Yesterday we met in a manageable round to discuss the current state regarding the demo on May 1st at Südplatz, to exchange our positions and how we can still act under the given circumstances.
Self-critically, it should be noted that Aale made a mistake when the group, without sufficiently checking its own capacities and assessing the situation well, called for the anti-authoritarian block on the said demo or promised the demo orga. The same can be said of the groups behind the climate justice block and the A-Day-Orga group. The actionist reflex behind them becomes a problem where it is not matched by structures capable of action and where there are no more conscious goals and methods.
At the same time, we think it is too easy either to simply stay out of this messy situation or to deny the highly problematic aspects of the authoritarian-communist groups. Historical revisionism, a truncated critique of capitalism, a sectarian sense of mission and an instrumental understanding of politics are not mere “opinions” but red lines on the basis of which it is necessary to separate. In the future, we do not want any direct or indirect cooperation with KO and KA and their subordinate organizations.
So all this will be different next year. But a more detailed evaluation can only happen after that date. It does not have to lead to self-dissection at this moment.
Despite this fundamental problem, people will participate in the demo who would join the “anti-authoritarian block”. In our spectrum there is really a deficit in clearly formulating own contents and carrying them to the outside. There are several reasons for this, which are to be discussed and reflected elsewhere. Changing them is a longer process. Within a limited framework, we can nevertheless initiate something on May 1.
Regarding the concrete situation, we make the following suggestion in coordination with Aale:
- If the commies perform a reenactment, let us understand this as a carnival event. Let’s come in colorful ourselves. Black clothing seems to us to be a hindrance for the specific occasion. Those who like are welcome to come in garish, so that together we are conspicuous.
- We want to have our own expression to bring our positions against wage labor, state and capitalism, ecological destruction, patriarchy and racism to the streets. This can be done with signs, flags, banners, chants. We would like many to participate and bring something.
- It is important to articulate our own content and to give voices and mood to our gathering. We can also do this with our doubts, questions and uncertainties. For this purpose we try to set up a sound system. In short contributions and a moderation we want to make especially the participants in the anti-authoritarian block aware of what anti-authoritarian / autonomous / anarchist analyses, critiques and perspectives on the form of society are.
We would be happy if more people find this proposal good. We are anything but satisfied with the messy situation. But we still think that it is important (once again) to try to interfere and to make an offer from our side to people who will come anyway. Since we neither have the capacity nor see ourselves in the positions to do so, we will not offer a consumable demo service. Instead, we want different people to bring and contribute something: a song against wage labor, a thought snippet for the microphone, a sign or transpi, their frustration and their desire.