Hello everyone,
This evening (Thursday), at 7pm, Clifton West, founder of Black Lives Matter Seacoast will be speaking on Black US Americans and Palestinians: Two united fights of liberation. From leading figures in the civil rights movement in the 1960s like Malcolm X and Angela Davis, to Black Lives Matter activists and Black athletes, Black US Americans have supported the Palestinian civil rights movement. Clifton will be giving a more clear look at this alliance – why it happened, where it stands today – given the actual political situation in the USA, and the fight against racism there. Clifton will be speaking in English, and the meeting will be in the Neues Deutschland building, Franz-Mehring Platz 1.
Tomorrow is the International Day of Nursing, where several actions are being organised. The central action is a Demonstration of young and other healthcare workers. It assembles at Invalidenpark at 3:30pm and will form a human chain around the health ministry. The demo must be fun. DJs and bands will be present from the start. Come together in solidarity to demonstrate loudly and to show that a better system is possible. All actions are being organised by Walk of Care, who are our Campaign of the Week.
Tomorrow evening, at 6pm, Podemos Berlin is organising a meeting with Spanish residents in Berlin with Rafa Mayoral Member of Congress. Secretary of Horizonte Republicano y Profundización Democrática de of Podemos. Rafa will be talking about the achievements of the first progressive Spanish government in history. The meeting will be at Mehringhof, Gneisenaustr 2a and will be in Spanish.
Also tomorrow evening, there is a Film premiere: The Radicals: Commons and the Housing Crisis in Berlin. The short film will be followed by a group discussion that will look at how the Right to the City & Housing activism are enduring in the aftermaths of the DWE referendum, and open a conversation on how to build local power and allyship in the face of the new political conservative context of Berlin. It’s at Spreefeld, and will start at 6:30pm. Keep an eye out for an interview with the director on theleftberlin.com, coming soon!
Friday is a very busy evening. You can also go to a book presentation: No Politics but Class Politics. Denouncing racism and celebrating diversity have become central to progressive politics. For many on the left, social justice seems to consist of an equitable distribution of wealth, power and esteem among racial groups. But as Adolph Reed Jr. and Walter Benn Michaels argue, the emphasis on discrimination is misplaced. Not only does the focus on the gap between white and black leave the gap between rich and poor untouched, it actually works to legitimate it. Reed and Michaels make the case for a genuinely egalitarian politics: a politics which aspires not to the establishment of a demographically representative elite, but to economic justice for everyone. Come and hear them at Hopscotch Reading Rooms, Kurfurstenstraße 14, at 7pm.
Monday is the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland. Last year, all demonstrations in Berlin on Nakba Day were banned. This may happen again this year. For this reason, Nakba 75 have called an action on Monday: They Ban, We Dabke (based on the Palestinian Dabke dance). You are invited to gather 5 people or more, go to any public space, wear black, green, red and white, bring a soundbox to play Dabke music, hang out and Dabke, and be visible! Ensure that Berlin remembers the Nakba. Nakba 75 have also called a demonstration on Saturday, 20th May – 4pm at Hermannplatz. This demo has not been banned (yet!). More information in next week’s Newsletter.
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.
Book now for accommodation and food for Summer Camp
A mail will be sent out this week-end to everyone who has registered. If you have any questions, please contact the Summer Camp organisers at lag.internationals@die-linke-berlin.de.
In News from Berlin, the Aquadom will not be rebuilt, and news of a Zelenskyy visit to Berlin was leaked.
In News from Germany, judges rule that CDU politician was wrong to call a Jewish woman an antisemite, Baerbock sees no problem in moving the Benin bronzes, national shortage of 378,000 day care places, Germany eats less meat, and States demand more money for looking after refugees.
Read all about this week’s News from Berlin and Germany here.
New on theleftberlin this week, Ali Khan looks at recent political developments in Pakistan, Laura Miles takes a balance of Trans Rights in the UK, Sudan Uprising appeal to the German government to help the hundreds of people trapped in Sudan because their passports are being processed, and Shuruq Josting looks at the implications of increased arms trade between Israel and Africa.
You can follow us on the following social media:
- 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
