Mohamed Abla gives back award in solidarity with #Gaza and calls on other artists to take action
#Egypt #Germany #Activism #Genocide #Art
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/war-gaza-egyptian-artist-returns-goethe-medal-over-germanys-complicity-israeli-aggression
https://mastodon.social/@nbrandsberg/112050004355268819 nbrandsberg@mastodon.social - Frankfurt am Main skyline sunset abstract at sunset, available here:
https://www.pictorem.com/984178/Frankfurt Germany Skyline Abstract.html
#germany #frankfurt #skyline #sunset #cityskyline #architecture #europe #fineart #sunset #landscapephotography #photography #landscapes #landscape #travel #travelphotography #buyintoart #ayearforart #nature #MastoArt #elegantfinephotography #normabrandsberg
Nic Houghton on X: "Periodically we hear how difficult it can be to adapt to life in Germany, with making friends, the language, and the bureaucracy considered the most difficult aspects. However, going through the data, I've found that the hardest thing is often never mentioned. https://t.co/Tx966N3W3A" / X
Hahaha
#germany
https://twitter.com/40PercentGerman/status/1765641031264186457
Nur mal so ...
Auschwitz Memorial
@auschwitzmuseum@mastodon.world
6 March 1936 | Dutch Jewish boy, Hartog Levie, was born in Amsterdam.
6 März 1936 | Der niederländische jüdische Junge Hartog Levie wurde in Amsterdam geboren.
In November 1943 he was deported to Auschwitz from Westerbork. He was murdered in a gas chamber after arrival selection.
Im November 1943 wurde er von Westerbork aus nach Auschwitz deportiert. Nach der Selektion bei der Ankunft wurde er in einer Gaskammer ermordet.
Image description / Bildbeschreibung:
Photo of a young boy. You can see his torso and head. On his head he is wearing a railwayman's cap and in his hand is a stick ending in a white circle - used by railwaymen.
Foto eines kleinen Jungen. Man kann seinen Oberkörper und seinen Kopf sehen. Auf dem Kopf trägt er eine Eisenbahner-Mütze und in der Hand hält er einen Stock, der in einem weißen Kreis endet und von Eisenbahnern benutzt wird.
#Auschwitz #Birkenau #Holocaust #Shoah #Jews #history #Germany #otd
#OriginalArticle: Nach tragischem Tod von Mia Sophie Lietke: Obduktionsergebnis steht fest
A little more than three months after the tragic death of gymnast Mia Sophie Lietke, the autopsy results are available.
"According to the report from the institution conducting the autopsy, the autopsy carried out on the athlete revealed that the cause of death was a bilateral pulmonary artery embolism, which led to acute right heart failure," said Prof. Dr. med. Andreas M. Nieß, Medical Director of the University Hospital of Tübingen. "A clear cause for this event could not be proven."
▫️ According to the publication, the agency has until April 1 to develop a conscription model "that makes a scalable, threat-adapted contribution to national resilience".
▫️ Pistorius wants to reintroduce conscription before the national elections in autumn 2025.
▫️ A realistic number of conscripts, which Pistorius expressed behind the scenes at the Munich Security Conference, is 3,000-4,000.
▫️ According to the publication, the agency has until April 1 to develop a conscription model "that makes a scalable, threat-adapted contribution to national resilience".
▫️ Pistorius wants to reintroduce conscription before the national elections in autumn 2025.
▫️ A realistic number of conscripts, which Pistorius expressed behind the scenes at the Munich Security Conference, is 3,000-4,000.
#politics #justice #international-law #igh #gaza #israel #germany #weapons-deliveries
The Government of Reconciliation and National Unity informs the people of Nicaragua and the international community that it has today filed a complaint before the International Court of Justice against the Federal Republic of Germany for violations of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols; the non-derogable principles of international humanitarian law; and other peremptory norms of general international law with respect to the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly the Gaza Strip. (...)
With all the publicly available news and video footage of the atrocities as they occurred, together with the statements of international officials and the Court's decision of 26 January 2024, Germany can demonstrate its knowledge of the atrocities. January 2024, Germany cannot deny its knowledge of the grave unlawfulness of Israel's conduct, nor can it deny that this knowledge creates obligations for Germany under international law to prevent genocide, not to provide aid or assistance or to be complicit in genocide, and to ensure compliance with the rules of international humanitarian law and other peremptory norms of international law, such as not providing aid or assistance. For example, not to provide aid or assistance and to prevent the illegal apartheid regime and the denial of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination.
Germany has supported Israel politically, financially and militarily, although it knew at the time of the authorization that the military equipment would be used to commit serious violations of international law. (...)
Germany is aware of the deadly practical consequences of its decision to cut funding to UNRWA, which amounts to a collective punishment of millions of Palestinians, especially the population of the Gaza Strip, as they are condemned to starvation, starvation and disease if UNRWA ceases its activities.
Faced with this situation, Nicaragua sent a note verbale to Germany on February 2, 2024, in which it called on its government to immediately stop supplying arms, ammunition, technology and/or components to Israel and to remind the country of its obligations under international law. Nicaragua also complained about Germany's decision to suspend funding for UNRWA. Regrettably, the deliveries of military weapons and other supplies that can be used for the injustices committed have neither stopped nor decreased. On the contrary, they have increased and are now contributing to the fact that UNRWA will soon have to cease its activities due to a lack of funds.
Germany continues to ignore its obligations and actively supports Israel's violations of the norms of international law, to the grave and direct detriment of the Palestinian people, especially the residents of Gaza, and the international community. (...)
- https://www.jungewelt.de/artikel/470587.nicaragua-reicht-klage-gegen-deutschland-wegen-beihilfe-zum-v%C3%B6lkermord-ein.html
translation by deepl
Germany’s much lauded ‘memory culture’ is pure, empty, self-congratulatory propaganda.
Published On 1 Mar 20241 Mar 2024
I am a #Jewish #pro-Palestine solidarity activist originally from the #NewYork area and now based in #Berlin. My #grandmother was a #Holocaust survivor from #Cologne who fled to the #UnitedStates during the Second World War at the age of 16. Her parents and much of her family were murdered during the Holocaust. I came “back” to #Germany about five years ago, a decision born largely out of the desire for intergenerational healing for me and for my grandmother, who was alive at the time. I learned German and was able to speak to her in her native language in the last few years of her life. I told her stories about living in Germany, she met some of my friends and she was grateful for the ways in which the country and its people had apparently evolved and atoned for their ugly history.
I am glad she died before I had the opportunity to recognise what a naive, idealistic delusion this was.
In the past few years as I have educated myself, become active in the movement for #Palestinian #liberation and extracted myself from the extreme #Zionist conditioning and #brainwashing baked into the fabric of my upbringing, my appreciation for German “Erinnerungskultur” (“memory culture”) has steeply devolved into the realisation that the entire concept is pure, empty, self-congratulatory propaganda. It is grounded in the intentional, racist displacement of anti-Semitism and responsibility for the Holocaust from the Germans who perpetuated it to the #Arabs, #Muslims and, above all, the #Palestinians, who they now demonise and scapegoat as a deflection and distraction.
A documentary from 1985, Ma’loul Celebrates Its Destruction, provides an account of the destruction of entire villages during the 1948 #Nakba. In it, an interviewer says to a Palestinian man who was displaced: “But they killed six million Jews.” His rightful response is, “Did I kill them? Those who killed them must be held accountable. I haven’t hurt a fly.” The fact that a truth this fundamental has been so deeply buried in the language of “complexity” and “conflict” is a testament to the commitment and breadth of the imperialist narrative disseminated by Israel, the #US and #Germany (and the #West in general). Meanwhile, more than 90 percent of all anti-Semitic incidents in Germany are attributable to the #far-right despite the media’s rampant efforts to ignore statistics, skew the reality of the violence and racism directed at Palestinians, and disguise the true apathy towards the so-called “fight against anti-Semitism”.
While actual incidents of anti-Semitism go largely unpunished, those of us standing in solidarity with Palestine are accustomed to brutal, state-sanctioned violence, repression and surveillance from police and the German government in response to peaceful #protests and #boycotts. This has intensified massively since the #genocide in #Gaza began in October, regularly under the guise of accusations of anti-Semitism and “Judenhass” (“hatred of Jews”). We are accordingly committed to remaining loud and visible, including through our refusal to be excluded from the fight against rising fascism and the extreme-right Alternative for Germany party ( #AfD ).
On February 3, I attended an #anti-AfD demonstration in Berlin as part of the pro-Palestinian bloc with the revolutionary #Marxist group #Sozialismus #von #Unten (“Socialism from Below”), in which I am an active member. I had quite a bit of trepidation about going to this protest after the violent, racist and disturbing experiences of my Palestinian and pro-Palestinian comrades at anti-AfD protests over the past few weeks. Folks protesting the AfD while showing solidarity with Palestine have been ruthlessly harassed, attacked, reported to the police and violently removed by both demonstrators and cops all over Germany.
In general, the #mood was positive, and there seemed to be more of a tangible solidarity in comparison with the earlier demonstrations. I stood with a sign that read, “ #Juedin #gegen die #AfD und #Zionismus, #fuer ein #freies #Palaestina” (“ #Jew #against the #AfD and #Zionism, #for a #free #Palestine”). We handed out flyers encouraging a strategic and systematic mobilisation against the AfD. We spoke to demonstrators about the link between fighting fascism and fighting for Palestinian liberation. We explained that Palestinians in Palestine are currently suffering under the fascist policies we are demonstrating against in Germany, and in Germany, Palestinians and those standing in solidarity with them are already experiencing the concrete infringement and denial of #fundamental #human #rights ( #freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly). We emphasised the importance of unconditional, #international #solidarity.
Some were cautious about engaging, ostensibly out of concern for being viewed as anti-Semitic, but many were curious, interested and open to learning. As much as the mainstream media have tried to distort and mangle news of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, a recent poll showed that among German voters, only 25 percent answered in the affirmative when asked if they believe Israel’s attacks on Gaza are justified; 61 percent believe they are not. The latter cohort was clearly represented at the demonstration.
After about an hour, I came into contact with a representative of the 25 percent of that poll. An older German man with an aggressive expression approached me, stopped in front of me and half-shouted, “So what do you think the #similarities are #between the #AfD and #Israel?” I could tell he had no intention of engaging in a reasonable conversation but nonetheless began trying to explain. After a few words, he rolled his eyes and spat at me.
It is hard to describe the particular shade of red I saw, the sourness of the blood pumping to my head, the bitterness of the fury on my tongue. It looked like the lifeless faces of my great-grandparents at the mercy of #Nazis, deported and murdered in the #Warsaw #Ghetto as they have appeared in my dreams since I was a child. It felt like the fierceness with which I will unconditionally defend the Palestinian resistance, the right of every people to resist their oppressor in any single form, until my last breath. It tasted like the rage and incredulity that have boiled in the corners of all of our mouths as we scream at the top of our lungs, watching the world passively observe the slaughter of Palestinian men, women and children for more than four and a half months – silent, complicit and accompanied by the relentless echo of more than #75 #years of #occupation, #apartheid, #theft, #ethnicCleansing, #lies, #dehumanisation and unforgivable #injustice.
I ran after the man, shouting at him that my family was murdered because of fascism during a genocide – in response to which he spat at me again.
He goaded me: “What do you know? The AfD is a fascist party. What does that have to do with Israel?” I began to state the obvious – “Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza as we speak …” – but didn’t finish my sentence before he spat in my face for a third time.
As I was shaking, incensed and disgusted, my final comment was, “You are clearly an anti-Semite.” Up to this point in the interaction, he had been condescending and full of contempt, but (as I knew it would) this final shot sent him into a blind rage. As I turned and walked away, he shrieked: “WHAT did you say to me?”
A friend of mine recently said to me, “The #Germans will #never #forgive the #Jews for the #Holocaust.” These words have rung in my ears and sat in my chest with nowhere in particular to go, a hard, ugly truth at the core of German society that precisely reflects my experience living in it. It is bewildering, it is comical, and it is accurate.
From the neo-Nazis of the AfD to “anti-Deutsche” leftists who claim to be combatting German anti-Semitism by obsessively and unconditionally supporting Zionism, many of today’s Germans are brimming with repressed rage towards Jews. Whether they are aware of it or not, this is resoundingly apparent in the deep, hysterical hypocrisy of a reaction such as that of the man at the demonstration – spitting in a Jewish person’s face for standing against fascism and genocide on the basis of her personal, generational relationship to fascism and genocide and becoming enraged at being identified as an anti-Semite accordingly.
This fury is seemingly a reaction to the “injustice” of Germans having to repent for the actions of their ancestors, something they have been widely celebrated for on the global stage. The #resentment takes the form of #narrowmindedness and #bigotry: The only acceptable concepts of #Judaism, #Jewish people and “Jewish life” are those they themselves, #non-Jewish Germans, explicitly sign off on. (Refer to the “anti-Semitism commissioners” claiming to represent the interests of Jewish people in Germany – not a single one of whom is Jewish or an expert in any relevant or related field.) For many Germans, the only palatable Judaism is Zionism, which in fact is no kind of Judaism at all. When forced to contend with perspectives in conflict with this toxic narrative or with Jewishness that doesn’t align with their understanding of it, their anger surfaces violently, explosively. “Anti-Deutsche” weaponise the fetishisation of Jews through their obsessive Zionism to an extreme degree, spearheading aggressive hate and smear campaigns against those who do not share their views (including anti-Zionist Jewish people). How dare anyone, most of all Jews, call into question the authority of Germans in defining and relating to Judaism, anti-Semitism and genocide.
The sick, decades-long collaboration between Israel and Germany and the widespread assertion that Israel’s security is “Germany’s reason of state”(“Staatsraeson”), which upholds Zionist socialisation in the interests of political, racist ends, has created an atmosphere of fear, shame, guilt and ultimately self-righteousness that permeates much of German society. It punishes questions, dissuades education and quashes the necessary understanding of Judaism as a broad, differentiated and historically diasporic culture that existed long before Zionism – and will exist long after.
This designation of all Jews and all Judaism as a single uniform entity, necessarily speaking the same language (modern Hebrew), holding the same values (Zionism) and sharing an identical culture (which in Germany, must be determined by Germans), is, in fact, the precise definition of #anti-Semitic, #Nazistic #racial #segregation and the othering, dehumanising rhetoric they employed in its service. The rigid and inherently anti-Semitic conception of Jews as an undifferentiated people “native” to one land, characterised by the nationalist settler-colonial Zionist movement, has merely served as a #continuation of #Hitler’s #work. It has erased secular Judaism in Europe. It has #eradicated the #Yiddish, #Ladino, #Judeo-Arabic, #Judeo-Persian and #other #Hebraic #languages. Eighty years after the Holocaust, it has succeeded in upholding the view of Jews as a monolith, a foreign nuisance separate from German society, the attempted annihilation of whom can now be exploited to justify the annihilation of another group.
The #tradition of #policing #Jewishness has been passed down in Germany for generations now, which, as in the case of the man at the anti-AfD demonstration, revolves not just around an established, homogenous definition of Jews but, crucially, also the exclusive right and obligation of the Germans to dictate it.
So what are we left with? I believe we can see it in our aforementioned statistic. The majority of Germans know, despite what they have been raised and conditioned to believe, that at the very least, what is going on in Gaza is wrong. Many can see that there is something significant and conspicuous missing in the mainstream narrative around anti-Semitism, Israel and Palestine. I would venture that the majority of those in the streets marching against the AfD are doing it because they genuinely want to stand on the right side of history. Meanwhile, what is in reality a minority is simply louder, angrier and more visible in propagating their anti-Arab, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian racism, anti-Semitism and pro-genocide views and, in being so, intimidate the rest into docile silence.
#No #one in the mainstream German #media has reported on my experience at the anti-AfD protest. Given the cultural context, this is not a surprise. But highlighting this hypocrisy and the prevailing, ever-more destructive narratives illustrated by such an incident represents a powerful opportunity for education and empowerment. Calling out the root causes and social backdrop of this moment make them available and necessary for all to grapple with. As so many are stepping into the streets, it is our responsibility to arm them with the facts as fuel, to enable every single person to raise their voice and know decisively what they speak for and what they speak against. We will continue – with more resolve than ever – in the fight for a free Palestine and in mobilising in this way against racism, Zionism, (actual) anti-Semitism, fascism and genocide. We will repeat it again and again until the rhythm of our words becomes the heartbeat of a society that attempts to snuff out our resistance but will ultimately fail at doing so: Never again means never again for anybody.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
A most wanted man: Fugitive Wirecard COO Jan Marsalek exposed as decade-long GRU spy https://theins.press/en/politics/269612
Fugitive Wirecard COO Jan Marsalek wasn’t just responsible for Germany’s largest financial fraud in history. He was also a decade-long Russian spy.
And the fact she openly (and probably proudly) talking about it makes it even worse.
Last week, the Israeli director Udi Aloni said:
It seems like there is a new form of antisemitism in Germany, that no one calls antisemitism: the censorship of progressive intellectual Jewish voices.
He admitted that he was afraid to quote Walter Benjamin or Franz Rosenzweig in this country
because I might get canceled«. It seems German politicians don’t want us to hear these speeches. They cannot defend the reality – so they try to avoid discussions about it. We must hear Israelis and Palestinians when they stand together to call for equality and peace.
#Germany #Israel #Palestine #Racism #Politics #WTAF
@palestine group
#politics #art #film #festival #berlinale #antisemitism #censorship #mccarthyism #strikegermany
Mc Carthyism - Made in Germany:
The Berlinale film festival ended on Saturday evening with a gala, but if you read the German press, it was actually a »scandal«. The speeches were »alarming«, »shameful«, and »frightening«, full of »Israel hatred« and »antisemitism«. What had happened?
Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra, an Israeli and a Palestinian, won an award for their documentary film »No Other Land«. Abraham spoke for just 36 seconds:
»In two days, we will go back to a land where we are not equal. I am living under a civilian law, and Basel is under military law. We live 30 minutes from one another, but I have voting rights, and Basel is not having voting rights. I am free to move where I want in this land. Basel is, like millions of Palestinians, locked in the occupied West Bank. This situation of apartheid between us, this inequality, it has to end.«
His co-producer Adra took just 21 seconds: »I'm here celebrating the award, but also very hard for me to celebrate when there are tens of thousands of my people being slaughtered and massacred by Israel in Gaza. Masafer Yatta, my community, is being also razed by Israeli bulldozers. I ask one thing from Germany, as I am in Berlin here, to respect the UN calls and stop sending weapons to Israel.«
These are sober statements of liberal democratic principles. Who would dare to contradict? Should systematic inequality based on ethnicity (known in international law as »apartheid«) continue? Should Germany keep ignoring UN resolutions?
An Israeli and a Palestinian stood together against the militaristic logic of both Likud and Hamas. It's an inspiring message – yet I have not found a single German publication that has quoted them in full.
Rather than engaging in debate, German politicians are demanding censorship. Olaf Scholz and his top cultural bureaucrat Claudia Roth each called the speeches »shockingly one-sided«. Justice minister Marco Buschmann called for »criminal consequences«. Even Anne Helm of the Left Party declared that »a line has been crossed«.
Berlin's mayor Kai Wegner called this an »unacceptable relativization« and declared that »there is no space for antisemitism in Berlin, and that also applies to the art scene.« This is the same Wegner who just two weeks ago said the AfD will be included in future editions of the Berlinale. The politicians of the in some federal states officially far right party had been disinvited following protests, but the mayor is demanding »equal treatment« for them. In other words, for Wegner, literal far right politicians are OK, but critical Israelis are not welcome.
Over the years, Berlinale has hosted some spectacular Israeli documentaries. Good films need to be critical of the reality they are trying to portray. If all criticism of Israel is rejected as antisemitic, then no one will dare to invite Israeli directors for fear they might say something negative about their government. What will be left at Berlinale? Just Tatort episodes and Netanyahu campaign ads?
German politicians are claiming this will cause »damage to the Berlinale«. The opposite is the case: their demands for extreme censorship are a mortal threat to Berlin's art scene. Do they even realize how far outside the global mainstream they are? In calling for a ceasefire, Saturday's prizewinners were saying what the whole world except for Germany is saying – even Joe Biden has been mumbling about it.
Once again, we see how this virulent solidarity with Israel comes at the expense of Jewish life in Germany. What do we call this ferocious desire to silence Jews who don't comply with the German Staatsräson? Last week, the Israeli director Udi Aloni said: »It seems like there is a new form of antisemitism in Germany, that no one calls antisemitism: the censorship of progressive intellectual Jewish voices.« He admitted that he was afraid to quote Walter Benjamin or Franz Rosenzweig in this country »because I might get canceled«.
It seems German politicians don't want us to hear these speeches. They cannot defend the reality – so they try to avoid discussions about it. We must hear Israelis and Palestinians when they stand together to call for equality and peace.
- https://www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/1180340.antisemitism-berlinale-filmmakers-say-what-the-rest-of-the-world-is-saying.html
Featuring Emily Dische-Becker on how Germany became attached to a wildly narcissistic anti-antisemitism and Israeli proxy nationalism that have made it one of the most anti-Palestinian governments on earth.
#antizionism #europe #israel #germany #palestine #zionism #repression #dische-becker
#querfront #antifa #antideutsche #antisemitismus #philosemitismus #zionismus #instrumentalisierung #narzismus
ever experienced these wonderful #job-interview s ?
not so bad a #movie
#the-employer
https://yewtu.be/watch?v=J5KeAoqe1hs
my brother has been working for decades in #hr #human-resources ... nsfw about what he is thinking about these guys and gals (and forget about #trade-unions in #germany ... just accomplices ...no words...)
I had to endure it as a normal employee ... just read this.... what a revelation ... haha.... really ? :)
#women #psychopaths #bullying #harassment
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/feb/26/more-women-may-be-psychopaths-than-previously-thought-says-expert
Claudia Schiffer & Chip | 📷 Luigi Iango | Vogue Germany, 2024
#Photo #Fashion #ClaudiaSchiffer #LuigiIango #Vogue #Germany #CATURDAY
