Our speech at the rally "No AfD Stammtisch in Osnabrück" of the campaign
"Taking Space from the Right" on July 26, 2025 ---- Antifa means class
struggle - more than just a phrase! ---- Hello dear comrades, dear
passersby on Johannisstraße. The AfD once again had a place for its
meetings, and once again we together ensured that they lost it. It's
important and right that we, fascists, take away the space to organize
and network. We probably don't need to convince anyone of that here.
Like in 2023, we were able to get the AfD thrown out, and their reaction
is essentially the same old story. Although in Osnabrück it's already
taking on a special form. For example, Florian Meyer, chairman of the
AfD Osnabrück, apparently believes he is in a kind of final political
battle when he writes, "Let us move forward together, unbowed,
unshakable, confident of victory[...]and we will prevail. I
oppose[...]this anti-freedom behavior with all my might." Even if
Florian reliably provides a good mix of amusement and embarrassment,
anyone who watches the AfD's whining, both here and nationwide, will
notice that modern fascism invokes freedom. This may seem contradictory
at first-after all, aren't fascists the enemies of freedom?!
But fascism changes, just as social conditions change, and these
ultimately always give rise to it. While historical fascism rejected
civil liberties, there is hardly a fascist mobilization today that
doesn't make reference to them. Modern fascists believe they are in a
rebellion against the totalitarian state. It's worth taking a closer
look at what fascists mean by "freedom" and where they come from when
they talk about it.
By this, they mean the freedom to do whatever they want; ultimately,
it's the freedom of property that they consciously or unconsciously
refer to. In a capitalist society, ownership of the means of production
(e.g., machines and servers) belongs to individuals; they can do
whatever they want with them, thereby exerting considerable influence on
all of our lives, and it is the basis for exploitation. This concept of
freedom is the basis for fascists' connection - they identify with
power. However, this isn't enough to explain why the political right
relies so heavily on it today and, above all, why it mobilizes people,
because private property existed 100 years ago as well.
The last decades have been the decades of neoliberalism: the destruction
of the workers' movement-both social democratic and communist-the
atomization and isolation of people, the grip of capitalism on all parts
of the world, the maximum spread of the ideology that we are all the
architects of our own destiny, and the individualization of social
problems. The veneer of the neoliberal promise of happiness has been
worn off, at least since the 2007/2008 crisis. The imprint of neoliberal
ideology, such as social restructuring, the isolation, the fact that
there are no longer any collective answers to social problems, the fact
that politics essentially means only the administration of constraints,
and the myth of "there is no alternative" have remained. This gives rise
to corresponding fascist mobilizations that rely on a corresponding
concept of freedom.
Added to this is the climate crisis. The capitalist mode of production
is (perspectively) destroying the basis of human life, here and even
more so elsewhere. Radical changes are needed to stop this; instead,
individual renunciation is preached. The political right's offer here,
in very simplified terms, is to simply give a shit about everything and
simply deny the climate crisis - that's what they mean by freedom here,
too. Neither they nor the bourgeois parties can even imagine a
collective and democratic solution to the climate catastrophe.
This doesn't mean that modern fascists, despite their talk, don't want
to subordinate themselves to the state. But they do; a look at the USA
is enough to see that. Subordination and identification with authority
promises to ruthlessly implement precisely this concept of "freedom."
What does this mean for us anti-fascists?
Fascists must be fought. Their actions must be restricted; anti-fascist
self-defense, especially in light of the rise of right-wing youth
groups, must be built. But that's not enough. This society breeds
fascism and, as we have tried to show, also shapes it in concrete terms.
This means that genuine antifascism must aim to abolish this capitalist
society and also respond to this very concrete imprint. This cannot be
achieved without organization: joining forces, educational work,
coordination - all of this must be accomplished by an organization.
If it's true that this society harbors fascism as a potential and,
especially in times of crisis, brings it to the forefront, and if it's
true that the destruction of the workers' movement, with all its
criticisms, and the isolation characterize modern fascism, then this
means: antifascism must be more than the "mere" fight against right-wing
extremists. "Antifa means class struggle" is then not just an
old-fashioned slogan. But if it's to be more than that, it must also be
implemented. This means engaging with people, actually trying to reach
people, supporting strikes, and organizing. We don't have a magic
formula for this; we too must learn to become a movement again, but
let's try it together.
In this sense: For a revolutionary anti-fascism!
https://likos.noblogs.org/2025/07/26/kein-afd-stammtisch-in-osnabrueck-redebeitrag/
_________________________________________
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
"Taking Space from the Right" on July 26, 2025 ---- Antifa means class
struggle - more than just a phrase! ---- Hello dear comrades, dear
passersby on Johannisstraße. The AfD once again had a place for its
meetings, and once again we together ensured that they lost it. It's
important and right that we, fascists, take away the space to organize
and network. We probably don't need to convince anyone of that here.
Like in 2023, we were able to get the AfD thrown out, and their reaction
is essentially the same old story. Although in Osnabrück it's already
taking on a special form. For example, Florian Meyer, chairman of the
AfD Osnabrück, apparently believes he is in a kind of final political
battle when he writes, "Let us move forward together, unbowed,
unshakable, confident of victory[...]and we will prevail. I
oppose[...]this anti-freedom behavior with all my might." Even if
Florian reliably provides a good mix of amusement and embarrassment,
anyone who watches the AfD's whining, both here and nationwide, will
notice that modern fascism invokes freedom. This may seem contradictory
at first-after all, aren't fascists the enemies of freedom?!
But fascism changes, just as social conditions change, and these
ultimately always give rise to it. While historical fascism rejected
civil liberties, there is hardly a fascist mobilization today that
doesn't make reference to them. Modern fascists believe they are in a
rebellion against the totalitarian state. It's worth taking a closer
look at what fascists mean by "freedom" and where they come from when
they talk about it.
By this, they mean the freedom to do whatever they want; ultimately,
it's the freedom of property that they consciously or unconsciously
refer to. In a capitalist society, ownership of the means of production
(e.g., machines and servers) belongs to individuals; they can do
whatever they want with them, thereby exerting considerable influence on
all of our lives, and it is the basis for exploitation. This concept of
freedom is the basis for fascists' connection - they identify with
power. However, this isn't enough to explain why the political right
relies so heavily on it today and, above all, why it mobilizes people,
because private property existed 100 years ago as well.
The last decades have been the decades of neoliberalism: the destruction
of the workers' movement-both social democratic and communist-the
atomization and isolation of people, the grip of capitalism on all parts
of the world, the maximum spread of the ideology that we are all the
architects of our own destiny, and the individualization of social
problems. The veneer of the neoliberal promise of happiness has been
worn off, at least since the 2007/2008 crisis. The imprint of neoliberal
ideology, such as social restructuring, the isolation, the fact that
there are no longer any collective answers to social problems, the fact
that politics essentially means only the administration of constraints,
and the myth of "there is no alternative" have remained. This gives rise
to corresponding fascist mobilizations that rely on a corresponding
concept of freedom.
Added to this is the climate crisis. The capitalist mode of production
is (perspectively) destroying the basis of human life, here and even
more so elsewhere. Radical changes are needed to stop this; instead,
individual renunciation is preached. The political right's offer here,
in very simplified terms, is to simply give a shit about everything and
simply deny the climate crisis - that's what they mean by freedom here,
too. Neither they nor the bourgeois parties can even imagine a
collective and democratic solution to the climate catastrophe.
This doesn't mean that modern fascists, despite their talk, don't want
to subordinate themselves to the state. But they do; a look at the USA
is enough to see that. Subordination and identification with authority
promises to ruthlessly implement precisely this concept of "freedom."
What does this mean for us anti-fascists?
Fascists must be fought. Their actions must be restricted; anti-fascist
self-defense, especially in light of the rise of right-wing youth
groups, must be built. But that's not enough. This society breeds
fascism and, as we have tried to show, also shapes it in concrete terms.
This means that genuine antifascism must aim to abolish this capitalist
society and also respond to this very concrete imprint. This cannot be
achieved without organization: joining forces, educational work,
coordination - all of this must be accomplished by an organization.
If it's true that this society harbors fascism as a potential and,
especially in times of crisis, brings it to the forefront, and if it's
true that the destruction of the workers' movement, with all its
criticisms, and the isolation characterize modern fascism, then this
means: antifascism must be more than the "mere" fight against right-wing
extremists. "Antifa means class struggle" is then not just an
old-fashioned slogan. But if it's to be more than that, it must also be
implemented. This means engaging with people, actually trying to reach
people, supporting strikes, and organizing. We don't have a magic
formula for this; we too must learn to become a movement again, but
let's try it together.
In this sense: For a revolutionary anti-fascism!
https://likos.noblogs.org/2025/07/26/kein-afd-stammtisch-in-osnabrueck-redebeitrag/
_________________________________________
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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