#WORLD #WORLDWIDE #GERMANY #ANARCHISM #News #Journal #Update - (en) #Germany, FAU, direkte aktion: ASYLTIC SELF-ORGANIZATION - A field report: between canned beer and workers' solidarity By: Jona Larkin White (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

 It's market day at Sylt's town hall square. The sun is shining, the seagulls are

screeching, a beekeeper is offering fresh honey, the coffee prices from the
corner shop are high and a punk is running through the shopping flaneurs with the
sign "I'm a punk, get me out of here. Lost my 9 euro ticket". His hair is as
colorful as a rainbow, the people are friendly and generous. Could there be a
nicer vacation or activism? ---- LIVED BASIC DEMOCRACY ON SYLT ---- The days of
friction in the shopping street in front of the Rossmann on Westerland seem to be
over. Since the end of July, the registered protest camp "Asyltziale Anti-Army
Fraction" has been set up in the Kurpark, a small green area right on Sylt's town
hall square, with an additional FLINTA tent area a few streets away. Of course,
these punks with their colorful hair, tattoos and piercings (!) are not well
received by everyone on Sylt. An elderly lady stands horrified a few yards away
and folds her army across her chest. "And now we also have to pay for the
destroyed plants." Unfortunately, she didn't speak loud enough for more people to
hear her. Otherwise someone would probably have explained to her that it was
already discussed at the plenum that the protest camp had promised to pay for new
seeds after departure.

Actually, I just wanted to go to Sylt to drink a lot of canned beer. But just
like dozens of other punks, I am surprised and enthusiastic about the activist
mood and well-functioning self-organization. On my first evening, a punk in an
elephant costume approached me and explained the camp rules to me in detail and
enthusiastically: no violence, no sexism, no pegs because of the risk of injury,
night rest between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., rubbish in the rubbish bins, deposit in
the shopping trolleys. If I want, I can take part in the open plenum, help fetch
water and in the morning there is breakfast on a donation basis, because punks
also need a breakfast basis. Elefant is the lost property, water and edding
officer. He has been with us on Sylt since the beginning of June and is
considering staying there even after the 9-euro ticket has expired.

The camp has also established several mandates for security, public relations and
art. The KüFA also works well and there is a plenary session every day around
noon. Care is taken to sit where people do not disturb the citizens too much. The
camp offers a meeting place between altpunks and activists - for example from
Fridays for Future, whose own camp registration unfortunately did not go through
and who are welcome at the punks. The lived anarchy of the perhaps not so
different groups comes together in their grassroots democratic understanding.

FOR BETTER WORKING CONDITIONS, TAX JUSTICE AND VIKINGS
A lantern on the town hall forecourt adorns a jointly created cardboard sign with
brainstormed demands. The first three are "more playgrounds, car-free, free beer"
and give a fitting impression of the people-friendly, climate-activist and
cheerful atmosphere at the protest camp. In the meantime, the punks seem to agree
that people are not just there to go on vacation. One of their main demands are
better conditions for the workers on Sylt, for example through a statutory bonus
payment lump sum to compensate for the high cost of living on Sylt. The high
rents and vacancies mean the greatest reduction in living standards on Sylt, and
not only for workers. One of the mandated people for public relations reports to me:

Most of Sylt only exists here because of the workers and it is unacceptable that
some of them live in converted garages, which are extremely expensive and some of
them do not even have sanitary facilities. We have met many residents there. The
way they live... that would never happen on the mainland.

One way to achieve this would be a higher tax payment benefit for households that
have their second home on Sylt. Furthermore, the campers criticize the cost of
the tourist tax for residents and the homeless, the privatization of actually
public areas such as garbage disposal and the hospital, which is not even
equipped with a delivery room.

In addition, it would be of great advantage for Sylt to hold a large fireworks
display three times a day to scare away the numerous seagulls. Lifting the ban on
camping could attract many 5-star guests from the sporting and cultural sectors.
For an interesting living space design, museum courtyards should be set up on
Sylt with the themes: "Vikings[sic], Frisians, Middle Ages", announces the
catalog of demands of the Asyltzial anti-army faction, which is reinforced in its
great entertainment by its more than 50 spelling mistakes. "As soon as someone
smiles, you've already achieved your goal," the public-mandated person tells me.

The punks don't have the right to speak at the council meetings, but there is a
person in the town hall who represents their demands. In the meantime, several
dixiklos have already been set up and who knows what political demands will still
be implemented for Sylt. First political successes could be achieved through
spontaneous protests against the lateral thinkers: inside demos.

With so much dedication, apart from a few slightly bitter comments about crumpled
tulips, the camp seems to be going down very well. With the workers anyway and
also local residents stop again and again and praise the existence of the punks.

Featured image: Rights reserved by the DA, License: CC0

https://direkteaktion.org/asyltziale-selbstorganisation/
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