Berlin: Raw news from the refugee protest in Friedrichshain

on the 28th of August there was an evening demo from Frankfurter Tor with around 500 people. cops tried to break it two times. they beat up people. one arrest was confirmed. the demo was crumbling after the arab group (antiimperialist communist group, which also organised the ‘revolutionary may 1st demo’) announced that the cops attempt to storm the hostel roof. people with bicycles left and rushed to the junction in Gürtelstraße. it caused an alarm also at the junction where protesters were because nobody, apart from the arab group, had heard anything about it.

at around 9.30pm, after the demo arrived at the location, same as usual, speeches, slogans, marginalised political groups presenting their banners, etc. there was lot of free food, which people also took well, but soon afterwards they started leaving again, and before midnight only few people remained. a sign of solidarity was expressed by a neighbour who made kind of a laser show beaming the slogan “no human being is illegal” on his balcony. he later came down when he saw that refugees who tried to get some sleep at the junction had not enough blankets, and went through the barriers giving them two thick ones. then, when he wanted to pass through the barriers, the cops hindered him and prompted him to show his ID, which he had not on him. they made a fuss until his wife shouted: “could you let my husband inside again?…” they let him pass but he was forced to get inside home, get his ID, go down again and show it to the cops. meanwhile the refugees on the roof started continuously drumming (probably on pots), gave light signals and also shouted from the rooftop. protesters replied by shouting back slogans, blowing whistles and there was also one megaphone. but soon cops disallowed all of that.

also, a couple of nazis showed up. comrades recognized at least four. three of them appeared in the middle of the road in the Scharnweberstraße standing there and shouting a nazi slogan, while one passed by in a car, but was recognized too late. for sure, there were far more of them who went unrecognized (the protest is directly at the border of their stronghold district Lichtenberg).

during the 29th and the 30th of August, the situation remained relatively unchanged. authorities still starve refugee protesters on the hostel roof in Gürtelstraße, and support of demonstrators is still low.

there’s a call for a demo tomorrow, Sunday the 31st at 5pm in Warschauer Straße, Friedrichshain.