The Left Berlin Summer Camp will take place on 12th – 13th September in Naturfreundehaus Hermsdorf on the edge of Berlin. Summer Camp is an annual event where international activists and organisations based in or around Berlin get together to plan how we can change the world.
This includes podium discussions on Germany and Palestine, and the international fight against the far right, there will be workshops on everything from organising your workplace to Iran. There will also be food and drink, a culture programme and overnight accommodation.
This article aims to let you know what you can expect. We start with a summary of the workshops and keynote discussions in the words of the people and groups who are organising them, before getting into some more basic information about how to get there, accommodation, food etc.
Saturday, 12th September, 2pm: Workshops
We start with a set of 3 parallel workshops, which each lasts 90 minutes. After the workshops there will be plenty of time to discover the camp area and to get to know the people with whom you will be spending the week-end.
Workshop 1: Update on the “show” trial against the Ulm5
Organisers: Komitee für Grundrechte & Demokratie and Palestine on Trial
This workshop wants to make room for conversation about the trial against Ulm5. After a general introduction to what has happened in the last few months, we will discuss different aspects: What are the legal and political conditions of the trial in Stuttgart-Stammheim? How have the five prisoners been treated by the court? What do the defendants and their lawyers do to talk about the genocide in Gaza to get more (media) attention and also as a justifying reason for their sabotage actions?
Workshop 2: Alternative Solutions for Affordable Housing
Organisers: Architects for Tempelhofer Feld
This workshop is centred around how to design social infrastructure, and what lessons could be taken from Tempelhofer Feld and applied to other infrastructures – such as housing, electricity, etc.
Workshop 3: Don’t be afraid of the State – be the anti-State
Organisers: ABC
This workshop, by a new group which is still in formation, questions whether the right-wing promise with “no crime and clean streets” actually keeps us safe, or just gives us more police and more violence. We’ll look at how alternative ideas about security – rooted in community care rather than punishment – offer a very different path forward.”
Saturday, 12th September, 5.15pm: Introducing The Left Berlin Newsletter and social media
Every year at Summer Camp, we like to give an overview of one aspect of recent developments in The Left Berlin. This year, we want to concentrate on our Newsletter and social media. With over 4,600 subscribers to our weekly Newsletter, and nearly 20,000 followers on Instagram, these have been big growth areas for The Left Berlin this year.
We’ll be explaining what we’ve been doing and how you can help. There’ll be plenty of time for you to ask questions and make suggestions for how we can improve.
Saturday, 12th September, 6pm: Keynote Discussion – What does Palestine solidarity look like today?
At 6pm on Saturday, there will be a discussion with:
– Hüseyin Dogru. journalist
– Hannah Bruns, Die LINKE BAG Palästina
– Nora Ragab. Palästina Spricht, Palestinian Feminist Archive
about the current tasks and challenges for Palestine activists in Germany.
Just 12 months ago, Germany had its largest ever demonstration for Palestine, when 150,000 people marched in Berlin. 6 days later, a “ceasefire” was announced. Israel has continued to kill Palestinians, in Gaza and elsewhere, but the ceasefire has had a demobilising effect on the Palestine movement.
Meanwhile, in Germany, the repression continues, not least in the case of the Ulm5 who are facing heavy prison sentences as a result of a non-violent action against Elbit’s weapon factory in Ulm.
Is it possible to maintain a mass movement for Palestine in Germany? How can we reach the people who demonstrated one year ago? What can we do now? Join in this discussion with our panel of activists.
Saturday, 12th September from 8.30pm: Culture programme
Following an evening meal, there will be a culture programme.
In a world premier, German-Lebanese artist Jara Nassar will read from the transcript from her forthcoming puppet show about the Ulm5.
And Jacinta Nandi (author of WTF Berlin, Single Mom Supper Club and others), will be performing spoken word readings. Expect a Bechdel Test quiz.
Sunday, 13th September, 11am: Workshops
Following breakfast at 10am, there will be a second round of parallel workshops at 11am on Sunday.
Workshop 4: Setting up secure networks for demos
Organisers: The Left Berlin
In our modern world, how do you organize with the ever present threat of surveillance and tracking? How do you organize if the networks we all rely on go down, either through natural or man made means? This workshop centers around using open source software to build resilient, flexible networks that anyone can use to make their own parallel systems of communication.
Workshop 5: US-Israeli war on Iran and the Left’s response
Organisers: Hands Off Iran (Berlin)
The US-Israeli war on Iran is a clearly imperialist war of aggression. Nevertheless, the Left and in general progressives have reacted with far less clarity and firmness. This workshop will review the events of the past 15 months on the ground as well as the reaction of various leftist groups around the world, particularly in Berlin.
It is the view of the organizers that progressives have generally failed to respond to this blatantly imperialist war of aggression in a principled and adequate manner and in full solidarity with a nation’s fight for self-determination.
Workshop 6: Hold German Press accountable
Organisers: de:presse
German media is notorious for finding “clever” ways to distort reality and facts. But you don’t have to remain helpless! We at de:presse are holding a hands-on workshop on how you can fight back and render their practices unsustainable. We will cover the German media scene, their practices and will end with a hands-on media complaint workshop. Come along and hold the media accountable!
Sunday, 13th September, 1.30pm: Workshops
Following Sunday lunch, there will be a final set of parallel workshops followed by another keynote panel discussion.
Workshop 7: Organising migrant workers
Organisers: Lieferando Workers Collective
Working conditions in food delivery companies are getting worse. Riders are afraid of complaining against working conditions, wage theft, blackmailing and systematic exploitation by the food delivery companies. Lieferando Works council is the only food delivery works council in Berlin.
The subcontractor system makes it difficult for people to get organised. Couriers are an isolated community within our society. We need support from civil society to fight against this discriminative and racist system which not only exploits migrant workers, but also sets the grounds for financial crimes. There are serious threats about data protection and safety. We just can’t ignore this matter and let the politicians deal with that. It affects all of us as a society.
Workshop 8: Weapons Production in Germany
Organisers: Berliner Bündnis gegen Waffenproduktion
This workshop starts with a brief introduction of militarisation in Germany today, then provides more information about the Pierburg factory – what it was beforehand and its current role as a weapons factory – and how local residents are reacting to this change. Finally it will address what anti-militarist activists in Berlin are currently doing, and what you can do.
Artwashing, Warwashing & Media Diplomacy
Organisers: Artwash Atlas
This workshop wants to look at how art, culture and media become connected to economic and state lobby influence, money, institutions and narratives around war. Working with real media and cultural cases, we will approach these connections from a journalistic perspective: who is involved, how relationships are formed, how a story is framed, what is visible or missing, and what can actually be documented and verified.
We will also look at the connection between artwashing, warwashing and media diplomacy. Depending on the flow of the conversation and the interests of the participants, we will work out a practical field guide for investigating these relationships and navigating cultural and media influence. We will then edit the material into a small zine/handbook on warwash/artwash/media diplomacy afterwards — or follow another useful format if the conversation takes us in a different direction.
Sunday, 13th September, 3.30pm: Keynote Discussion – Fighting the Far Right in Europe
The AfD is now the most popular political party in Germany, and looks set to make major gains in elections in Eastern Germany in September. After the elections in Sachsen-Anhalt, for the first time since Hitler, a far right party controls a region of Germany. Part of the AfD programme is Remigration – the forced deportation of millions of people. It is becoming increasingly clear that the AfD is a Fascist party.
Meanwhile, in France Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National is gaining strength, and the UK recently saw a Nazi demonstration of 100,000 people. The far right is profiting from capitalist austerity, and they are a danger to us all.
Why is the far right on the rise? Is it inevitable that they will continue to gain strength? Most importantly, what can we do to stop them? Join anti-racist activists from Germany, France, and the UK to discuss how we can concretely organise against the new Nazis.
Further Information
How to Get There
The Naturfreundehaus Hermsdorf is at Seebadstraße 27 in Berlin Zone B. If you have an AB travel card, there are no extra costs. The best way to get there is to get the U-Bahn or S-Bahn to Wittenau, then to get the 220 Bus to Almutstraße. If you don’t want to travel on your own, we will be travelling together on Saturday afternoon.
We’ll be meeting at Alexanderplatz U-Bahn station on the U8 Northbound (Wittenau) platform at the front of the train. We will be getting the 12.48 train (don’t be late) and getting off at Wittenau.
Food
Vegetarian and vegan food will be provided for breakfast and lunch on Sunday. On Saturday evening we will order pizza and Vietnamese food from local restaurants and ask attendees to pay for their order.
Please fill in this form to let us know of any further dietary requirements or let us know if you’ll be arriving late and want us to order something for you. Please also say which meals you need, so we order enough for everyone.
Accommodation
The Naturfreundehaus Hermsdorf has beds where you can stay overnight. If you have not ordered bedding already, please bring a sleeping bag and a pillow. Please fill in the form listed above to let us know whether you would prefer to stay in a mixed or single sex room.
If you would rather sleep in your own bed, buses run through the night. Just make sure you’re back in time for breakfast at 10am and/or the first workshop at 11am on Sunday morning.
Payment
In previous years, Die Linke has paid for Summer Camp, which meant that we could offer free participation. However, following discussion at two successive Summer Camps, we made the decision to break from Die Linke, as we felt their position on Palestine is incompatible with our values.
This means that we are having to find alternative sources of funding, and are asking those who can afford it to contribute between €10 and €50. No-one will be turned away because they can’t afford it. We hope that you understand.
Children
Children are always welcome at Summer Camp. To help us plan please use the above form to let us know the number of children you’ll be bringing, their age, and whether you intend to stay overnight. We would also appreciate it if some participants could help engage with the visiting children who are, after all, our future.
Registration
You can register for Summer Camp here.
And a final reminder to fill in this form to help us organise the accommodation and food.
