Though it is sort of late by am still forwarding here a report about the anti-fascist mobilisation last Saturday in Munich, Germany. The author is Nick Brauns a journalist for the German left-wing dailies Neues Deutschland and junge welt, member of the PDS and well known Munich activist. Besides the report about a successful anti-fascist mobilization it reflects the peculiar situation of left-wingers when we are witnessing a sort of 'Anti-fascism from above' Johannes Today (this was on Sturday, Sept. 30th) the Nationaldemocratic Party NPD, the strongest open fascist party in Germany, wanted to have a rally in Munich and was stopped by antifascists. There are three reasons for the fascist demonstration. 1)The German government is discussing the ban of the NPD while many fascist attacks all over Germany killed or injured several emigrants in the last months. Now the NPD wants to show that it is a "democratic" party. 2) The 10. anniversary of reunifications of Germany is a traditional nationalist celebration 3)the fascist rally in Munich was a reaction on a big demonstration of all democratic and antifascist forces with 8000 participants last tuesday to commemorate the 20. anniversary of a fascists bombing on the Munich Oktoberfest that killed 12 people on 1980. There is much talk about neofascism in the German politics and media at the moment. the red-green government wants the image of an antifascist government (of course this is only the new mask of imperialism!). the media reports a lot about fascist terror attacks now. For antifascists this makes it more easy to appeal on the people to join antifascist demonstrations. This morning maybe 50 members of the right-conservative Republikaner party that has an fascist wing, started a small rally in Munich. We had maybe 15 comrades there and chanted antifascist slogans. The maiorty of the antifascist arrived later at 1o clock when the NPD started its demonstration. Several thousand antifascists, among them not only the tradition communist, anarchist, trotskyist groups but also a mass of "normal" citicen was waiting on the Munich Marienplatz when several small groups of fascists arrived. These small groups were just kicked out by the antifascists. Later the police helped the fascists to have a very small place for there rally. About fascists started to have rally pressed on the walls of the city hall. In front of them was a cahin of police and behind the police all the antifascists. The thousands of antifascists shouted slogans, throw egs and vegetables on the nazis. Only with the help of police the nazis were able to leafe the place without beeing beaten. I think many of the fascists will think twice whether they realy dare to demonstrate in Munich again! In the conservative Bavarian television it was said 15.000 antifascists have been on the demonstration. I think there was a number of around 2-3000 antifascists. The report in the media shows how the bourgeoise and the government at the moment try to demonstrate themself as the headquarter of antifascism. This is a danger for us, but nevertheless it was a great success that we showed to the nazis that the democrats and antifascists are the maiority. As in 1997 when 15.000 Munich people stopped a march of 5000 NPD supporters we proofed that we are able to stop them when we have a united front of all left organisations. Nevertheless 35 antifascists were arrested, some of them were injured by tear gas. some are still in prison, among them a PDS comrade. It is correct that the conservative Bavarian television talked about 15.000 antifascists, while we think not more than 3000 have been there. I have a certain feeling that the antifascists are a part in the dirty game of the government. The government has some fear of a bad reputation of Germany and Munich because of fascist violence. Therefore now they want to show that it is a democratic city. In the past such nazi demonstrations in Munich were just banned by the citiy government. But exactly now, when everybody in the country cries for a ban of NPD the socialdemocratic city government allows the fascist rally, but the same time socialdemocrats and parts of the city authorities appeal on the Munich population to demonstrate against the nazis. they hoped for many people to stop the nazis and now they will show Munich as a democratic antirascist city again. Therefore our protests have been a part of the image campain of the government. I call this the "antifascist trap". The european governments of the "new middle" with its socialdemocrat-green parties create a new image of liberal humanitarian imperialism. Last year they bombed Yugoslavia in the name of human rights. This year they want to proof their image as progressive with agitation aganst pit bulls and neo nazis (yes, there is a ban of pit bull dogs in Germany now!). Such a climate makes it more easy for us to organise antifascist protests, but on the other hand thee is the danger that we become just the tail of the red-green government. It is correct to organise a united front only around the antifascist and antirascist issue. But we as communists must show also an anticapitalist agitation. There was an opinion poll in East Germany, the former GDR among the youth. 70 % of them are against the "system". 30% think that there are two much emigrants in Germany. But also 60 to 70 % of the youth think that socialism is a good idea. As long as the PDS is in two regional governments together with SPD and is responsible for job cuts and closing of social institutions the NPD and other fascists show themself as the only "real revolutionaries". With antirascism only we will not stop the young fascists, but only with showing a revolutionary socialist alternative to the system. Gregor Gysi, well known PDS leader calls for antifascist alliances even with the conservative Christian democrats CDU. But in my oppinion in East Germany even alliances with the SPD, that there exists only as a party of government ministers, priests and some trade union burocrats might be contraproductive. Of course the social democrats are not social fascist or something like that. But in the East you can only win people for antifascists protests if you also fight the system. In Western Germany this is different. Here we allways try to get SPD locals into antifascist alliances. Two days ago, when i came back from Bonn in a train, a young man talked to me when he looks at my Che Guevara button. He told me he likes Che very much and he also knows the exact date of Ches death. He likes Che as a fighter for national liberation and a fighter against the Yankees. This young man also told me, that he wanted to go to Prague to fight the capitalist system, globalisation and the USA. In Germany, he says we need communism, a "National Communism", a he explained than. This young man was a member of a revolutionary plattform in the fascist NPD. _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
