Our follow-up report on the protests against the Nazi march on November
9th in Karlsruhe Durlach is a little late. This is mainly due to thechaotic situation and the different events on the day itself. ---- We
are starting our report in the run-up to November 9th, as this is
important for the wider context. ---- When it became known that Nazis
from the NPD and Die Rechte were planning a march in Karlsruhe on
November 9th, 2024, various people and structures began planning
counter-protests. Various rallies were registered around Karlsruhe
Central Station, where the start of the Nazi march was announced.
Registrations were received from the Network Against the Right, the
German-Israeli Society (DIG) and individuals, among others.
Instead of concentrating on the protests against the Nazi march, some
"anti-fascists" tried to publicly discredit any organization beyond the
network against the right and even prevent it in various ways. This
absurdity has continued into the aftermath of the protests that took
place. More on that later...
Fearing that the various counter-protests registered around Karlsruhe
train station would lead to the public order office finding an
alternative location for the Nazis, various rallies were also registered
in advance around Durlach train station. These fears then came true. It
was probably the main concern of the city administration and law
enforcement authorities not to let the Nazis march in front of the
prestigious Karlsruhe main station. In addition, the operational
situation at Durlach train station was known to the police due to the
Day of the German Future that had taken place some time ago and was easy
to control. Thanks to the counter-events registered early by various
people and structures, all access to populated areas was blocked for the
Nazi demonstration. Conversely, the police had an easy time securing the
remaining stretch of road between industrial buildings and stone walls.
The events that were registered independently of the Network Against the
Right caused some confusion in the run-up to November 9th. Cooperation
was not possible, mainly because the Network Against the Right did not
want to accept the DIG as a cooperation partner and other politically
active people had no interest in the network having a monopoly position
for anti-fascist protest. They were right. It was precisely this variety
of protests that ensured that the 20 or so Nazis met far away from any
public eye.
Due to the static situation at Durlach station and an immense police
presence with horse squads, drones, dog squads and whatever else they
had to offer, the focus of the day was more on the route of the march.
We would like to take up and describe some situations.
As indicated at the beginning, the focus of some "anti-fascists" seemed
to be on the obviously unwanted counter-protests that were not organized
by the Network Against the Right, rather than on the Nazi march. While
some people from the Network Against the Right feared that the
counter-protests would be appropriated by the DIG in relation to the war
in Israel and Palestine, they had no problem with the attempts by
"pro-Palestinian" protesters to appropriate them. For a small group of
them, it was more important to protest against the DIG rally than to
focus on the protest against the Nazi march on the anniversary of
Kristallnacht. This misplaced focus culminated in a demonstration
between two counter-rallies that was explicitly directed against
anti-Semitism being overrun by pro-Palestinian demonstrators shouting
"Viva Palestine" and participants in the DIG rally being spat at and
pelted with a smoke bomb.
Apparently, some people lacked an understanding of history on that day.
And the location of a memorial stone for deported Jews where this
happened was probably completely unknown to them.
The fact that several Nazis walked through the counter-demonstrations
before their march, and that at the end of their march they stood for
ages at the train station, accompanied by police, almost ignoring the
anti-fascist protest, does not exactly indicate where the focus should
be on that day.
In the public aftermath, not a word is said about these events. The OAT
Karlsruhe claims the "successful counter-protest" as its own banner,
although it was only part of the protest by the Network Against the
Right. In the network's subsequent statement, the other protests were
even claimed to be close to them, even though they had clearly distanced
themselves from them beforehand. And in a statement on the OAT Bretten
Instagram account, Zionists were declared the enemy and equated with the
Nazis.
Even when the police used incredible violence to take people into
custody and injure them at the Durlsch train station (pepper spray,
batons and dogs were used, and as a result ambulances and paramedics
were deployed), it was important to many to focus on the war in the
Middle East on the platform rather than on the much-vaunted solidarity.
November 9th is a historic day in many ways. The proclamation of the
Weimar Republic, the Hitler Putsch, the fall of the Berlin Wall and,
most importantly, the Night of Broken Glass, which began the industrial
destruction of Jewish life and undesirable forms of life. As a result of
this mania for annihilation, the Zionist idea of a safe space for
persecuted Jews was implemented with the founding of the State of
Israel. As a lesson from this past, the fundamental right to asylum was
established.
There were many points of reference for anti-fascists and anti-racists
on this day. Attacking Jews during a protest against a Nazi march at a
memorial site was probably the worst. This cannot be justified by a
pretext for criticism of Zionist ideas.
It was a strong signal that around two thousand people took to the
streets, that the various protests had already challenged the Nazis for
public space in advance.
In the end, we are left with a very vague feeling about the absurdity of
this day and the question of why the attacks on people are kept quiet or
even justified in some cases.
https://anika.noblogs.org/2024/11/26/der-09-11-2024-in-karlsruhe-ein-starker-protest-gegen-den-naziaufmarsch-und-doch-ein-tag-zum-vergessen/
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