Hello everyone,
This Newsletter went out in its new format for the first time last week. Apologies for any delays, especially to people with yahoo email addresses. We are dealing with these teething problems as quickly as we can. If you are experiencing any problems or have any suggestions about how we can improve the Newsletter, please contact us at team@theleftberlin.com.
Because there is so much going on this week, we have two Campaigns of the Week. The first, BerlinZusammen (Berlin together) is organising a demonstration tomorrow (Saturday) against the possibility of a “Coalition of Regression” in Berlin between the CDU and the SPD. The demonstration starts at midday at Hermannplatz, and is intended to be a first step towards building a network or extra-parliamentary alliance for an open, diverse and social city for everyone!
Also starting tomorrow, Kuringa is organising a weekend of workshops and films to celebrate Augusto Boal’s “Theatre of the Oppressed”. On Saturday. there will be a workshop from 2pm and a showing of the film “Augusto Boal e O Teatro do Oprimido” at 7:30pm. And on Sunday from 2pm, Madalena Berlin will lead a Feminist Theatre of the Oppressed Workshop (ONLY FOR FLINTA, no cismen welcome). This will be followed at 7pm by the short documentary “NO means no, a journey into feminist Legislative Theatre”. Registration and more information: evagloria@kuringa.org.
On 2pm on Saturday, Aufstehen gegen Rassismus has called a rally at 2pm at Garbatyplatz near S- und U-Bahn Pankow. The rally, part of the International Weeks against racism is in commemoration of Yazy. Yazy was a 44-year old Syrian woman who died on 10th February this year after a Nazi arson attack on a refugee home in Bahnhofstraße in Französisch-Buchholz. This rally is in defence of all victims of racist violence.
On Sunday, it’s the latest walking tour organised by the Berlin LINKE Internationals. This month, the subject is colonialism and anti-colonialism in Berlin. Germany isn’t well know as a colonial empire. But in just a few decades at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, the Kaiser’s troops massacred hundreds of thousands of people across Africa and Asia. The tour starts at 2pm outside the Akademie der Künste in front of Brandenburger Tor. Last-minute information will be delivered to all participants on Saturday, so please register here.
The trials of people arrested for being near Hermannplatz on last year’s anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba continue. The next big court case is next Wednesday, 22nd of March outside the Amtsgericht Tiergarten in Kirchstraße from 11am. Join the protests outside the court house. Nakba75, which is organising a demonstration on the anniversary of the Nakba in 2023, and preparing any attempt to ban people showing basic solidarity with Palestinians is our other Campaign of the Week.
On Wednesday evening at 7pm, Aufstehen gegen Rassismus is organising an Online Meeting in English on The fight against racism and the extreme right in Europe. Speakers are Laura Fernández, a human rights activist from Spain, David Karvala from Barcelona, active in the alliance Unitat contra Feixisme i Rascisme (UCFR) – Unity against Fascism and Racism, and Petros Konstantinou from Greece, spokesman of the Greek anti-racist and anti-fascist alliance KEERFA.
This week is full of activities in Berlin, so make sure you find out what else is going on by looking at our Events page.
Looking into the future, on Monday 27th March, the LINKE Berlin Internationals are having their next organising meeting in Ferat Kocak’s office in Schierkerstraße 26. Everyone is invited to join the debate. Top subjects will be Palestine solidarity in Berlin, the MyFest on 1st May, and setting an initial programme for this year’s Summer Camp. Summer Camp will be on June 10th-11th in the Naturfreundehaus Hermsdorf at the edge of Berlin. You can register here.
In News from Berlin, survey shows broad support for the aims of the Climate Referendum as the final mobilisation takes place in a rally at Nollendorfplatz, 86% of postal workers vote for indefinite strike action, as workers at BER airport also take part in a warning strike, and a project starts to eliminate parking spaces in Kreuzberg.
In News from Germany, government issues plans to reform hospitals, €49 Germany-wide travel ticket to start in May – but you must order 10 days in advance, and Roger Waters sues the City of Frankfurt for banning his concert there.
Read all about this week’s News from Berlin and Germany here.
New on theleftberlin this week, we interview Berlin-based South African Jewish artist and Palestine activist Adam Broomberg, Srijon Sinha looks at a new BBC documentary exposing Prime Minister Modi’s collaboration with the far right, Anna Southern praises Gary Lineker for taking on the British Tories and defending refugees, we publish the call to action for a demonstration against Benjamin Netanyahu’s Berlin visit, Carol van Buren explains why Berlin mayor Franziska Giffey wants a coalition with the CDU, Ramsis Kilani gives a Palestinian’s view on the new Israeli government, and Dimitra Kyrillou reports from Athens about the train crash which provoked a general strike yesterday.
And finally, a video announcing the start of the Nakba 75 campaign, organised by our Campaign of the Week. Elisa Baş speaks in the name of BIPoC against the restriction of democratic rights of freedom of opinion and assembly. Elis has been active in the climate movement for years, and is the national spokesperson of Fridays for Future Deutschland.
NOTE. Because of the increase on Friday afternoon demonstrations, most notably by Fridays for Future, we have received the request that this Newsletter go out a day earlier, so that people have enough notice of the demos they want to attend. For this reason, from next week onwards, this Newsletter will be sent out on Thursday lunchtime. Thanks to everyone who has suggested how we can improve our content resource.
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Keep on fighting
The Left Berlin Editorial Board
