for this.”

Needless to say, the German press joined in the pile on. A Welt report talked of “a pro-Palestinian mob”, which “hunted down Israeli fans”. Die Zeit quoted a Maccabi fan saying “Europe is no longer safe for us”, and even the liberal taz claimed that “Jew-haters see the sport as their battlefield”.

Israeli president Isaac Herzog tweeted: “We see with horror this morning, the shocking images and videos that since October 7th, we had hoped never to see again: an antisemitic pogrom currently taking place against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and Israeli citizens in the heart of Amsterdam, Netherlands.”

Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu compared the events to Kristallnacht, whose terrible anniversary we commemorated 2 days later. The pro-Israel “Combat Antisemitism Movement” called: “the vicious attacks against Israeli football fans in the streets of Amsterdam last night” a “new Kristallnacht.” CAM CEO Sacha Roytman said: “It’s time for Europe to get its act together and deal with the new Nazis as it did the old ones”.

What really happened

But who are the “new Nazis” in this story? Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters have a history of far right violence, of which more later. Israeli hooligans attacked a taxi driver before the game had even started. And the Jerusalem Post reported that a week earlier “a pro-Palestinian protester was reportedly attacked by Ajax fans.” 

In a video made on Friday, journalist Owen Jones was more blunt: “Yesterday, racist Israeli football thugs rioted in Amsterdam while publicly inciting genocide – a criminal act under the 1948 Genocide Convention.” 

The Middle East Eye said: “Israeli hooligans, supporters of the Maccabi Tel Aviv football club, provoked clashes with Dutch youth in Amsterdam. They chanted anti-Arab slogans, tore down Palestinian flags, and ignored a minute of silence for the Spanish flood victims.”

Can I repeat that last bit in case you missed it. The minute of silence for the people who died in the floods in Valencia was constantly interrupted by fireworks and racist chants from Maccabi “supporters”.

Even the right wing Daily Mail reported that: “Israeli football hooligans tore down Palestine flags as they marched through Amsterdam in a Wednesday night of chaos ahead of Maccabi Tel Aviv‘s visit to Ajax. Videos show dozens of hooded figures dressed fully in black cheering and chanting ‘f*** you Palestine’” 

You can see a video of this incident here. Another video  has been posted of “fans” chanting “Let the IDF win to fuck the Arabs”). At Tel Aviv airport, Maccabi fans were filmed chanting: “Why is school out in Gaza?  There are no children left there.” Commenting from Israel, soldier Mazal Ledri posted: “Don’t worry. The women and babies in Gaza will pay the price.”

Edward Ahmed Mitchell from the Council on American-Islamic Relations commented: “As a Black man from Georgia, I know that it would be widely condemned if a group of white supremacists marched through downtown Atlanta chanting ‘death to n—ers,’ attacking Black-owned businesses, and beating up Black residents. I also know that no one would pretend that Black victims who defended themselves from white supremacist violence were racists who had suddenly decided to attack random white people.”

Tagesschau apologises – sort of

Tagesschau, Germany’s main television news service, was forced to publish an apology: “the tagesschau edition of 8 November was subsequently edited. In an earlier version of the contribution on the violence in Amsterdam, pictures by @iAnnetnl were shown in the wrong context. These pictures do not show attacks on Israeli football fans. The pictures were replaced.”

Tagesschau did not tell its viewers what this “wrong context” was. After several news channels posted the video, claiming it was footage of Maccabi fans being attacked, iAnnetnl tweeted: “I am the creator of this video. 1. you are spreading fake news, this is a group of Maccabi supporters starting a fight and beating one Dutch man. 2. delete this content, I didn’t gave you permission.”

The video was removed, by Tagesschau at least, but they did not explain to their viewers how they had misrepresented the events. The damage was therefore already done. The video, containing the implication that Palestine supporters are to blame, is also still available in many influential media platforms.

After Tagesschau published its apology, iAnnetnl appealed to the media: “I would like you to do the same as Tagesschau. An apology, a removal of my footage and the truth. A few minutes of your precious time. Write down: Maccabi supporters attacked Amsterdam citizens in front of Central Station after the game. Journalism is about finding truth. Not about making money on a twist of the script. It’s time to show some respect to reality. That’s your job.”

Police protect the Nazis

While the hooligans were in Amsterdam, the local police showed the neutrality which we have come to expect. Over 60 people were arrested, but as the New Arab reports: “No Israelis were arrested, but were instead given close police protection and escorted to their accommodations.”

Bizarrely, Trouw newspaper wrote that “as far as [Amsterdam police chief Peter] Holla knows, there are no hostage-takings or kidnappings and there are currently no public order problems in the city.” It is not clear why Holla mentioned hostages and kidnappings, which were also brought up by at least one German news channel, as there is no sign that any were reported. But his statement served to intensify the climate of fear. 

An Al Jazeera report quoted Councilman Jazie Veldhuyzen as saying that Maccabi fans “began attacking houses of people in Amsterdam with Palestinian flags, so that’s actually where the violence started.  As a reaction, Amsterdammers mobilised themselves and countered the attacks that started on Wednesday by the Maccabi hooligans.” 

Vedhuyzen went on: “The mayor says the police did act, but I would say they acted not at the right moments. They acted only to protect the Maccabi hooligans when Amsterdammers stood up to defend their own people and defend their own houses. And this is when the police showed up to protect the Maccabi fans when they ran away after attacking people.”

People who oppose genocide were treated differently. The Guardian reports how Barbara Weenink, a Palestinian supporter in Amsterdam: “said she had found the behaviour of Israeli fans threatening. Weenink, who has demonstrated at pro-Palestine events, said she was warned not to go out with a keffiyeh on that evening.” 

A statement by The Black Archives in Amsterdam “Don’t Let the Government Gaslight you” said: “We, as TBA, had to warn our team members to cover signs of solidarity with Palestinian people such as buttons and keffiyehs. On the evening of the soccer match we met several people – especially Muslim women – who stated that they were afraid to walk around with a keffiyeh.💔 This should be unacceptable.”

Entirely predictable

The Dutch news channel NRC claimed: “the outbreak of violence came unexpectedly, despite weeks of risk analyses by the Amsterdam security triangle and the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV). They had previously judged that there was no concrete threat, not even in connection with the war in the Middle East.”

But it was not as if no-one saw this coming. Two days before the game, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported that “in addition to Maccabi’s regular security personnel, Mossad agents will join the team in Amsterdam.” Even before the game started, riot police were used to disperse a peaceful pro-Palestine demonstration, which had been banned by mayor Femke Halsema, former leader of the GroenLinks (now GroenLinks-PvdA).

A TikTok video released by the Jewish Anti-Zionist Network in Amsterdam said: “we knew that they were going to be violent, and we also knew that among the supporters, a lot of them are IDF soldiers who have on their Facebook footage of them being enlisted in the same army that’s committing genocide.”

Before the game was played, the Dutch BDS movement called on the game to be cancelled, saying: “less than 60 kilometers from the Maccabi stadium, a genocide is taking place, the most heinous war crimes, a record number of children killed and maimed, a deliberately caused famine, total lawlessness.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv – racist to the core

Thursday’s violence was not new for Maccabi supporters, who have a history of racism. +972 magazine reports: “the racist chanting in the stands; the fact that Maccabi’s “ultras” make sure to display excessive numbers of Israeli flags when playing [Palestinian club Bnei] Sakhnin; the hounding of their Arab players in recent years; and the management’s acceptance of the fans’ racist behavior: all this has generated a culture of racism at Maccabi Tel Aviv.”

According to socialism.ne: “the club organizes fundraisers and tributes to fallen IDF soldiers, and there are numerous photos of soldiers posing with Maccabi scarves among the ruins of Gaza. The Maccabi thugs assaulted a man in Athens in March this year because he was carrying a Palestinian flag.” 

Racism has been endemic at Maccabi for many years. Reporting a game in 2008, Jewish Chronicle reporter Larry Derfner acidly commented: “I suppose Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans should be congratulated for restraint. They didn’t start making monkey sounds — chanting “hoo-hoo-hoo” as loud as they could — at black players on the opposing team until one of them scored a goal.”

In 2014, the International Business Times recounted the experience of Maharan Radi, a Palestinian who used to play for Maccabi: “right-wing extremists invaded the pitch, insulting him and chanting “F*** the Arabs!” Some fans even spat at him … It is not the first time that Radi suffered a racist attack. Last year, bigoted football fans shouted anti-Muslim slurs during a game with Hapoel Tel Aviv, despite Radi scoring the second goal that secured Maccabi’s victory.”

In 2020, Deutsche Welle reported that members of Maccabi Tel Aviv ultra group Maccabi Fanatics “attacked anti-Netanyahu protesters with batons and broken bottles. Five people were injured as a result.” 

On a previous visit to the Netherlands, Maccabi fans sang a song called The Rape Song, which contains the following lyrics: “You’re the Arabs’ wh*res. We are ashamed of you. At the end of the day, Gate 5. We will f*ck you. We will f*ck you. And then we will drink your blood. In the town’s square we will hang every Communist who comes here. We will take your girls who love to party. When we’ll rape them we will shout. Today is death, Hapoel”

It’s not just about football

Those who say that this is just about football do not understand how a murderous ideology can take over a whole culture. The Yarmouk Stadium in occupied Gaza is currently being used as a detention and torture center. In the aftermath of the Amsterdam riots, Israel soldiers blew up homes in Gaza, publishing the statement: “We dedicate this explosion to all the fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv. We’ll get to all of you, you sons of bitches.”

As Abed Abou Shhadeh argues: “The hooligans’ mindset aligns with the genocidal culture that has permeated Israeli society since 7 October 2023, allowing Israelis to imagine themselves as being above the law and morality – not only in Israel, but the world over. These fans are an expression of a culture that is not just prevalent among a handful of racists; rather, it has become routine in stadiums, with chants of “death to Arabs” or “may your village burn” often heard in Israel long before 7 October 2023.

Israeli political commentator Ori Goldberg told Al Jazeera: “The fact that Israeli fans riot in the middle of Amsterdam, sing racist songs and climb the walls of homes to tear down Palestinian flags … is part of the Israeli condition at the moment: A complete detachment between actions and consequences.”

And yet the mainstream media and politicians continue to provide cover for such blatant racism, as noted by Marc Owen Jones: “The New York Times ran the headline, ‘Israeli soccer fans injured in attacks linked to antisemitism in Amsterdam,’ but the body article contained only verified evidence of anti-Arab racism. Its lede emphasized antisemitic motivation, while the body of the article cited footage by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans chanting anti-Arab and racist slogans – footage that the New York Times had actually verified. The only basis at the time for claiming antisemitism came from a single tweet by the Dutch prime minister, while the linked Amsterdam police’s own statement made no such attribution”

What now?

The Palestine Football Association notes that: “FIFA cannot currently ensure the safety and security of fans around matches including Israeli teams. A recent incident in Greece – where an Arab man was beaten unconscious by a group of Israeli supporters – illustrates the urgent need for intervention. The absence of accountability for such entrenched violence and normalized racism has only led to further unfortunate incidents, such as those in Amsterdam.”

This lack of safety has led the Jüdische Stimme (Jewish Voice for Peace) in Germany to issue a statement which concludes: “we can only hope that every invitation to an Israeli team is cancelled, that the football authorities sanction Israeli teams and that we all remember the Palestinian football players and trainers who Israel has killed and continues to kill, to bring the genocide to an end.”

A local woman interviewed by Middle East Eye said: “It is not about the Jewish people. It is about the occupation, the annexation, the breach of international law and the breach of human rights. That is why we are against Maccabi being invited to play here and I still cannot believe that they have been allowed to play.”

In 2022, within 4 days of the invasion of Ukraine, FIFA and UEFA banned all Russian teams from competing in their competitions. Thursday’s match should have never taken place in the first place. The bare minimum we should expect from the football authorities is the removal of all Israeli teams from international competitions – not just because of Thursday’s violence, but because of their complicity in genocide.

This is unlikely to happen without pressure from below. As DiEM25 commented: “What is curious is that actual right-wing extremist behaviour from football fans in Europe, like that of Italian club Lazio, who are renowned for blatant anti-Semitic actions, have never garnered comparable scrutiny from politicians or media outlets.” 

The protection of racist Israeli football fans is tied up with the support by Western governments and media for genocide. This means that any call for retribution against the violent racist hooligans is only part of the solution. We must destroy the ideology from which they emerged. We must continue to build an international movement which challenges Western support for murderous apartheid and enables Palestine finally to be free.

The Confused and Contradictory politics of Nico (1938-1988)

Radical Berlin in 12 Cemeteries – Cemetery 13


09/11/2024

Last year. I wrote a series of pen portraits about where radical activists and artists are buried in Berlin. One artist did not make the final cut. Nico’s life was too complicated and contradictory that I could not do her justice in 300 words. Moreover, I wondered, whether she was really of the Left. A longer article never got written – until now.

Upbringing and rise to fame

Nico (née Christa Päffgen) was born in Cologne in 1938. When her father was sent to fight in the Second World War, she moved with her mother to Lübbenau. After the war, they moved to the centre of Berlin, she remembers “a desert of bricks… seeing dead bodies lying in the rubble as I walked through a wilderness at the end of the street where we lived.”

Her father meanwhile was variously – shot by his fellow soldiers, or died in a Concentration Camp, or maybe after a brain injury he was institutionalised. All versions told by Nico herself, having a flexible relationship with the truth. 

Stories about her early childhood are equally vague. A friend, Jane Goldstraw recounts: “She told me that, when she was three years old during the war, she lived on a farm near a death camp, and she remembered treading over bodies. But there are conflicting stories.”

As a young woman, she gained jobs as a model for Elle, Esquire, and Vogue. She also got acting work. At 20, she was in a film with Mario Lanza, and in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. In 1960, she joined Lee Strasberg’s Method School in New York, with Marilyn Monroe as a classmate.

Nico’s biography is peppered with references to famous men. She had an affair with Bob Dylan in 1964, who wrote Visions of Johanna about her. Then, she had a child with Alain Delon – or was it Brian Jones? The New Yorker claims that Leonard Cohen “began writing songs in hopes of seducing her.” Film maker John Waters asked her to play at his funeral.

Dylan led her to Pop Artist Andy Warhol who recruited her to the band the Velvet Underground. She sang lead vocals on 3 songs on The Velvet Underground and Nico, the 1967 album. Of it Brian Eno said: “only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.”

Jim Morrison encouraged her to write her own songs. But at first, she sang songs exclusively by male writers like Lou Reed, Jackson Browne and Jim Morrison, saying “I thought men write songs and women sing them.”

In the 1970s she released a number of haunting albums, on which she sang and played harmonium. She then went out of fashion. She died in 1988 in the most un-rock star manner of having a brain aneurysm and falling off her bicycle.

Nico’s politics

Nico grew up in post-Nazi Germany, with all the implied shame. She invented a Turkish father, saying: “I do not wish to have any familiarity with the German people. I do not identify with them in any way, except their endurance… Turks are the new Jews of Germany.”

Later she claimed: “It was the time of imperialist war in Algeria, and my secret support was with the Arabs against the French Army, but I could not say this to my society friends, who were often the opposite, but I could say it in these clubs. I always dislike the invader and, of course, I am part Arab because of my father.” This story is slightly compromised by the fact that Nico’s actual father was a wealthy German brewer.

She became a heroin addict, but in the 1960s she rejected LSD, saying “Timothy Leary said ‘Drop Out’, and this was the solution in America. I didn’t like this alternative, because it doesn’t fight totalitarianism. It lets others fight for you while you are asleep”

She supported: “Andreas Baader, the Red Brigade (Italy) and the Catholics in Ireland (IRA), and there are others. That is the alternative that fights, not the alternative that says ‘Drop Out’… If I were not Nico I would be a terrorist.”

Most of these statements come from the same article and are difficult to corroborate. SInce Nico’s biographers were more interested in her famous lovers than in her politics (or her music), this does not mean that she did not say these things. But such comments do not sit easily with her later behaviour. 

Internalized Misogyny

Obviously much press coverage patronised Nico and dismissed her talents because of her gender. Jennifer Otter Bickerdicke says: “While her fellow Velvets, Lou Reed and John Cale, are called ‘American masters’, ‘poets’ and ‘legends’, Nico has been cast as a racist junkie who slept with myriad famous men.”

Did Nico internalise some of this misogyny? She is reported as saying: “Women are poison. If I wasn’t so special, I could hate myself,” and “Women are inferior,” adding that her only regret was being born a woman.”

Nico’s keyboard player Una Baines said: “I don’t think she’d have labelled herself a feminist because she hated any form of ideology. She did say her only regret was not being born a man. I think she wanted the same privileges and power that men have.”

As Baines makes clear, Nico’s statements do not necessarily confirm that she disliked women. Perhaps she was merely arguing that she, and we, lived in a society, where women are treated as second class citizens. Or, as Maxine Peake argued: “She said a few times that she wished she was a man, which came from the fact that as an artist she would have been more recognised.”

Nationalism

Another charge levelled against Nico is that she was a nationalist, possibly a Nazi. An NTS radio programme reported: “She had a definite Nordic Aryan streak, [the belief] that she was physically, spiritually and creatively superior, a view she appears to have continued to maintain throughout her later years. During a performance in Berlin, the audience rioted after Nico performed the German national anthem “Deutschlandlied”, including a verse omitted since 1945 for its nationalist associations.”

But as the NTS report notes, after singing the Deutschlandlied, “Nico dedicated this performance to militant Andreas Baader, leader of the anti-fascist Red Army Faction.” In another report, her manager, Nigel Bagley noted: “at one gig, she introduced Deutschland über Alles, saying: ‘My father was a homosexual and died in a concentration camp.’”

None of this excuses Nico’s behaviour which is, at best erratic and fuelled by drugs. But at worst she was behaving like punks like Sid Vicious and Siouxsie Sioux, who provocatively wore swastika t-shirts and arm bands. At a time when Nazis were growing in the UK, this was an incredibly stupid act, but it didn’t make them Nazis themselves.

Racism

But the charge which refuses to go away is the one of racism. This depends on some well-documented incidents. The first is her ongoing antisemitism towards her friend – record executive Danny Fields. Fields later recalled: “Every once in a while, there’d be something about Jews and I’d be, ‘But Nico, I’m Jewish,’ and she was like ‘Yes, yes, I don’t mean you.’ She had a definite Nordic Aryan streak, [the belief] that she was physically, spiritually and creatively superior.”

Rock journalist Lester Bangs reported that Nico “was just naive enough to explain to Mary Harron, in a recent interview in New Wave Rock, why she was dropped by Island Records: “I made a mistake. I said in Melody Maker to some interviewer that I didn’t like negroes. That’s all. They took it so personally . . . although it’s a whole different race. I mean, Bob Marley doesn’t resemble a negro, does he? … He’s an archetype of Jamaican … but with the features like white people. I don’t like the features. They’re so much like animals…. it’s cannibals, no?”

And then there is the incident at a party, recounted by Fields via Simon Reynolds: “Nico was, I dunno, feeling neglected, or drunk, but suddenly she said ‘I hate black people,’ and smashed a wineglass on the table and stuck it in the girl’s eye. There was lots of blood and screaming. Fortunately she just twisted it around her eye socket, so the glass never reached [the eye] but it’s not like she was being cautious.””

Nico’s explanation for this incident, for which, she claims, the Black Panthers put out a hit on her is “I was high on angel dust… then I had to leave the country.” This non-apology-apology is so often used by rock stars to excuse their excesses. It is no more defensible than David Bowie saying: “I believe Britain could benefit from a fascist leader.” Unlike Bowie, Nico is not known to have ever apologised.

Instead, she attributed her bigotry to having been raped at the age of 13 (or sometimes 15) by a black US American soldier. Brian Dillon reported in the New Yorker: “When Nico was thirteen, she said, she was raped by a U.S. Army sergeant who was hanged for the crime. She also said he was Black, a claim that has been cited by many, Nico included, to explain conduct, on her part, that can only be called racist.”

Her biographers disagree about the authenticity of the crime. Richard Witts claims that Nico was probably lying, as he couldn’t locate any record of the crime, trial, or execution. Jennifer Otter Bickerdike, argues that the need to avoid the “Soviet and American heroes who had defeated fascism” meant that such cases were routinely covered up.

But surely this argument misses the point. Whether or not the rape happened, using it to justify a hatred of all black people is hardly proof that Nico was not a racist. 

What does this have to do with Nico’s music?

Actually, very little. Good politics can inspire good music, but there is no direct relationship between the two. Wagner was a great composer and an antisemite, Ezra Pound a great poet and an antisemite. David Bowie produced some of his greatest works when he was calling for a new Hitler and raping under age girls. When he apologized for his Hitler statement, and called MTV out for racism, his music was much less spectacular.

Nico left  an astounding body of work. On top of the music, the films, and the modelling, she inspired a number of other artistic works – from the films Nico-Icon and Nico, 1988 to The Nico Project, a theatrical performance created by, and starring Maxine Peake.

After Nico died, many obituaries concentrated on the men in her life – not her undoubted talent. She is buried in one of Berlin’s most beautifully located cemeteries – Friedhof Grunewald-Forst near the Havel. Fans and admirers ensure that her grave is covered with photos and flowers.

Cogs and Wheels: Interlocking Institutions

A few weeks from now, Homayoun Sabetara, charged with human smuggling, will be released from prison. His case exemplifies the interplay between repressive organisations.


08/11/2024

Ruth Wilson Gilmore and numerous other abolitionist thinkers and activists identify the penal system’s central role as a necessary instrument in upholding a capitalist system. So-called ‘organised abandonment’, the systemic giving up on and neglect of people by the state, is an integral part of the penal system. When people lose their jobs, are thrown out of their homes or stuck at borders without documentation, their destinies are not isolated, but rather intertwined with the penal and regulatory systems that specifically limit the choice in action of those affected.

Institutions of ‘justice’—the police, courts and prisons, among others—enforce, regulate and administrate organised neglect.

The interlocking and mutual support these systems share is apparent in Homayoun Sabetara’s case; on August 25, 2021, after having fled Iran he was arrested by Greek police after crossing the Turkish border by car. His escape was meant to lead him to Berlin where his daughter lives. In a process that only lasted two hours, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison for human smuggling on September 26, 2022. Since then, the 63-year-old Sabetara has been in prison in Trikala, Greece. Relatives, including his daughter Mahtab Homayoum, began a campaign called ‘Free Homayoun’ demanding his release and supporting him in his appeal process. The process ended on September 24th with a sentence reduction to seven years and four months. The court expressly recognised that Sabetara had not acted with the intent to profit and that there was no legal path of entry by which he could have reached his daughter. 

Isolation and False Security

The means of fighting so-called human smuggling, in which Homayoun has been caught, are part of an overarching European anti-migration policy. Embedded in this fight is a falsified debate about security; the ‘safety of one’s own people’ is constructed by deportations, Duldung [status preventing people from working], and the simultaneous criminalisation of migrants and massive investments in border protection companies such as Frontex.

The aim of such sham debates is to transfer systemic failure to the individual level and thus uphold the existing system by justifying a new definition of security. This security is not achieved through meeting fundamental needs like access to housing, food and clean water, participation in society, education and medical care, but rather through more police and fortified security checks. In 2023 alone, The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) is said to have invested 845 million euro in these measures.

Those who happen to be at the wheel of a car with illegalised migrants in it when it is stopped by police is deemed the smuggler. The witnesses are other passengers or the intercepting police officers. This was also true in the case of Homayoun Sabetara. The charge against him was based on two witness statements—one from a police officer and one from a passenger in Sabetara’s car, which were taken upon arrest without a translator. These proceedings are not an isolated case. Harris Ladis, the lawyer defending Sabetara, described the police’s conduct as such: ‘The police make no attempt to cross examine or investigate witness accounts. To avoid too much hassle, they generally take a statement from just one passenger, who says, ‘‘He was driving when we arrived.’’ That’s enough to arrest someone and hand them over to the examining judge.’

Those who cannot sort out a lawyer for their trial don’t stand a chance in court when up against high criminal charges such as human trafficking, as in Sabetara’s case. His lawyer’s fees alone amounted to more than  15,000 Euro. Poverty means staying (longer) in prison.

The most frequent questions in court centred around Sabetara’s financial situation in Iran—what did he do for work? How much did he earn? The same questions were posed to his daughter. Did he send part of his earnings to Germany? How was she funding her life in Germany? How did her father pay for the journey? How much money did she send him? Did he have financial issues? Did he own a car? Or receive an inheritance? A house? So what about the house? Did he leave his possessions or the proceeds from the sale of his business behind? What did she study? Where did she work?

Defendants must constantly emphasise that they are not ‘poor’ or ‘uneducated’. Homazoun and Mahtab are no exception. In court they repeatedly had to talk about their careers and academic achievements in order to convince the judge that Sabetara’s detainment was unjust.

Research by Borderline Europe shows that court proceedings against so-called ‘smugglers’ have an average length of 37 minutes, while cases assigned to public defenders take 17. Borderline Europe’s shortest documented case was just 6 minutes long. These short cases are often unlawful and based on insufficient and questionable evidence, for example the statement of a single police officer or coast guard agent. In 68% of documented cases, those giving the statements were not even present in the courtroom. These proceedings decide destinies in a matter of minutes; on average, human smugglers are sentenced to 46 years in prison and fined 332,209 euro.

Homayoun Sabetara’s case also shows that prisoners must rely on help from outside the prison. They need someone who looks out for their care and health, procures needed medication and alerts the prison should they fall ill. Or someone to accompany them on their court date, send them money and offer support for their freedom. For those who have no one to see during visitor’s hours, prison becomes an even greater hell. Usually represented by a public defender, without an adequate interpreter, they are alone against a system that criminalised them from the beginning. 

The tough sentences that most often affect young prisoners without relatives are meant to act as a deterrent. Alone and abandoned, those who have neither the social nor economic capital to defend their rights are the ideal victims to substantiate the European security debate—criminals tasked with maintaining the true face of a ‘safe’ Europe. 

This article first appeared in German on the Anaylse & Kritik Website. Translation: Shav MacKay. Reproduced with permission.