report by: Internationalist Anarchists Leipzig
photos by: Maro Photography
On Saturday 22th of March the demonstration “Don’t Support Apartheid” by Handala Leipzig, in support of the BT3P (Bundestag 3 für Palästina) activists and BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement,took place in Leipzig . The demonstration aimed to raise awareness and public visibility to a law suit against the 2019 Bundestag resolution targeting BDS under the pretence of fighting antisemitism, which took place on Wednesday 26th of March at the federal administrative court Leipzig.
More than 350 people took to the streets to demonstrate for the right of speech and the legitimacy of economic and cultural boycotts as a non-violent form of protest against the Israeli occupation and genocide against the Palestinian people.
The demonstration started at Leipzig main station and marched through the city center and ended in front of the Federal Administrative Court.
The night before, Zionists had marked the demonstration route with racist graffiti and posters glorifying Israel and genocide. At the opening rally, Zionists particularly endangered the BIPoCs among the demonstrators by placing a replica of a gun with a Zionist sticker in the immediate vicinity of the demonstrators and filming the action. We deeply condemn such attempts at intimidation, as they willingly accept the possibility that the police will, in case of doubt, shoot a person affected by racism and it leaves us shocked at the choice of means means just to generate a video for social media.There were several occasions of attempted counter-demonstrations during the demonstration, but these were sparsely attended and could not influence the demonstration any further.
During the demo some clashes with the police occured, when they attempted to provoke demonstrators by hitting them. In general, it was clear that the police sympathized with the counter-demonstrators.
In front of the court building around 150 masked zionists waited for the demonstration to arrive, waving Israeli flags and pro-Israel banners. Despite all their provocation, no physical conflict arose. JID addressed them in der speech saying “Zionism is anti-semitism” and warned about the dangers of conflating Judaism with Zionism. Meanwhile at the Zionist rally the infamous “Conne Island” an Antideutsch youth club/concert space whined about the recent boycotts targeting them and labelling them as “anti-semitic” attacks. The boycotts were a reply to their ban of kuffiyas and the racist (and also anti-trans*- and sexworker) speakers they invite regularly.
Speeches were held by the BT3P, who filed the lawsuit, as well as JID (jüdisch-israelischer Dissens), Jüdische Stimme, Handala Leipzig, Gewerkschafter*innen für Gaza and Mera25, who all pointed out the importance of BDS.
After the end of the demonstration police hunted down individual participants under absurd pretences and even beat up and handcuffed one person on the ground, wounding the person in the process.
On Wednesday the Federal Administrative Court decided after two hours of hearing that they were not responsible for the lawsuit and referred the BT3P to the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe. It is expected to take some time until there will a decision from Karlsruhe, but the effort of the BT3P sets an important precedence for future lawsuits against parliamentary resolutions – which should now be able to be brought in front of the Constitutional Court from the beginning, saving years of legal disputes.
BDS is not just necessary – it is our obligation. Free Palestine!
IALe – Internationalist Anarchists Leipzig