On Sunday, 6th September, the AfD won elections in Sachsen-Anhalt, making it exceedingly likely that Nazis would control a German state for the first time since the death of Adolf Hitle. Two days later, the Ruhrbarone, an ultra-German website, published an article which claimed to expose the real threat of antisemitism in Germany – the Left Party (Die Linke) in general, and The Left Berlin Summer Camp in particular.
Under the headline “Die Linke Berlin: Antisemitism in tow, the leisure program is set,” the article expressed outrage at the following:
Hannah Bruns (whose name the article misspells) has publicly said that the liberation of Palestine will end when Tel Aviv is once more in the hands of the Palestinians. Hannah will speak at Summer Camp in a panel discussion on Palestine solidarity.
Hüseyin Dogru, who will also take part in the panel discussion, has celebrated Palestinian resistance. Hüseyin has been sanctioned by the German state, which closed the bank accounts of both him and his wife.
Nora Ragab, the third speaker on the panel, has charged government ministers Olaf Scholz and Annalena Baerbock with complicity in genocide, also writing an article which argues that Germany’s handling of Palestinian protests is a historical act of suppression.
As The Left Berlin, we are proud to be able to hold a discussion with speakers as qualified as Hannah, Hüseyin, and Nora. After three years of genocide, we need to keep up the pressure on Israel and the German state.
We may not agree with every position which each speaker takes. There is an ongoing argument about the role played by die Linke. Just last week, die Linke organised a concert where rapper Dahabflex called for “Death, Death to the IDF” and “Yalla, Yalla Intifada”. Mayoral candidate Elif Eralp said that she was “appalled,” and called for repercussions.
Even the joint leader of Die Linke Neukölln, Hermann Nehls, offered abject apologies, saying: “The song was not part of the artistic program previously agreed upon with us and was performed spontaneously at the end of the event.” These are weasel words.
As an activist fighting genocide and occupation, I support anyone opposing the murderous Israeli army, which has murdered tens of thousands of Palestinian children. Similarly, I repeat the call for Intifada – an uprising for Palestinian self-determination.
I am looking forward to discussing with Hannah the contradictions within her party. I may have missed something, but I did not see any representative of die Linke in Neukölln defending Dahabflex even though the local party contains many courageous fighters for Palestinian rights. I can only guess that in the run-up to an election, some things are better not said.
I believe that all three speakers have made a meaningful contribution to building the solidarity movement in Germany, and are an important part of the debate as to how we can bring this movement forward. We can only build an effective movement by openly discussing both our differences, and what brings us together.
We have now experienced three years of genocide, and an increase in repression, but demonstrations for Palestine remain relatively small. This is why I am looking forward to hearing the different perspectives from Hannah, Hüseyin, and Nora as to how we can turn the majority of Germans who oppose Israel to effective action for Palestinian liberation.
The purpose of the Ruhrbarone article is less to attack The Left Berlin, but to discredit Die Linke in the coming Berlin elections. At the foot of the article are links to 10 articles which “prove” the prevalence of antisemitism in the party. But we will not let ourselves be dictated to about racism by people who cheer on a genocidal state.
Regarding the Summer Camp, the Ruhrbarone article does say: “The two-day camp is conceived as a networking event for international activists. Alongside issues such as housing, labour struggles, and the fight against the far right.” I thank them for this promotion and really do believe that Summer Camp will play an important role in the development of an international Left in Berlin.
I hope that our workshop speakers – from Architects for Tempelhofer Feld, Hands Off Iran (Berlin), de:presse, Lieferando Workers Collective, the Berlin Alliance Against Weapons Production, Artwash Alliance, and many others – agree with us. I am looking forward to a series of productive discussions about a wide variety of subjects.
Above all, I am excited that we can offer more than one contribution from supporters of the Ulm5. The Ruhrbarone may be appalled that “One workshop already characterizes the criminal trial of the ‘Ulm 5’ as a ‘show trial.’” But I am proud that our website has been covering this gross injustice carried out by the German legal system from the very start.
As well as the workshop, where activists from the Committee for Fundamental Rights and Democracy will bring you up to date on the Ulm5 case and let you know how you can concretely support them, German-Lebanese artist Jara Nassar will be reading from the transcript of her forthcoming puppet show about the Ulm5.
Let us finish with where we started. Europe faces a massive fascist threat – from Rassemblement National in France, from Tommy Robinson’s street thugs in Great Britain, and from the AfD in Germany. These neo-Nazis are racist and Islamophobic, but they are also antisemitic. Summer Camp will end with a panel discussion with activists from different countries about how we can stop the fascist and racist threat.
The Ruhrbarone rightly describes this as a “Summer Camp with explosive materials.” Indeed Summer Camp does offer a clear alternative to the discredited Antideutsch strategy of confronting anyone except actual Nazis. I hope that it can play a role in bringing together an international movement against all forms of racism, including anti-Palestinian racism.
There’s still time to sign up. Register here, or just come along. We’re sure we can find space for you.
