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.
In light of the anti-Semitic riots in Berlin in recent weeks, it is easy to point the finger at certain groups and want to blame them.
We also do not want to deny that it is obvious that this act can be connected to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which does not make it any less anti-Semitic.
But what must not be forgotten is that Lichtenberg has a neo-Nazi problem, and not just since yesterday.
Neo-Nazis who profit doubly from people now getting carried away to respond to anti-Semitic attacks with racism.
Neo-Nazis who have been responsible for attacks on people, homes and institutions of migrants, Jewish people and political opponents since the nineties.
Neo-Nazis, who less than a year ago probably set fire to the bar of a Jewish owner in Fanninger Straße.
We also want to remember that every year we put our candles and flowers at this place and they are amazingly regularly desecrated in some way or disposed of on the street. Even before this desecration, the plaque has seen quite a bit.
How could it be otherwise, it is located right next to the recently closed Nazi pub “Zapfhahn88″. For years, NPD regulars’ tables were held here and racist marches such as the one in front of the nearby refugee accommodation were planned. From here, places in the neighborhood that were committed to solidarity and were therefore repugnant to the fascists were also attacked. Wearwolf” has also survived the board, a neo-Nazi clothing store in Konrad-Wolf-Str. 89, which antifa-sei-dank had to close down several years ago.
It is easy to see that the problem is not new. The structures in Hohenschönhausen may become fewer with time, but the clientele still lives here and the ideology remains unchanged. The figures from the Lichtenberg registry alone testify to this, and they have been constantly outstripping each other for years. Last year alone, hundreds of swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans were painted on residential buildings and public institutions throughout the district. Some of them seemed to be specifically directed at supposedly Jewish residents.We will not stand up and claim to know from which corner this attack comes. The acute anti-Semitic threat to which Jewish people are exposed by Islamist groups and their sympathizers, whether in the Diaspora or in Israel, must not be denied. However, we would like to point out who would play into the hands if Jewish and Muslim life were played off against each other through hasty framing. For right-wing agitators such incidents are very convenient. Once Springer & Co. think they have identified the culprits, they are often quick to create a mood with supposed immediate solutions, i.e. racist repression. Cautious lip service against anti-Semitism turns into collective deportations, bans on headscarves and tightening of asylum laws. The fact that this also applies to the Red-Red-Green Berlin is no longer newsworthy, because the deportation practice here has not improved one bit. What does not follow, however, is security for Jewish life in Germany, for that would require admitting that the home-grown anti-Semitism problem never went away.
This leaves only one logical conclusion for us: Against ANY anti-Semitism!