AVL – Page 2 – Antifaschistische Vernetzung Lichtenberg

Speech after the desecration of the memorial stone for the Jewish community Hohenschönhausen (18.05.2021)

10 days ago we celebrated the 76th anniversary of the liberation from German fascism. This historic day in Lichtenberg was overshadowed this year by a march of so-called “Querdenker” who marched through our neighborhoods a few days earlier, spreading partly anti-Semitic conspiracy narratives. And now, a few days later, we have to look at a desecrated Jewish memorial. This shows very concretely how socially acceptable anti-Semitic hatred seems to have become, but also that it has never gone away and that anti-fascist work was, is and remains necessary at all times.

Continue reading Speech after the desecration of the memorial stone for the Jewish community Hohenschönhausen (18.05.2021)

Rally after desecration of the memorial stone of the Jewish community Hohenschönhausen

On the morning of May 17, 2021, it became known that the memorial stone in memory of the synagogue at Konrad-Wolf-Strasse 91 had been extensively damaged with green paint.
In recent days, there has been damage to buildings of Jewish life and memorial stones nationwide in response to the current conflicts in the Middle East. Therefore, an anti-Semitic act is likely in this context.
Since April 19, 2000, a memorial stone in Konrad-Wolf-Strasse has commemorated the synagogue of the “Hohenschönhausen Jewish Community”, which was an expression of Jewish life there from 1935 to 1938. The Hohenschönhausen Jewish community initially held its services in apartments until December 1934, when the first floor of a courtyard building at what was then Berliner Straße 91 could be used as a prayer and community room. The prayer room was inaugurated on December 22, 1934. After the November pogroms of 1938, the congregation had to cease its activities.
We want to set a clear sign against anti-Semitism. With a rally we want to condemn this desecration of the memorial stone.

Against all anti-Semitism!

Rally – Tuesday, 18th May 5 p.m. – Memorial Stone at Konrad-Wolf-Strasse 91, 13055 Berlin

Please note the hygiene requirements regarding Corona. Solidarity through the crisis.

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Additional thoughts to the interview in jungleworld from 11.02.2021

Interview: https://jungle.world/artikel/2021/06/die-situation-war-erdrueckend

Unfortunately, the length of the interview was quite limited, so some points that were important to us did not make it into the article. We try to give space to these thoughts at this point.
In addition, we want to emphasize that the lack of gendering is due to jungleworld’s guidelines and was not formulated by us this way.

Strategy & incompetence behind the eviction

In our opinion, there is a pattern to the gentrification of Rummelsburger Bucht. There is a systematic attempt to get rid of squatters while the district tries to avoid the associated damage to its image by concealing or sugar-coating its part in the measures. This could already be observed during the cold eviction of SabotGarden some time ago. At that time, the residents were harassed by security guards until they finally left on their own. There were spotlights shining on the tents 24/7, they were fenced in, security guards made entry checks, turned people away for no reason or patrolled the tents in the middle of the night. All commissioned by the district, as it turned out later.

Thus the catastrophic condition of the camp, which was emphasized by the responsible officials several times, was knowingly accepted for a long time. Former offers of help were gradually canceled on the grounds that the bay should not become too attractive for homeless people. We were told about removed sanitary facilities and withdrawn cold aid. They tried to make it more and more uncomfortable for the residents.

In addition, the eviction was carried out in a miserable manner. Even if one wanted to believe the good intentions of the district, this does not excuse the fact that the camp, in which a large number of people speak little or no German, was entered without translators. How were people supposed to react to your ‘great’ offer if they didn’t even know what you were up to besides kicking them out? Is it surprising that hardly anyone got on the buses in front of the door when it was not at all clear where they were going?

Strong response and participation

We were very pleased that many voices critically questioned the public statements about the eviction and met with a lot of response. Several hundred people throughout the day took the opportunity to express their solidarity with those affected in various ways, despite the icy weather. Moreover, the solidarity does not stop: on Wednesday, hundreds of people demonstrated with the affected people in front of the red city hall, and on Friday, the Berlin Homeless Assistance drives to the food distribution at the bay. Thanks to the organizers and the press representatives present, who continue to document and critically accompany the extent of this mess. Special thanks also to the courageous people who spontaneously occupied an excavator in order to prevent the destruction of the camp. If you are confronted with repression in connection with these actions, do not hesitate to contact us!

Accusations of instrumentalization

As already mentioned in the interview, we consider such accusations basically a deliberate shift of discourse in order to suppress criticism of the eviction. The aim is to claim that all demonstrators are not affected by the eviction. Former residents, who also have their say in the protests, are thus made invisible. It is obvious that especially groups that lived closely with the people from the camp or even lived there are speaking up. Representatives of trans*sexwork, the self-representation of homeless people, residents of the wagon collective Mollies, the DieselA and paramedics, who were active on the site, all criticize this eviction. In addition, the residents of the camp are denied to have a political standpoint on the gentrification of their city and to live it out in this way.

The district would probably be happy if people only talked about those affected, but not with them. It would be easier to wipe criticism off the table in that way. Probably for this reason the contact of journalists with the people who were in the airdome the day after the eviction was prevented. We are convinced that this will not work this time. This fact frightens those who are responsible, as we can see from their reaction. False statements are made, rowed back, the eviction denied and the responsibility sought in others. Because it is an election year.

The “Zapfhahn88” closes down – a chronology

Zapfhahn88 at Konrad-Wolf-Strasse 88 was considered one of the few retreats of the extreme right in Alt-Hohenschönhausen since the closure of Wearwolf Streetware in 2008 [1] right next door (89). The BFC fan pub was the venue for the monthly meetings of the Lichtenberg NPD. Already on July 8, 2011, the bar served the NPD camouflage association “Pro Berlin-Lichtenberg e. V.” as a location for their meeting [2]. A little later, about a dozen neo-Nazis around Manuela and Dietmar Tönhardt met here every second Thursday of the month, supplied themselves with NPD material and usually went off afterwards to plaster stickers or damage civil society projects in the area [3]. Around 2015, actions against refugee accommodations and solidarity projects in the neighborhood were organized and carried out from here. Neo-Nazis photographed each other giving the Hitler salute during the NPD meeting or posed masked with pyrotechnics. All this happened with the knowledge and in the presence of the landlady [4][5].
After the racist mobilizations, the NPD quickly ran out of steam in the district. The activities of the Hohenschönhausen neo-Nazis were increasingly no longer carried out in the name of the local association, as is also shown by the sticker tours that continued to take place. Now, for example, propaganda of the Identitarian movement was increasingly being stickered. What remained of the NPD meeting place was a pub that continued to function as a retreat for Neo-Nazis from Berlin, as became apparent in 2019. The neo-Nazis of the NPD’s “Schutzzonen” campaign met here after standing guard elsewhere for the “Dienstagsgespräch” (regular event of fascist Hans-Ulrich Pieper with changing location). The bar was not open at the time, the group had a key [6].

The extreme right-wing activities that originated from the location had consequences. For this reason, we want to briefly summarize the antifascist interventions that we know about:

Continue reading The “Zapfhahn88” closes down – a chronology

Rally for the Eugeniu-Botnari-Square

Today an anti-fascist rally took place in front of the Kulturhaus in Karlshorst. The occasion was the meeting of the cultural committee of the district council. A worthy commemoration of Eugeniu Botnari should be debated there. Botnari was fatally injured more than four years ago during a right-wing assault in the Lichtenberg S-Bahn station. The rally reinforced the demand that it cannot be about any form of commemoration. The naming of the southern station forecourt after Botnari alone is appropriate to the cruelty of the act. In this way a worthy sign against right-wing violence in the district can be created. To show that many people think this way, an open letter was read out during the meeting with the demand. At the same time, a list with signatures of 173 supporters was handed over to the chairperson of the cultural committee, Camilla Schuler, and the city councilor for culture, district mayor Michael Grunst. He spontaneously put himself on the list of supporters.

Continue reading Rally for the Eugeniu-Botnari-Square

Commemoration weeks in Lichtenberg, Kurt Schneider – murdered by neonazis

Commemoration for Kurt Schneider – No victim of right-wing violence is forgotten!
06.10.2020 from 5 pm in front of the city hall Lichtenberg

On the evening before (05.10.2020) at 7 pm
Information event: “The murder of Kurt Schneider”
in the Remise of Magdalenenstraße 19

On October 6, we commemorate Kurt Schneider, who was murdered on this night 21 years ago by a group of neonazis for social-chauvinist motives. We want to draw attention to the fact that right-wing attacks are often not recognized as such. In Berlin there have been at least 20 victims of racist and fascist violence since the beginning of the 1990s.

Continue reading Commemoration weeks in Lichtenberg, Kurt Schneider – murdered by neonazis

Commemorative brochures now available

Since we started the commemoration work last year on the anniversary of the murder of Kurt Schneider with the rally on October 6, we have not been idle. Encouraged by the popularity and the networking in the “Nobody is forgotten” campaign, the commemoration work for Eugeniu Botnari was also resumed.
We were fortunate to be able to network with initiatives, experts and committed people, whose experiences and expertise we put on paper together. The result is two brochures that thematically frame the memory of Eugeniu Botnari and Kurt Schneider and explain the circumstances and ideologies that led to the murders.

Continue reading Commemorative brochures now available

Commemoration weeks in Lichtenberg, Eugeniu Botnari – fatality of right wing violence

Commemoration for Eugeniu Botnari – No victim of right-wing violence is forgotten!
17.09.2020 from 5 pm in front of the train station Lichtenberg at Weitlingstraße

afterwards from 7:30 pm
Information event: “Social chauvism and fascism” (by Anne Allex)
in the shed of Magdalenenstraße 19

Termine Eugeniu Botnari

17.9.2020 marks the fourth anniversary of the deadly attack on Eugeniu Botnari. With a rally in front of the Lichtenberg train station, starting at 5 pm, we want to commemorate Botnari as a victim of right-wing violence. His death is not a sad isolated incident. It is an expression of the racist structures of devaluation that permeate the entire society. For this reason we demand that the station forecourt be named after Eugeniu Botnari. By giving back a place in public space to a victim of racist violence, the deadly consequences of right-wing ideology can be made visible.

Continue reading Commemoration weeks in Lichtenberg, Eugeniu Botnari – fatality of right wing violence

Stop right-wing terror! Demonstration in solidarity with the “Morgen wird besser”

Aufruf der AVL und der VVN-BdA: Rechtem Terror entgegentreten - gegen jeden Antisemitismus. Soli-Kundgebung für das "Morgen wir besser". 18 August- 18 Uhr Fanningerstraße Ecke Hagenstraße

In the night of Friday (14th of August) there was an attack on “Morgen wird besser”, a local pub near S+U-Lichtenberg (Fanningerstr./Hagenstr).

After closing time they broke in, destroyed furniture and put it on fire. The pub is on the ground floor of a residential building, the death of people was at least accepted by the perpetrators!

This attack terrifies us and makes us angry!
Furthermore, we do not want to stand idly by, but show solidarity with those affected and confront the fascists here in the neighborhood.

A rally will therefore take place in front of the pub on Tuesday, 6 pm.
Come in large numbers & bring your friends with you.
No place for Nazis in Lichtenberg! Stop right-wing terror!

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