Berlin-Friedrichshain in the year 2015: It is official since november : the northKiez of Friedrichshain is a “danger Zone” (german police term.”Gefahrengebiet”). Berlins authorities in politics and police finally have to abandon after years of tireless struggle sugarcoat the situation.While they have been succesfully enticing investors with the promisses of mayor wins in the subsidized clearance area,they have to aknowledge the fiery resistance of the people living in Friedrichshains northKiez. The consequence for Berlins politics: turning the neighborhood to a “danger zone”. Since this declaration random identity checks are the order of business and they can hit anyone at any time.The peak of it for the time bein has been 28.11.15 when in a mass of controls 91 persons where controlled, bullied around, beat and finally several arrested.
Liebig 14: Never Rest in Peace!
Retrospection : Berlin-Friedrichshain february 2011: On 02.02. an armada of over 2500 Cops from all over Germany evicts Liebig 14 a project for cultural and living spaces. 25 People are put out on the streets and another space for solidary communitarian living and collective resistance is destroyed. International protests against the eviction of this project occupied in 1990 and the connected direct actions show how important their space and the associated Utopia of a life free of coercion and domination were to people and still are today, Liebig 14 is not and will not be forgotten!
Though the eviction of Liebig 14 couldn’t be averted, it is still exemplary for the manifold resistance against city development in Berlin.This very city development that is afflicting Friedrichshains northKiez and trying to degrade it into a further poor rip-off of oh so hip Simon-Dach-street.The grotesque grimace of gentrification can be seen and felt as no single day passes without luxury renovations, revaluations and the associated systematic dispossession and expulsion of everyone that does not and/or does not want to fit into the new hip and rich Berlin.Let’s not forget state sanctions like the declaration of certain districts as “danger zones”, which have to be seen as an expression of the fear of loss of control of those in power.
Media agitation and extremism theories
Over several years a whole district is put under general suspicion. If you’d believe the coverage of RBB, BZ and Tagesspiegel, you would get and image of a neighborhood where blood and thunder is of daily occurrence.Selfpromoting comedians like SPD internal politician Tom Schreiber are the mainspring in this medial smear campaign against everything that doesn’t please the extremists of societies’ “center”.
This “center of society” which amongst other deeds keeps quiet about acts of the national socialist underground and blows every burning garbage bin up to be an act of terrorism. As such Rigaerstrasse is compared to “nationalist liberated areas” (“National Befreite Zonen”) with a sleight of hand and the legitimate resistance against luxury renovations and systematic expulsions are placed on the same level with the fascist-motivated arson attacks on the ready for occupancy refugee housing in Tröglitz.The system behind it: every spark of progressiv resistance directed against the ruling doctrine is equated with the ado of neonazi gangs of murderers.
What’s left at the end of the day : Terror all-around
The Show must go on!
For people like Frank Henkel, Tom Schreiber and Gunnar Schupelius the neighborhood is a place that should be completely pacified, or rather a problem that should be totally eliminated. For us as people who live, work and dwell here it is mainly one thing: A rebellious place with a long history and a diversity of life scripts based on sollectivity and solidarity. It is these Life scripts we have to defend as the life we live here in the our contested NorthKiez is (also) an expression of our fervid passion for freedom and the attempt to live a better life contrary to capitalist normexecution. This will be changed neither by the continuing hate and smear campagin of the new wannabe interior minister Tom Schreiber nor the declared danger zone and the conjoined copterror!
How we envision the demo: On 6th of february we want to be out in the streets with a powerful, loud and resolute demonstration without ignoring connecting factors for people that dont associate with the “scene”. We do not want to repeat the errors made in the last years at demonstrations in Berlin.This means we don’t see much sense in publicizing one verbally agressive call to action after another and thus suggesting things that cannot be realized.However we know about the political compromisses we are making by doing an announced demonstration, and they didnt come with ease. But we have to gear our expectations to situations and scenarios that can be realized.
The political projects of Friedrichshains northKiez are calling all those to solidarity that want to keep the northKiez colourful, wild, loud, inconvenient and disobedient!
In times of revaluation and displacement we want to demonstrate with you for solidaric neighborhoods. We want to comprehend the various struggles that are fought in Berlin about every single centimeter ,as one single collective fight. Be it Friedel 54, who is fighting for their “Kiezladen” (~neighborhoodshop), Liebig 34, whos contracts run out end of 2018, Rigaer 94, that has to deal with a new “owner” , Köpi Wagenplatz , that is again to be auctioned or M99 that is supposed to be shut down after 30years : WE ARE ALL STAYING!
16:00 opening manifestation in front of Wagenplatz Rummelplatz
(Gürtelstrasse 26)
17:00 (on-time!!!) Demo!