Pictures: Typochoreography and protests against the seventh right-wing demonstration under the slogan “Merkel muss weg“ in Berlin-Mitte on September 9, 2017

The demonstration of the right-wing extremist organization “Wir für Deutschland (WFD)”, in its seventh episode since March 2016, had about 450 participants. For the last time it took place under the slogan “Merkel muss weg”. The demonstrators marched through the government district and the city center at Potsdamer Platz chanting racist slogans. The alliance Bündnis für ein weltoffenes und tolerantes Berlin demonstrated against the march at the main train station, the starting point of the right-wing extremists’ march. The neighborhood initiative Anwohner_inneninitiative für Zivilcourage - Gegen Rechts in der Spandauer Vorstadt and the alliance Berliner Bündnis gegen Rechts demonstrated at the destination of the demonstration at Porstdamer Platz. We’d like to share our documentation of some impressions of the day. Photo: Katia Vásquez Pacheco

In the morning of the day of the right-wing extremist demonstration, Berlin gegen Nazis went to visit the Fußballfest für Fairplay & Toleranz vom Berliner Fußball Verband – BFV at Sportforum Hohenschönhausen, where Berlin gegen Nazis’ fuzzy bear informed about the initiative’s work and took a stance with the football palyers against the right-wing extremist demonstration to take place in the afternoon.

 

 

The alliance Bündnis für ein weltoffenes und tolerantes Berlin, a major joint effort of churches, trade unions, charities, and further actors of civic society, organized a demonstration at the starting point of the right-wing extremist demonstration at the main train station and thus offered the opportunity to all Berliners to show and voice their protest against the right-wing extremist demonstration directly. There were speeches by members of the alliance, of TBB, DGB, Bündnis 90/ die Grünen, as well as the neighborhood initiative Anwohner_inneninitiative für Zivilcourage – Gegen Rechts of Berlin-Mitte.

 

Berlin gegen Nazis invited to join their two workshops, which took place at the large inflatable bear. While the poster design workshop unfortunately had to be cancelled due to heavy rainfall, the typochoreography was an effective signal against the right-wing extremists, which was also noted by the national press. 

 

 

The neighborhood initiative  Anwohner_inneninitiative für Zivilcourage – Gegen Rechts (PDF) once again organized a demonstration in their neighborhood, even if the right-wing extremist demonstration would once again not march directly through their residential streets. Still, the residents took to the streets, this time at the corner of Linienstraße and Oranienburger Straße and set a colorful signal against right-wing extremism in the district of Mitte. There were speeches by members of local initiatives and everybody was invited to join in to yodel together under the slogan „Jogida – Jodeln gegen Neonazis“. To prepare, a workshop with the yodel-duo Jodel-Duo „Esels Albtraum“ took place, as well as a presentation on the topic of codes of the contemporary right by Mobile Beratung gegen Rechtsextremismus Berlin (MBR).

 

Imporatan signals against the right-wing extremist demonstrations were put into place by Berlin gegen Nazis’ info campaign targeting the organizations located along the marching route. Prior to the demonstration, the foundation Stiftung Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft (EVZ) supported the mobilization to counter-protest on their social media channels. During the demonstration, the Museum für Kommunikation and the charity Deutsche Kinderhilfswerk put up material of Berlin gegen Nazis on their facades.

 

 

At the destination of the right-wing extremist demonstration at Potsdamer Platz, once again hundreds of Berliners received the right-wing extremist with noisy and colorful protest at the demonstration hosted by the alliance Berliner Bündnis gegen Rechts, a joint effort of charities, associations, and left and anti-fascist groups. Here, many people here put to use Berlin gegen Nazis clap banners to utter their protest.

 

 

Pics of the day at the protest against the right-wing extremist demonstration of September 9