Examples
Support for victims of attacks and hate crimes
Migrants, disabled people, gays and lesbians, left-wing activists, and other groups are vulnerable to racist insults, hateful threats, and attacks. Many do not file a lawsuit against the perpetrators after an assault. They may be reluctant to contact the police, or are afraid of revenge by their aggressors. Victims of violent attacks are also often traumatized, especially if they do not get support from their personal surroundings. Finally, legal information is paramount in these situations, and specialized lawyers are rare and expensive.
The Berlin based NGO Reach Out offers advice and practical support to all those affected by racist violence. For example, clients are offered legal expertise and psychological support, and escorts for going to the police or to courts. MBR and Reach Out cooperate closely to provide both personal attention to the victims, and organize help within the community. Reach Out specializes in supporting the victim directly and immediately; MBR’s role is to address the long-term effects of the attack and its reasons. We support the social environment’s response after racist attacks (e.g. organizing protests), the victims within the community, the development of adequate police and prevention strategies, and the improvement of security in public spaces such as public transportation, squares etc. At last, victims are not ‘objects’ – MBR is convinced that individuals affected by right-wing action can act effectively in their social environment.
School and youth work
A youth worker called the MBR because he observed a change in the attitudes and lifestyle among the visitors of his local youth center – within a short period of time, a group of 15 year olds began dressing in flight jackets, shaving their hair, and voicing increasingly more xenophobic slogans. Upon examination, it became evident that the change was linked to their attendance at a nearby school. This school proved to be a “breeding ground” for right-wing extremist youth culture. The neighborhood was dominated by violent right-wing extremist gangs, and was targeted by right-wing extremist political organizations. Alternative youth, like punks, were prone to almost daily verbal harassment and physical assault under the eyes of bystanders looking the other way. Basic human rights, the right to live unharmed and the right to freedom of movement, were far from being realized for these kids.
Subsequently, the youth worker and MBR agreed on the development of a concept for the youth center. It should henceforth provide a ‘safe space’ for alternative youth. Furthermore, MBR’s situational analysis provided the impetus for others to join the process. Confronted with the facts of the situation, the school itself agreed to tackle the problem. After a lengthy consultation process, they chose to put into effect a “school democratization process” against right-wing and authoritarian ideas.
Finally, MBR and Reach Out supported alternative youth vis-à-vis their parents, who initially blamed their children’s clothing for causing the discrimination. MBR and Reach Out were able to convince the parents to support their children more. This support has made the step of filing lawsuits against the perpetrators easier. As a direct consequence of these lawsuits, the criminal statistics concerning right-wing extremism rose sharply, and the district suddenly found itself on top of Berlin’s charts of right-wing extremist motivated violence. It was high time for the mayor and the broader public to take action …
Youth activism
In the long run, the best means against right-wing extremism are provided in supporting and building democratic or left-wing alternatives. Given the widespread dominance of a right-wing lifestyle, the simple presence of “something else” is important for the up-and-coming generation. Unfortunately, conditions in the outskirts of Berlin don’t offer much support for alternative approaches.
Even if single districts have a size of some 300.000 inhabitants, the actual political and socio-cultural environment is far from that of cities of the same size. Most cultural life, alternative lifestyle, and politics are taking place in Berlin’s city center. On the city’s outskirts, one finds only a small number of politically interested, culturally engaged or left-wing groups. Many alternative youth move to the center as soon as they turn 18, whereas the ones with less or more narrow perspectives stay. Liberal-minded young families very often move to the countryside, too. Thus, we can speak of a democratic brain drain from Berlin’s outskirts.
MBR’s goal is to support democratic youth culture(s) in Berlin’s periphery. In particular, we dedicate some of our work to strengthen the few existing alternative projects, which are currently endangered by rising rents and costs in general. We also help establish new alternative and self-organized centers, and, above all, we work to foster a culture of activism among democratic youth. In co-operation with local initiatives, MBR works with a number of self-organized youth groups. One is “Thoughts – Words – Action!” or TWA from Berlin’s North-East. Originally a group of skaters, TWA now organizes concerts, publishes flyers and brochures and joins demonstrations. Their long-term goal is to build a self-organized space. Still in the process of looking, this project is endangerd by lack of funding. MBR supports their attempts in helping them to gain access to the local basis networks and the political arena.
“No-go areas”: right-wing extremism in public spaces
In some of Berlin’s neighborhoods, public space has turned into a (temporary) “place of fear” for immigrants and alternative youth. Even if a space is not a no-go area, right-wing influenced peer groups dominate many squares and streets with their music, threats, and sometimes even violence. MBR studies this situation continuously and tries to forge alliances against right-wing dominance as the opportunity and need arise. In one example, local youth were threatened almost daily on their way to school or to the local “S-Bahn” station (metropolitan railways). After a long process, MBR helped initiate a round table discussion with the mayor, police, civic initiatives and youth centers. As a result, the police are paying more attention to right-wing extremist violence and increasingly take action against them. Victims of racist attacks are also being dealt with more sensitively. The process of developing a “safety concept” for the station area is underway and not restricted to repressive measures. The involvement of neighboring schools and their students, youth clubs and community groups has become a key element for creating a sense of ownership of the public space and a much safer atmosphere than before.
Civic protests against right-wing manifestations
Every year, right-wing extremist organizations (dominated by the NPD), try to march on May 1st and a number of different occasions. A considerable number of these parades have been transferred from the city center to the district of Lichtenberg. The change of location is often mandated by the police and Berlin’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (Innensenator). The decision reflects fears that Berlin’s international reputation would be harmed if the demonstration took place in the city center.
Nevertheless, in the district of Lichtenberg a small but active civil society has developed. After years of right-wing parades and other public activities, they have gained enough experience in organizing civil protests. MBR supports their activities by networking, especially between anti-fascist and civic groups or between the mayor and protesters. Meanwhile, the mayor and municipality openly support such protest and have become active members of the local coalition: circulating information, applying pressure on the political level, and by opening buildings situated close to the routes on the day of the demonstration.
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- Awareness – Analysis – Action