This is the fourth of our series of weekly court reports. You can read all the Repression in Berlin articles here.
This week’s column features the case of Baki Devrimkaya, an activist organized with Klasse gegen Klasse, who stood trial on February 10th for his pro-Palestine solidarity.
Baki served as a steward during a lecture hall occupation at the Freie Universität Berlin in December 2023. A group of right-wing agitators tried to derail the gathering by physically assaulting stewards, calling student protesters “Nazis,” and destroying photos of murdered Palestinian children. Baki was thereafter charged with assault, ”insult,” and “coercion” for allegedly preventing these disruptors from entering the occupied lecture hall.
After the protest, Baki became “the subject of a right-wing smear campaign, leading to death threats in social media and even intimidation on the street,” Nathaniel Flakin writes.
On February 10th, all three charges against Baki were dropped in exchange for a €450 donation to NGO medico international. Klasse gegen Klasse organized a rally in front of the courthouse, joined by over 70 comrades from different groups, which soon turned into a celebration after the verdict was announced.
Baki’s attorney Timo Winter remarked on the length of the proceedings, stating (translated from German): “We do not know for certain, but it can be assumed that the state of Berlin, the Ministry of Justice, has issued an instruction to pursue the repression of Palestine to the very end. This is something we are observing more and more, and we are concerned about the rights of freedom of assembly and freedom of expression, especially when it comes to Palestine.”
One of many, the case against Baki raises increasing concerns about the repression of pro-Palestinian activism and solidarity.
