#2
Who are you?
We are active in the Berlin DiY Punk scene and play in bands, organize concerts, or other music events. We are a diverse and international group from different backgrounds. Many of us have been politically active for years, including antifascist groups fighting the German/EU and general politics on deportation and immigration. Others have been active in anarchist and socialist movements and the LGBTQIA+ community.
Several people from our group work professionally in the field of political-, especially memorial pedagogy about National Socialism and the Holocaust, some are academically involved in research on antisemitism and other disciplines, while others do not have an academic background.
We came together because one concern unifies us: the ongoing antisemitism in all its forms, in Germany and worldwide, and its surge in the aftermath of the Hamas massacre that took place in Israel on the 07.10.2023.
As punks, we are opposed to racism, fascism, and antisemitism. While there seems to be some agreement on fighting racism and fascism within the punk scene, antisemitism seems to be its blind spot and is in some cases even supported. Therefore, we decided to focus on fighting antisemitism in the local (Berlin) punk scene. Our goal is to raise awareness towards (Israel-related) antisemitism, educate ourselves and others, and discuss problematic patterns and narratives. To do so, we host an IG page, organize panel discussions, concerts, and readings.
An often-mentioned complaint is that there was a taboo around criticizing Israel. We disagree. As left radicals, we believe it is worth and allowed to criticize everything, including every government (yes, including the Israeli government!), the scene, we are part of and above all ourselves. However, this has to happen without engaging in hate speech, demonization, or holding double standards, but by using rational arguments.
We have closed the comments on our Instagram page because we refuse to reproduce hate speech and discrimination as we do not want to contribute to the war of words and pictures and we do not have the time and resources to moderate it appropriately. While we welcome sincere questions and will respond to them over time, we won’t engage with aggressive, disrespectful, or discriminatory messages.
UP THE PUNKS