Hello everyone,

This weekend the Kiek Beyond festival will be taking place. Kiek Beyond is the closest camping festival to central Berlin. Held at Kiekebusch See, around 30 minutes from Berlin-Ostkreuz. The area features lush open spaces and woodland that encircles a lake. The best way to get to Kiek Beyond Festival is by train to BER Airport (Terminals 1-2 station), and from there taking the festival shuttle bus or going by bike. The Die Linke Berlin Internationals will be organising a Küfa at the festival on Saturday. Come along and say “Hi”.

On Saturday from 7pm, there will be a Soli Fest for Café Karanfil – an anti-imperialist café in Berlin Neukölln. The aim is to ensure that Karanfil will remain the free space for artists and activists that it’s always been. Concerts, DJs and cold drinks will be waiting for you there. The festival will be at filmArche e.V., Lahnstraße 25, Neukölln. Saving Café Karanfil is also our Campaign of the Week.

On Sunday, the BUND youth group is organising the Climate & Boat demo, an action in support of green energy for all. Is climate justice important to you, and do you want to be loud for social energy provision? Are you interested in joining BUND Jugend with rafts, stand-ups, and canoes along the Spree? Then come to the river near the East Side Gallery (Warschauer Straße) at midday for the Climate & Boat demo, and protest for a social and climate-conscious energy transition in Berlin.

Also on Sunday afternoon, it’s the latest political walking tour organised by the LINKE Berlin Internationals. This month takes us through Queer Berlin. Berlin has been known as a queer capital for more than a century. In the 1920s, in the 1970s, and today, nowhere has been gayer than the Rainbow Neighborhood around Nollendorfplatz. In this Kiez, queer people established cafés, nightclubs, bookstores, and youth centers — and occupied buildings as well. We will visit the homes of Audre Lorde, Christopher Isherwood, Rosa von Praunheim, August Bebel, the Homosexual Action West Berlin, and more. The tour starts at 2pm at Nollendorfplatz, Schöneberg (in the middle of the square on the south side of the elevated station). Please register here to receive extra information on Saturday.

On Monday, the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung is organising a film screening and discussion Black faces in white? space. The film explores the dynamics and complexities of being Black in Germany and confronts the struggles of Black conflicts here. The question of colourism, sexuality, identity, pride, nationality, and colonialism assume a central part of the (narrative) plot. The film is in German and English, with English subtitles for the German parts. Entry is free, and the film will be shown at 9pm in the open air hofkino, in the Neues Deutschland building, Friedrichshain.

There are many more activities this week in Berlin, which are listed on our Events page. You can also see a shorter, but more detailed list of events which we are directly involved in here.

In News from Berlin, Potsdam is suffering the same housing crisis as Berlin, EU migration to Berlin is down to a third of its 2017 level, and Berlin’s Transport Senator is accused of plagiarising her doctoral thesis.

In News from Germany, a majority of Germans want the government to act against climate change, Germany’s industrial output is down again, and Germany’s parents suffer a massive shortage of Kita places.

Read all about it in this week’s News from Berlin and Germany.

This week on theleftberlin.com, F. Cornella explains what happened in the Spanish elections from a Catalonian perspective, Egyptian journalist Omnia Ismael reports on German collaboration with the dictator Sisi, Mediterranea Berlin introduce their work saving people drowning on Europe’s borders, and Hari Kumar remembers the dead of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In the Video of the Week, South African Jewish photographer Adam Broomberg puts his case for why he should be Berlin’s Commissioner for Antisemitism. We’ll be following Adam’s campaign more in coming weeks on theleftberlin.com.

You can follow us on the following social media:

• Instagram
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• We also support the Berlin LINKE Internationals facebook page.

If you would like to contribute any articles or have any questions or criticisms about our work, please contact us at team@theleftberlin.com. And please do encourage your friends to subscribe to this Newsletter.

Keep on fighting,

The Left Berlin Editorial Board

Hello everyone,

On Saturday at 2pm, there’s a woodland walk against the Tesla factory in Grünheide, which the electric car company run by Elon Musk wants to expand. Not on our watch, say the organisers. The factory already uses as much water as a  city of 40,000 people — at a time when climate change is making water in Brandenburg and Berlin increasingly scarce. Meanwhile, the extraction of raw materials for Tesla car batteries is destroying livelihoods in South America. The walk starts and ends at Fangschleuse station, and is organised by the Bürgerinitiative Grünheide, who are our Campaign of the Week.

Also on Saturday is the Anarchist CSD queer pride march. The big commercial CSD has barely anything to do with queer struggles any more. It’s become an advertising platform for firms and political parties, without any militant content. We won’t put up with this! The demo starts at 6.30pm at Arnswalder Platz in Prenzlauer Berg.

On Sunday, Ararat Berlin is organising its next Kiezkantine and fundraiser for the people of Artsakh. Since December, 120,000 people in Artsakh have been under siege from the Azerbaijani dictatorship: deprived of food, fuel, medications, and cut off from trade, livelihood and family. The evening of food and discussion starts at 5pm at Cafe Arakil, Hermannstrasse 86, Neukölln.

On Monday at 6pm, there is a colourful grill party against the AfD. For the third time this year, the AfD is visiting Teltow-Kleinmachnow-Stahnsdorf southwest of Berlin – this time bringing their fascist parliament member Sebastian Münzenmaier. Münzenmaier used to be a member of the extreme-right islamophobic party Die Freiheit. He has already been convicted for violence and has been responsible for racist hatred against refugees. The Netzwerk Tolerantes Teltow-Kleinmachnow-Stahnsdorf (NTTKS) is therefore organising a protest barbeque and demonstration at Teltow Marktplatz. Please bring flags, banners and placards to show him that Teltow is colourful and diverse and will stay that way! 🏳️‍🌈

Also on Monday evening, there’ll be the next planning meeting of the Die Linke Berlin Internationals. If you want to meet other international socialists in Berlin and would like to help plan future activities, please come along. From this month, the meetings will have a different format – as well as the networking and planning, there will be a political discussion. This month, Jaime Martinez Porro from Izquierda Unida Berlin will introduce a discussion on the recent Spanish elections and the state of the European far right. Jaime has also written about the election for TheLeftBerlin.com. It all takes place in Ferat Kocak’s office at Schierker Straße 26, Neukölln. The meeting starts at 7pm, and the discussion should start around 7.30pm.

There are many more activities this week in Berlin, which are listed on our Events page. You can also see a shorter, but more detailed, list of events which we are directly involved in here.

In News from Berlin, Shelby Lynn will continue to pursue Rammstein for sexual attacks on her, environmental concerns about Tesla’s factory in Grünheide, and the Berliner Senat announces a new culture fund worth nearly €1 billion.

In News from Germany, DGB boss attacks corporate profits, the AfD proudly moves even further to the right, Chancellor Scholz wants more women soldiers, and the amount of social housing in Germany falls again.

Read all about it in this week’s News from Berlin and Germany.

This week on theleftberlin.com, Israeli academic and activist Shir Hever explains why the German teachers’ union banned him from speaking about child labour, Jaime Martinez Porro looks at the recent Spanish elections and sees no breakthrough for the right but problems for the left, Ali Khan celebrates the new Barbie film, Hari Kumar argues that the Warsaw uprising was a brave but misguided act, and Phil Butland says both Barbie and Oppenheimer were ok films, but we should expect much better.

You can follow us on the following social media:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• We also support the Berlin LINKE Internationals facebook page.

If you would like to contribute any articles or have any questions or criticisms about our work, please contact us at team@theleftberlin.com. And do encourage your friends to subscribe to this Newsletter.

Keep on fighting

The Left Berlin Editorial Board

Hello everyone,

Today sees the start of the Performacula Migration-Transits-Movement Festival. What impact does migration to Berlin and the Europes have on those of us fleeing the obligatory heteronormative regime from the Americas?  The PERFORMACULA Second TRANSborder Festival of Politics and Performance proposes socio-cultural ruptures from trans, sex-disident, migrant, racialized communities. The event lasts until Sunday in New York in Bethanien and other venues in Berlin.

Tomorrow (Friday) there’s a solidarity party for the revolution in Rojava. Left wing movements are experiencing state repression and criminalisation worldwide. This evening aims at collecting donations for the Kurdish movement in Germany, while showing that we won’t let ourselves be demotivated. Our solidarity is stronger than their repression. The party starts at 7pm at Magdalenenstraße 19.

The AfD is currently being increasingly dominated by Nazis while being the second most popular political party according to recent polls. This weekend they are having their national party conference in Magdeburg, and there will be protests outside. Aufstehen gegen Rassismus is sending buses from Berlin, which will leave Alexanderplatz at 8am. Bus tickets cost €8 for the round trip (solidarity price €12) and are available at a number of venues listed here. There are stickers which you can print out here.

Also on Saturday, there will be buses going from Berlin to Szczecin Pride. Queer activists in Szczecin, Poland, are organising a Pride demonstration for the fourth time to protest against the anti-queer sentiment and policies in their country. In the face of opposition from the state, the Catholic Church and far-right movements, this takes a lot of courage, so we need to support them and show solidarity! A bus to the event is leaving Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 10am (at the BVG bus stop on Europaplatz) and goes back there in the evening.

If you can’t leave Berlin on Saturday, you can always go to the Fiesta de Solidaridad in Lichtenberger Parkaue. The fiesta promises a varied programme of cuban music and politics. It is an open-air event with a focus on Cuba/Latin America/solidarity work. There will be a stage programme with roundtable discussions and and live music as well as information booths of various solidarity and left-alternative groups. It is organised by Cuba Si who are our Campaign of the Week.

There are many more activities this week in Berlin, which are listed on our Events page. You can also see a shorter, but more detailed, list of Events which we are directly involved in here.

In News from Berlin, another re-election looks likely in Berlin – this time for the German government, Trans woman’s grave desecrated again, and retail workers in Berlin strike for higher wages.

In News from Germany, CDU leader Merz ready to cooperate with the AfD, new initiative from die LINKE for redistributing wealth, German government to subsidize the semiconductor industry, and asylum applications in Germany set to increase.

Read all about it in this week’s News from Berlin and Germany.

Finally, last month’s meeting on Palestinian solidarity and repression in Germany with Ramsy Kilani and Anna-Esther Younes is now online. The 20th of May saw Nakba day demonstrations banned in Berlin, and the one held by the Jewish Voice for Peace repressed by the police. Before the only allowed demonstration, activists came together to discuss the history of Palestinian repression in Germany, and what it means to live in a country where Palestinian solidarity is criminalized. The event is in German and was organized by the Nakba 75 campaign.

You can follow us on the following social media:

• Instagram
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• We also support the Berlin LINKE Internationals facebook page.

If you would like to contribute any articles or have any questions or criticisms about our work, please contact us at team@theleftberlin.com. And do encourage your friends to subscribe to this Newsletter.

Keep on fighting

The Left Berlin Editorial Board

Hello everyone,

This evening (Thursday), there is a rally to show internationalist Solidarity with the Resistance of the People of Palestine. The Israeli military unleashed recently another horrific attack on Palestinians, invading a Jenin refugee camp. The Zionist Israeli Regime continues for 75 years to systematically make Palestinian lives unliveable by establishing a regime of terror and creating a racial prison complex. It carries on with massacres, house demolitions, segregation and land theft. Characteristics of institutionalising an apartheid regime. The rally is at 7pm at Oranienplatz. The organisers, the Alliance of International Feminists, are our Campaign of the Week.

On Friday night at 7pm in Mahalle, Waldemarstraße 110, there will be a film screening and discussion to commemorate the Suruç Massacre. On 20 July 2015, people from different cities, with different ideologies and backgrounds were waiting to cross from Suruç to Kobane with the campaign „We Defended Together, We Build Together“ with the call of SGDF (Socialist Youth Associations Federation). Our friends, comrades, and loved ones were subjected to a suicide bomb attack by the Islamist ISIS gang while they were making their press statements. The event will take place in English and the documentary will be in Turkish with English subtitles.

July is Berlin’s Pride Month, and this week is probably the most eventful. Choose from the following:

• Berlin Canal Pride, starting at 5:30pm this evening at various points along the river Spree.
• A Revolutionary Berlin Walking tour on Queer Berlin, also tonight at 5:30pm at Nollendorf Platz. If you miss the tour this evening, the guide Nathaniel will be doing the same tour for the Berlin LINKE Internationals next month.
• Dyke* March Berlin starting tomorrow at 6pm outside the Festsaal Kreuzberg
• The official Berlin CSD demo, on Saturday at midday at the corner of Leipziger Straße and Spittelmarkt.
• The Internationalist Queer Pride march on Saturday at 5pm at Hermannplatz.

If you can only make one event for Pride Month, we very much recommend the Internationalist Queer Pride, which was started few years ago in response to a Pride march excluding Palestinians and their supporters. The organisers of Internationalist Queer Pride describes themselves as “precious & beloved communities of radical, anti-colonial, anti-racist, and anti-capitalist queers; and our dear allies”. This year’s IQPB was organised by a web of individuals and groups: Berlin Against Pinkwashing, FACQ Berlin, Group Seiba, QUARC Berlin, Bloque Latinoamericano, Berlin Migrant Strikers, Jewish Bund, Kali Feminists, and Migrantifa Berlin.

On Sunday at 3pm, there is a memorial rally for Beate Fischer. On 23rd July 1994, Beate, a 32-year old mother of 2, was brutally raped, tortured and murdered by three young fascists. The rally will be at Emmentaler Straße 97, where the murder took place, near U-Bahn Rezidenzstraße. It promises to be a loud rally against fascist and patriarchal violence. No-one is forgotten!

There are many more activities this week in Berlin, which are listed on our Events page. You can also see a shorter, but more detailed, list of Events which we are directly involved in here.

In News from Berlin, following violence against employees, there will now be a mandatory ID test at Berlin swimming pools, and Tesla wants to build a million vehicles per year.

In News from Germany, following rape allegations against singer Till Lindemann, a second member of Rammstein is accused of sexual assault, racist teachers in Burg must leave their school, a majority is for restricting advertising of sweets. increased criminalisation of Last Generation activists, and working from home soars in Germany.

Read all about this week’s News from Berlin and Germany here.

New on theleftberlin this week, Nancy duPlessis discusses where next?, after the Experts’ Commission rules the Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignen referendum to be legal and feasible.

You can follow us on the following social media:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• We also support the Berlin LINKE Internationals facebook page.

If you would like to contribute any articles or have any questions or criticisms about our work, please contact us at team@theleftberlin.com. And do encourage your friends to subscribe to this Newsletter.

Keep on fighting

The Left Berlin Editorial Board

Hello everyone,

A two-week-long exhibition called We are the Seeds began this week. This exhibition by contemporary Myanmar artists, looks at the Art of Myanmar’s Spring Revolution. There are a number of extra events as part of the exhibition; which includes a discussion on Myanmar’s Spring Revolution: Is history merely repeating itself? on Monday, and a 2-part performance called “With a Lantern of Hope: The Experience of Exile” on Tuesday and Wednesday. The exhibition and events take place in the daadgalerie, Oranienstraße 161.

On Friday from 5pm in Bilgisaray (Oranienstraße 45), the Berlin LINKE Internationals are organising their latest Küfa – an evening of food, networking and political discussion.  As ever, the food is free, but donations will be collected for a political organisations. As we approach Pride season, this month’s collection will be for Queer Trans Mutual Aid Berlin, who support Trans* Inter* and non-binary people in Berlin with self-defence, fundraising, help and questions around medical transition, gender affirming clothing, cooking, translation, bureaucracy, looking after pets and children, accompanying people to government buildings or shopping, and much more. Queer Trans Mutual Aid Berlin is our Campaign of the Week.

On Saturday at 2pm, there’s a rally in front of the Rotes Rathaus under the title Nothing expected, nonetheless disappointed. BerlinZusammen organised the rally against the coalition of regression and their agenda of cuts in Berlin. The planned budget cuts by the new ruling coalition affect above all those who are in the most difficult situations. From stopping the building of cycle lanes to plans to build on Tempelhofer Feld and half-hearted engagement in carrying out the DWE referendum, it is clear which regressive plans this Grand Coalition have for our city. They must not be allowed to realise these plans.

Also on Saturday afternoon, there are protests against the evening’s concert by Rammstein. Rammstein’s singer Till Lindemann has been accused by a number of people of abuse and physical mistreatment. These accusations paint a picture of systematic abuse of power and sexual violence. This is why a demonstration has been organised against misogyny and the music industry which is dominated by men who wilfully abuse people as mere sex objects. The demonstration starts at 2:30pm at Theodor-Heuß Platz, taking place at the Olympistadion where there will be a rally with music.

On Sunday, its the monthly Berlin LINKE Internationals walking tour. This month, we’ll be walking through radical Neukölln. Neukölln started out as a village named Rixdorf. It quickly grew into a massive workers’ district — one of Berlin’s reddest neighbourhoods. When the revolution began in November 1918, a workers’ and soldiers’ council took over Neukölln’s City Hall. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Nazis faced massive resistance here. The tour starts at 2pm in front of the Geschwister Nothaft Café at Schwarzastraße 9, opposite S-Bhf Sonnenallee. It will be over by 4:30pm. If you register here, you will be sent more information on Saturday.

There are many more activities this week in Berlin, which are listed on our Events page. You can also see a shorter, but more detailed, list of Events which we are directly involved in here.

In News from Berlin, the racially insensitive Mohrenstraße is finally renamed.

In News from Germany, the rate of inflation in Germany is rising again, AfD man is allowed to remain a district administrator in Thüringen, a new hospital reform package is introduced, over 8,000 people died from heat in Germany, Germany is sending €700 million worth of weapons to Ukraine, and low income families set to lose out from new marriage law.

Read all about this week’s News from Berlin and Germany here.

New on theleftberlin this week, we publish Majda’s speech from the Nakba 75 demonstration in May.

Majda also pops up in our radio prograame of the week. Radio Berlin International looks at Nakba Day, and interviews Palestinian Berliners Majda and Qassem. Radio Berlin International is now on its Summer holidays, and will be back in the Autumn,

You can follow us on the following social media:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• We also support the Berlin LINKE Internationals facebook page.

If you would like to contribute any articles or have any questions or criticisms about our work, please contact us at team@theleftberlin.com. And do encourage your friends to subscribe to this Newsletter.

Keep on fighting

The Left Berlin Editorial Board