Saturday, 13 December 2008 | Demonstration against everyday racism, Neo-Nazis and for a new Afro-shop downtown | Start 13:00 | Jakobi-Kirchhof (Göttingen)
With our Powers combined – Call for demonstration
After the night from Friday to Saturday, the 27.09.2008, when the Afro-shop of Joseph M. in the street Ritterplan was flame-cut, a first powerful demonstration took place under the motto "Solidarity with Joseph M. | Solidarity with the victims of everyday racism." on the 30.09. It was particularly against the racist taunts, which Joseph was exposed to in the previous months from his landlord von W., and against everyday racism of the German society in general. Joseph situation hasn`t changed much after this demonstration same as nothing has changed concerning everyday racism with which Joseph and others are confronted. That's the reason why we go back onto the streets on December, 13th to express our demand for a new Afro-Shop and to remind of the events which - apparently welcome - seem to be forgotten.
Events before the fire
A Reminder: When the 54-year-old publisher von W. became the owner of the shop premises and thus landlord of Joseph - virtually overnight - in January 2008, a threat scenario was raised against the operator of the Afro-shops, which even sharpened in the following months. Following the refusal by Joseph to accept a totally unfounded increase in rent by 40% , the landlord began a massive defamation campaign and direct threats against Joseph. His repertoire ranged from unsubstantiated denunciations to public authorities in the city to a "cry for help" to the NPD Goettingen, which they launched on their website under the title racist "Goettinger landlord has a nigger problem". With the backup of his new allies, von W. insulted and threatened the customers of the Afro-shop and Joseph himself. In the weeks before the flame-cut the threat scenario continuously raised: Neo-Nazis appeared in the store. Moreover, racist slogans were sprayed onto the outside wall of the Afro-Shop. When Joseph called the police in these situations, they either appeared not at all or only hours later, and if so, they tried to inhibit complaints against von W. with an appeasement strategy. After many further threats, the shop bursted into flames and with an estimated loss of 60,000 Euros, the livelihood of Joseph was destroyed.
What happened after the fire…
The racist offenses and aggression didn’t stop after the fire – which realized von W.’s apparent desire for a “closed” Afro-Shop. Neo-Nazi showed up in the hallway to Joseph’s apartment in the days following the fire and racist slogans were sprayed onto the outside walls of the house he lives in. Therefore, also Joseph's neighbourhood felt threatened.
The police aren’t interested in the racist context preceding the fire. They are merely interested in the technical defect which is supposed to be the cause of the fire. The officers arriving at the burning Afro-Shop didn’t inform Joseph at all. When he wanted to open up his shop the next day, he stood there, left alone in front of the ashes of his existence. What happens after that is a showcase of ignorance and disinterest presented by the police. Joseph’s demand for information about the causes of the fire is reacted upon with silence and unwillingness to help him out. It is only because of massive pressure created by ver.di, Linkspartei and various other leftist groups that Joseph finally gets the personal protection he needs – alas only for one night.
Whatever the cause of the fire – be it arson or a technical defect – one thing is for sure: The racist context can’t be phased out. It has to be named and brought into a public discourse which presents itself through ignorance and an unwillingness to take action. The fact that the “Göttinger Tageblatt” hardly reported about the case is a mere example of this ignorance.
The context: Racism in everyday life
Joseph’s situation is not a singularity. In Germany racist assaults occur virtually on a daily basis (e.g. August 2007 in Mügeln) and Neo-Nazis show up more and more in Towns and Cities (as recently is the case in Göttingen). This is merely possible because of the silence which is kept by the masses of people living in Germany and due to the widespread racist tendencies within German society. Exemplifications symptomatic to this are not merely von W.’s behaviour who publishes a renowned magazine which is popular with big parts of the cultural scene in Göttingen on the one hand and the fact – besides his good connections to the Neo-Naziscene – that he choose the lawyer K. Kunze from Uslar as his attorney, who is well known for defending Neonazis and writing in the right-wing Newspaper “Junge Freiheit” on the other hand; but also the silence surrounding Göttingen which describes itself as a liberal city open to everyone and the ignorance coming from the police. It probably isn't coincidence that those who deport illegalised people in the early morning, are not able to show any kind of sensibility and sensitivity towards a victim of racist defamations and offences. Joseph is struck in an especially hard way by the racism forming everyday life in this society: Through the aggressive behaviour coming from his tenant von W. and through the apathy coming from the institutions and the public discourse. Even more reasons to show our solidarity with Joseph!
It is not acceptable for us that the Afro-Shop is being driven out of the city by a cooperation of racism and apathy.
That is why we demand the support of a new Afro-Shop in the downtown area of Göttingen – also by the local government.
With our powers combined: Break the silence!
No space for Neo-Nazis and other kind of racists!
V.i.S.d.P.: K. Miller, Kasseler Landstraße, 15, 37081 Göttingen