During demonstrations, strikes or rallies, the often dreary everyday
life is broken up. We come together and powerfully express our political
beliefs. The political fight for public space is of central importance
for us leftists and anti-fascists. ---- But taking the road means much
more than that! ---- With this text we would like to illustrate the
importance of the street, express our solidarity with those fighting for
a better world and motivate us all to keep going.
The meaning of our struggle
Maybe you just received this leaflet at a rally against the AfD, perhaps
at a strike or a protest against right-wing fraternities. That's a good
thing, you've come to the right place!
Together we want to take the streets away from right-wingers and
reactionaries of all stripes, take public space away from them, not let
them march, and prevent them from spreading their inhumane ideology.
Sure, it can be tiring. Sometimes it rains, sometimes it is cold,
sometimes there are only a few people who stand in the way of the right,
fight for self-managed spaces or strike for better working conditions.
We would like to call on you and future friends and comrades to do just
that. And we would like to express our solidarity to you. Leftists and
left-wing radicals, anti-fascists - all of us - must not underestimate
the importance of public space and the political struggle for the
streets. We want to illustrate the importance of this fight here - to
reach more people but also to encourage ourselves to do what we do when
we take the road.
Antifascism as self-protection
We understand antifascism as the self-protection of the working class -
our class. It's about protecting and defending our neighborhoods, our
communities and all public spaces from right-wing, reactionary and
anti-emancipatory attacks of all kinds.
We can and must realize that what unites us is belonging to our class -
we do not own the means of production and have to sell our labor and do
wage work. Even if realities or experiences differ, we form the working
class. But in order to understand this, it is necessary to meet, get to
know each other and network. In the documentary "We don't need
permission" by Pietro Perotti about the labor disputes at Fiat in Italy
in the 1970s, he emphasized: "In this fight it is important not to
remain isolated." Here he was referring to one of the numerous
demonstrations workers; Last but not least, people demonstrated to come
together. We agree: class consciousness can only develop through
exchange with one another, especially at our demonstrations. Let's use
it as a space for discussions, exchange and organization. Demos are more
than just an "event" - we should understand that.
So onto the street
During demonstrations, strikes or rallies, the often dreary everyday
life is broken up. There is solidarity, combativeness and loudness
against monotony and isolation. This is empowering, the power that lies
in our movement can be felt here - both internally and externally. We
need this self-empowerment, especially for longer struggles: we get to
know each other, begin to trust each other, achieve political successes
together or perhaps share painful experiences.
In addition, one's own political content is catapulted into the public
eye through a joint action. Bystanders notice us and our concerns, can
be reached with content and perhaps even convinced, while the respective
political opponent can be unmasked, blocked or shielded.
The state is increasingly taking action against this: our demonstrations
are filmed before they even start and are accompanied closely by the
cops, so that we can hardly bring our political content onto the
streets, for example through banners. This means that banners simply no
longer become visible or legible; and not least because their size and
length are specified, i.e. limited, by the cops. Sometimes we are
surrounded, sometimes we are not even allowed to start running. In the
worst case scenario, the well-equipped cops bludgeon the demonstration
and cover it with pepper spray or use water cannons. If nothing else,
this proves one thing: If we as the (radical) left take the high road,
the state reacts nervously.
The immense meticulousness with which people and their actions are tried
to be criminalized and subjected to repression can also be seen outside
of demos or rallies, for example when we have beautified the gray
pavement: political calls and content - whether glued or through
graffiti - brought to cities are suitable for reaching people. This
makes this form of activism all the more unpleasant for the state and
the police apparatus. We know that much political agitation and
information dissemination as well as discussions and debates take place
on social media. The algorithms of social media do not promote left-wing
topics and left-wing content, no matter how large the output is. Because
the algorithm is not arbitrary - it's about marketing; Left-wing content
often seems like a foreign body. These channels should not only be the
means of our communication. Even if the extreme right in particular is
agitating on social media and trying to stage themselves there: we
experience their actions, the effects of their disgusting thinking, on
our streets. That's where we have to be first, together, in order to
challenge the right-wing public space and thus protect ourselves and our
communities.
No tolerance for intolerance
The anti-fascist participation campaign "Taking space from the right" in
Osnabrück shows that this can bring success. With a consistently high
number of participants who meet and organize every two weeks, it has
been possible to regularly oppose the AfD's information stands, limit
the spread of their content and make exchange with the few interested
people very difficult or massively restricted. The last, actually
announced performance of the ridiculously small AfD troupe (as of March
2024) was canceled "due to illness". A militant demonstration marched
through Osnabrück on January 27, 2024, exposed right-wing structures and
sent a strong signal of anti-fascist unity to the city's
anti-emancipatory actors. As a result of the ongoing protests, the
campaign's research and publications, the AfD lost its meeting place in
Osnabrück. For years, the AfD had met in the back rooms of a restaurant
for networking and information evenings. The anti-fascist pressure on
the restaurant operator had become too great for him, which he had to
grudgingly accept.
When, on February 13, 2011, one of the largest European neo-Nazi
gatherings once again wanted to "commemorate" the bombing of Dresden in
1945 in a historical revisionist and Holocaust-relativizing way, this
was impressively prevented. Anti-fascists from numerous cities and a
broad alliance had successfully mobilized for months in Dresden and
organized the counter-protest. On February 13th itself there were over
20,000 people who demonstrated against the march. What's more: over
10,000 people not only ensured that the Nazis couldn't walk through
numerous (sit-in) blockades, some of them militant. Thousands of
anti-fascists overcame police barriers and reached the train station
area, the neo-Nazis' intended rally site. The access roads to the train
station were blocked and barricades were erected. The police's attempts
to disband them were also unsuccessful due to the determination of this
anti-fascist action. Many neo-Nazis were neither able to demonstrate nor
even get to the rally site. The largest neo-Nazi march at that time,
which represented an important networking opportunity for the scene
beyond Germany, was prevented. After this, they were no longer able to
build on their previous mobilizations.
Both examples clearly show that if we challenge the fascists so
decisively on the streets, they will also have less confidence (on them).
The good life? For all!
Nevertheless, our aim should be not only to defend the streets in
defensive battles against reactionaries, but also to increasingly move
forward with our own topics and content in which the struggles for the
good life become clear, visible and tangible for everyone
Let's be active, be present and approachable.
Let's get to know each other, let's network
and build our structures.
Out on the street -
Reclaim the streets!*
*... and if it is too cold for that, then come to the SubstAnZ
(Frankenstraße 25a) every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m.
to the Open Antifa Café;)
https://likos.noblogs.org/2024/04/23/wir-nehmen-uns-die-strasse/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
life is broken up. We come together and powerfully express our political
beliefs. The political fight for public space is of central importance
for us leftists and anti-fascists. ---- But taking the road means much
more than that! ---- With this text we would like to illustrate the
importance of the street, express our solidarity with those fighting for
a better world and motivate us all to keep going.
The meaning of our struggle
Maybe you just received this leaflet at a rally against the AfD, perhaps
at a strike or a protest against right-wing fraternities. That's a good
thing, you've come to the right place!
Together we want to take the streets away from right-wingers and
reactionaries of all stripes, take public space away from them, not let
them march, and prevent them from spreading their inhumane ideology.
Sure, it can be tiring. Sometimes it rains, sometimes it is cold,
sometimes there are only a few people who stand in the way of the right,
fight for self-managed spaces or strike for better working conditions.
We would like to call on you and future friends and comrades to do just
that. And we would like to express our solidarity to you. Leftists and
left-wing radicals, anti-fascists - all of us - must not underestimate
the importance of public space and the political struggle for the
streets. We want to illustrate the importance of this fight here - to
reach more people but also to encourage ourselves to do what we do when
we take the road.
Antifascism as self-protection
We understand antifascism as the self-protection of the working class -
our class. It's about protecting and defending our neighborhoods, our
communities and all public spaces from right-wing, reactionary and
anti-emancipatory attacks of all kinds.
We can and must realize that what unites us is belonging to our class -
we do not own the means of production and have to sell our labor and do
wage work. Even if realities or experiences differ, we form the working
class. But in order to understand this, it is necessary to meet, get to
know each other and network. In the documentary "We don't need
permission" by Pietro Perotti about the labor disputes at Fiat in Italy
in the 1970s, he emphasized: "In this fight it is important not to
remain isolated." Here he was referring to one of the numerous
demonstrations workers; Last but not least, people demonstrated to come
together. We agree: class consciousness can only develop through
exchange with one another, especially at our demonstrations. Let's use
it as a space for discussions, exchange and organization. Demos are more
than just an "event" - we should understand that.
So onto the street
During demonstrations, strikes or rallies, the often dreary everyday
life is broken up. There is solidarity, combativeness and loudness
against monotony and isolation. This is empowering, the power that lies
in our movement can be felt here - both internally and externally. We
need this self-empowerment, especially for longer struggles: we get to
know each other, begin to trust each other, achieve political successes
together or perhaps share painful experiences.
In addition, one's own political content is catapulted into the public
eye through a joint action. Bystanders notice us and our concerns, can
be reached with content and perhaps even convinced, while the respective
political opponent can be unmasked, blocked or shielded.
The state is increasingly taking action against this: our demonstrations
are filmed before they even start and are accompanied closely by the
cops, so that we can hardly bring our political content onto the
streets, for example through banners. This means that banners simply no
longer become visible or legible; and not least because their size and
length are specified, i.e. limited, by the cops. Sometimes we are
surrounded, sometimes we are not even allowed to start running. In the
worst case scenario, the well-equipped cops bludgeon the demonstration
and cover it with pepper spray or use water cannons. If nothing else,
this proves one thing: If we as the (radical) left take the high road,
the state reacts nervously.
The immense meticulousness with which people and their actions are tried
to be criminalized and subjected to repression can also be seen outside
of demos or rallies, for example when we have beautified the gray
pavement: political calls and content - whether glued or through
graffiti - brought to cities are suitable for reaching people. This
makes this form of activism all the more unpleasant for the state and
the police apparatus. We know that much political agitation and
information dissemination as well as discussions and debates take place
on social media. The algorithms of social media do not promote left-wing
topics and left-wing content, no matter how large the output is. Because
the algorithm is not arbitrary - it's about marketing; Left-wing content
often seems like a foreign body. These channels should not only be the
means of our communication. Even if the extreme right in particular is
agitating on social media and trying to stage themselves there: we
experience their actions, the effects of their disgusting thinking, on
our streets. That's where we have to be first, together, in order to
challenge the right-wing public space and thus protect ourselves and our
communities.
No tolerance for intolerance
The anti-fascist participation campaign "Taking space from the right" in
Osnabrück shows that this can bring success. With a consistently high
number of participants who meet and organize every two weeks, it has
been possible to regularly oppose the AfD's information stands, limit
the spread of their content and make exchange with the few interested
people very difficult or massively restricted. The last, actually
announced performance of the ridiculously small AfD troupe (as of March
2024) was canceled "due to illness". A militant demonstration marched
through Osnabrück on January 27, 2024, exposed right-wing structures and
sent a strong signal of anti-fascist unity to the city's
anti-emancipatory actors. As a result of the ongoing protests, the
campaign's research and publications, the AfD lost its meeting place in
Osnabrück. For years, the AfD had met in the back rooms of a restaurant
for networking and information evenings. The anti-fascist pressure on
the restaurant operator had become too great for him, which he had to
grudgingly accept.
When, on February 13, 2011, one of the largest European neo-Nazi
gatherings once again wanted to "commemorate" the bombing of Dresden in
1945 in a historical revisionist and Holocaust-relativizing way, this
was impressively prevented. Anti-fascists from numerous cities and a
broad alliance had successfully mobilized for months in Dresden and
organized the counter-protest. On February 13th itself there were over
20,000 people who demonstrated against the march. What's more: over
10,000 people not only ensured that the Nazis couldn't walk through
numerous (sit-in) blockades, some of them militant. Thousands of
anti-fascists overcame police barriers and reached the train station
area, the neo-Nazis' intended rally site. The access roads to the train
station were blocked and barricades were erected. The police's attempts
to disband them were also unsuccessful due to the determination of this
anti-fascist action. Many neo-Nazis were neither able to demonstrate nor
even get to the rally site. The largest neo-Nazi march at that time,
which represented an important networking opportunity for the scene
beyond Germany, was prevented. After this, they were no longer able to
build on their previous mobilizations.
Both examples clearly show that if we challenge the fascists so
decisively on the streets, they will also have less confidence (on them).
The good life? For all!
Nevertheless, our aim should be not only to defend the streets in
defensive battles against reactionaries, but also to increasingly move
forward with our own topics and content in which the struggles for the
good life become clear, visible and tangible for everyone
Let's be active, be present and approachable.
Let's get to know each other, let's network
and build our structures.
Out on the street -
Reclaim the streets!*
*... and if it is too cold for that, then come to the SubstAnZ
(Frankenstraße 25a) every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m.
to the Open Antifa Café;)
https://likos.noblogs.org/2024/04/23/wir-nehmen-uns-die-strasse/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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