A week of intervention, disruption, escalation and obstruction of business at usual at Berlin Universities
Echoing the call of Gaza’s students, Students in Berlin called for a week of disruption of the tranquil complicity of academic and non-academic institutions. Students reminded their universities and other German institutions that until we get justice, they will get no peace.
Day 1 Recap
– We call – police answers!
Within 30 min of the announcement of Jabalia Institute Disruption week, Police forces entered autonomous student spaces at FU, confiscated banners and installed themselves in the roof of the Uni for surveillance.
– Postering around Berlin, stickers on Jabalia Institute, and graffiti on HU buildings.
– Red paint on Hertie School Venue
Activists protested the invitation of Boris Pistorius, the German defense Minister, as a speaker at the Hertie School’s 20th anniversary celebration. By throwing red paint at the site of the venue and spray painting “Stop Arming Israel”, they manifested against one of the main responsibles for German weapons exports to Israel.
Day 2 Recap
– Deplatforming War Criminals @Hertie
Students of the Hertie School protested during Boris Pistorius’ speech by playing a soundtrack with sounds of Rafah and the names of Palestinian children killed by Israhell from various speakers. They also distributed flyers to inform the audience on the complicity of the German defense industry in the genocide.
-Critical Speeches @Hertie
Students of the Hertie School took to the stage during its 20th anniversary forum to speak critically of its management. They held speeches on the school’s ties to Hebrew University, decolonizing education, oppression of critical students, including more world views and the incomplete core values of the university.
-Academics Mobilize for Hope @FU The final event of the Palestine Lecture Series at the Muslim Graduate School provided a singular space actually centering resistance – from Ilan Pappé’s reminder that we are not observers but active participants in the process of decolonization, Sherene Seikaly’s input on tools for organising in resistance, to the organising students’ call to action in solidarity with Jabalia: No more business as usual, no more silencing voices for Palestinians. Disrupt, disrupt, disrupt!
-The graffiti Fairies moved to FU! Decorating the Presidents House, the Main Entrance and the “Theater der Gewalt/of Violence” where police violently evicted the Solidarity Encampment last month.
-We call – zionists answer! @FU Unfortunately, our graffiti fairies were not the only ones out at night at HU. Antideutsche oversprayed some of the graffitis, and sprayed islamophobic graffitis aswell as “Thank you IDF” Tags around the campus. While the anti-zionist graffiti was removed ASAP, FU didnt put as much effort into removing the islamophobic and anti-palestinian graffitis… As of now, FU Administration has not (ever) made any meaningful declarations on dealing with anti-muslim and anti-palestinian racism.
Day 3 Recap
– Flash Action @ASH
Students of ASH dropped a banner „Free Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Kurdistan – Resist “ and threw flyers (demands from „notinourname_ash“ and scholasticide/ Flyers for Palestine) over the mensa and into the mailboxes of the presidents/chefs.
-Inauguration of People‘s school for Palestine
The people’s school for Palestine, a weekly get together covering various thematics connected to the Palestinian liberation struggle, has been inaugurated! The school aims at cultivating a practice of radical pedagogy and breaking the dynamics of institutional gatekeeping. Stay tuned on instagram @notinourname_udk and @notinourname_tu.
-Teach-In: “Student Movement Across Borders” @UdK
Aiming at broadening the scope of the student movement, the teach-in provided a space for learning lessons from and exchanging with activists from the New School Encampment.
-Film Screening „Omar“ @TU
The outcome was impressive at the screening of „Omar“ hosted by the collective notinourname TU. After 2 hours of smiles, frowns, gasps and maybe even a tear, an open discussion dissected questions raised by the film, such as the representation of feminism in an intersectional anti-colonial struggle.
-Graffiti Fairies @ HU, BHT, CHARITÉ and Sparkasse Friedrichshain .
Day 4 Recap
– Mensa Audio Disruption @FU
A ten minute long audio of bombing sounds and names and ages of children killed in gaza disrupted the lunchbreak of those still turning a blind eye to the horrors of the genocide.
-Reading Circle @TU / People’s School for Palestine
In the first iteration of the People’s School for Palestine, the participants discussed an interview of Palestinian guerrilla leader Ghassan Kanafani and the preface of Ilan Pappé’s “Ten Myths about Israel”.
-Banner Drop & Audio Disruption in Theater of Violence feat. zionists and police @FU. Shortly after the Mensa Disruption, students dropped a banner. Spontaneously, other students who disrupted the Mensa, decided to join in and replay the audio file. Immediately, zionist counter protestors showed up, trying to destroy the speakers.
-Open Meeting @HU
Upon the invitation of the HU collective, students reflected on the Jabalia Institute Occupation 3 weeks ago and shared their experiences and reflections of this action.
-Guest speech at Teach-In @Goldsmith Encampment
A transnational conversation about encampments around the world between Europe and the US gave a place to share ideas and tactics.
Day 5 Recap
-Disrupting Grimm @HU. No more business as usual! An activist disrupted Grimm Library at HU Berlin, throwing flyers informing on the scholasticide in Gaza.
-Workshop – researching ties of universities @HU. The HU collective invited to a workshop on how to research ties of Universities to Israeli and Military Institutions.
-Cops with ARs @TU. A regular sight at FU, cops start being more present at other universities: Thursday at ASH, Friday at TU – and this time they were carrying ARs??!
-Flashmob @Kreuzberg🔥
A group of activists from different groups and contexts spontaneously decided to disrupt the Football Watching in Kreuzberg, barricading streets and lighting fires!
Day 6 Recap
-Solidarity with Palestine demo: Starting from Südkreuz and ending at O. Platz the people gathered to protest the ongoing genocide taking place in Gaza. Police, once again brutally charged and arrested people, one demonstrator apparently lost consciousness .
-O. Platz exchange on Pro Palestinian activism , sharing experiences.
The O. Platz info stand organised by the Anticolonial Front enabled knowledge transfer between different encampments both on and off university ground, with a representative from the student encampment in Ghent sharing some experiences from the great successes of their action (Ghent university cut all academic ties with Israeli universities) and starting a broader conversation about Palestine activism.
-After-Demo-Care Event @TU. Members of the SCB hosted an after-demo care event, with food, music and a safe-space in which to rest and come together for activities like a poetry open mic.
