The trial was supposed to last until the evening. But on Tuesday, Baki Devrimkaya emerged from Berlin’s Regional Court before noon, where he was greeted by dozens of supporters with banners and chants. The case had been dismissed—resulting in neither a guilty nor a not guilty verdict. Instead, the charges will disappear in exchange for a €450 donation to medico international, an NGO that opposes the genocide in Gaza.
Back in December 2023, Baki had been a steward at a pro-Palestinian protest at the Free University of Berlin. Right-wing agitators attempted to disrupt the event by destroying posters featuring images of murdered Palestinian children, insulting students as “Nazis,” and physically attacking stewards. Multiple videos show Baki standing in front of these bullies, remaining peaceful even as they shoved him.
Absurdly, Baki was charged with “assault” and “insult.” At a first trial last June, these charges had to be dropped as the evidence showed the opposite: Baki was the one being assaulted and insulted. Instead, the judge convicted Baki of “coercion” for standing in front of a person with outstretched arms for about 50 seconds. He was sentenced to a €450 fine. This would create a dangerous and bizarre legal precedent, potentially criminalizing every form of stewarding at left-wing events.
Baki appealed the charges, and yesterday his three lawyers were able to get the coercion charge dropped as well. The right-wing paper Tagespiegel is lying when it claims in a headline that Baki was sentenced to a fine—there was no determination of guilt.
Growing Repression
In the morning, 50 people demonstrated opposite the courthouse. In the afternoon, over 70 joined another rally—a protest turned into a victory rally. This included students and workers from the Free University as well as activists from Klasse Gegen Klasse, Linksjugend-Solid, BDS FU, Waffen der Kritik, Mera25, the Revolutionary Socialist Organization, Spartakist, and other groups.
Numerous police vans were positioned outside the court, forcing demonstrators onto the other side of the road. Defense lawyer Timo Winter pointed out: “Passers by will have to wonder: is this a case involving dangerous criminals?” But no—it was an attempt to criminalize political protests at a university.
Baki’s trial is part of increasing repression at Berlin universities, not just against Palestine solidarity, but against all kinds of left-wing politics—universities even banned assemblies against the AfD! That’s why this legal case was so important. Baki could have paid the fine last year, but thanks to the solidarity of hundreds of activists from around the world, he was able to beat back the repression. As defense lawyer Lennart Wolgast pointed out in a speech, this appeal couldn’t have taken place without all the moral and financial support.
Legal and Legitimate
Baki is a nurse trainee who was born and raised in Germany but doesn’t have a German passport. A conviction would have made it more difficult to get basic citizenship rights. His peaceful defense of a peaceful protest was both legal and legitimate. “In other circumstances, the press would have called this civil courage,” he said.
This case was ultimately not about him. There are over 71,000 confirmed dead in Gaza, and countless more still buried beneath the rubble. The German government has supported this genocide with hundreds of millions of euros, and is trying to ban any opposition.
A big majority of people in Germany believe that Israel is committing genocide. The government’s “reason of state,” which means unconditional support for Zionist colonialism, is extremely unpopular. That is why they need so much repression: to prevent the majority from expressing its opinions.
But resistance is growing against the militaristic and authoritarian turn. School students went on strike against conscription last December, and will strike again on March 5. Baki’s refusal to accept repression makes it easier for young people to protest.
Jewish Students
Prosecutors accused Baki of antisemitism, because one of the bullies he blocked was a Jewish student. This ignores the fact that numerous Jewish students had been part of the pro-Palestine protest. HP Loveshaft, for example, was shoved by these same pro-Israel thugs. In a joint video, Baki and HP expressed their mutual solidarity.
The same day, but a few dozen kilometers away in Potsdam, HP was also on trial for his solidarity with Palestine, with several dozen supporters outside the court. This is yet another case of the German state attacking Jews in the name of “fighting antisemitism”! HP’s trial was postponed because witnesses for the prosecution hadn’t shown up.
At the solidarity rally for Baki, supporters played an old Jewish workers song, Oy Ir Narishe Tsienistn, in a multilingual version by Daniel Kahn and Psoy Korolenko. The German state claims that its support for Israel is about “protecting Jewish life.” This song is a reminder of the long traditions of left-wing Jewish anti-Zionism, which is experiencing a massive resurgence in the face of Israel’s genocide.
Red Flag is a weekly opinion column on Berlin politics that Nathaniel has been writing since 2020. After moving through different homes, it now appears at The Left Berlin.
