Occupy Germany

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Occupy Frankfurt; Demonstration on October 22, 2011 in front of the Deutsche Bank headquarters

Occupy Germany ( English for occupied Germany ) was the German part of the Occupy movement and the generic term for Occupy initiatives in Germany.

Occupy Germany is modeled on the American Occupy Wall Street movement, which occupied New York's Zuccotti Park near Wall Street from mid-September to mid-November 2011 . All Occupy movements demand, for example, that social inequalities , speculative transactions by banks and the influence of the economy on politics should be combated. However, there are no concrete demands from the heterogeneous movement. The protesters see themselves as representatives of the bottom 99% who oppose the richest 1% of the population.

Own representation

Occupy Germany presents itself on its website as a movement primarily linked via the Internet without hierarchies or leaders, which makes the difference to a party or other organization. We are convinced that we have to inform and discuss fundamental problems in the economic, political and social system, what constitutes the connecting factor. Occupy Germany wants to educate people, look for possible solutions and work towards changes "through the pressure of the masses of the population". The social rules would have to be reconsidered.

Special feature of the situation in Germany

The economist Thomas Straubhaar denied a permanent chance for the German Occupy movement, since the framework conditions with a developed welfare state , lower unemployment and minimal inflation are better for the average German citizen than in the country of origin of the movement, the United States. Political scientist Lothar Probst also emphasized these international differences and the “relatively stable” situation in Germany. The economic crisis did not hit people's everyday lives as dramatically as in other countries. Stefan Ellinghaus, deputy head of the Bremen State Center for Political Education , agreed with this assessment. The protest had to reach other sections of the population in order to develop the same intensity as in the USA or Spain.

Occupy Germany in cities

Occupy Düsseldorf; Demonstration on October 15, 2011

In mid-October 2011 there were Occupy initiatives across Germany in the following cities: Frankfurt am Main , Berlin , Hamburg , Munich , Düsseldorf , Karlsruhe , Saarbrücken , Cologne , Nuremberg , Oldenburg , Erfurt , Heidelberg , Lübeck , Aachen , Bremen , Kiel , Osnabrück , Bonn , Münster , Bochum , Dresden , Zeulenroda , Hanover and Stuttgart as well as ten other cities or regions. The number of participants in the individual cities is initially imprecise or unknown, as there are also online activists and supporters who do not necessarily have to be involved in the protests on the street. However, estimates of the number of participants in the demonstrations are available from both the police and the organizers.

Course of the demonstrations

Marching demonstrators on the square in front of the ECB in Frankfurt on October 16, 2011
Occupy Camp on the Berlin Kapelle-Ufer on November 19, 2011
Protest Occupy in Frankfurt
Detail Occupy Frankfurt

The center of the protests in Germany was the banking metropolis of Frankfurt am Main, the seat of various banking centers, the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the European Central Bank . According to political scientist Michael Zürn , this shows the change in the global culture of protest, which is no longer directed against national governments, but against supranational regulations and institutions.

Demonstrations took place on October 15, 2011, an international day of action going back to the Spanish movement Democracia Real Ya , in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich , Cologne, Düsseldorf and Stuttgart. Around 40,000 people in 50 cities across Germany took part. In Frankfurt am Main around 5000 demonstrators marched in front of the European Central Bank building and around 150 of them began to set up a tent camp there for an indefinite period of time (it was temporarily and peacefully evacuated by the police from May 16, 2012 to May 20).

In Hamburg, following a demonstration with 2000 participants, a protest camp against HSH Nordbank was started. In Berlin between 5,000 and 10,000 people moved in front of the Chancellery. Here, too, a tent camp was set up next to the Parochial Church. Another camp on the Berlin Federal Press Beach was set up three weeks later and was closed on January 9, 2012 at the instigation of the owner of the site, the Federal Real Estate Agency . Around 1,500 people demonstrated in Cologne, around 1,000 in Düsseldorf, and the same number in Leipzig . There were also demonstrations in the cities of Aachen, Bochum, Dortmund , Minden , Bielefeld , Paderborn and Solingen .

A week later, just before a European Council summit, the demonstrations were repeated . Between 7,500 and 10,000 participants gathered in Frankfurt, Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf and other cities. The main focus of the protests in Germany was again Frankfurt with at least 4,000 participants.

On October 29, there were again demonstrations in Frankfurt, Berlin and Düsseldorf, with less participation than in the previous weeks. Also in the fourth week, on November 5th, a demonstration with around 1200 participants went out from the Frankfurt camp.

Occupy action at Documenta on July 9, 2012 in Kassel
Action camp in Frankfurt am Main, Rebstock site on May 29, 2013

On November 12, 2011, demonstrators with the participation of the Occupy movement formed human chains around the Reichstag building in Berlin and Frankfurt's banking district . Up to 10,000 people took part in Frankfurt and up to 8,000 in Berlin. An alliance of the organizations Attac , Campact and Naturefriends together with 25 other organizations called for the initiative. Representatives of the Occupy movement gave a speech at the closing rally in Berlin, which had previously been written in collaboration with the help of an EtherPad .

The German Occupy movement supported the Blockupy protests in Frankfurt am Main in May 2012. The police temporarily cleared the Frankfurt tent camp in front of the ECB in mid-May.

In July 2012, during the art exhibition dOCUMENTA (13) , Occupy activists built a terraced tent city in front of the Museum Fridericianum in Kassel .

Occupy Hamburg has been the last camp in Germany since November 2012.

In May and June 2013, Occupy took part in the new Blockupy edition and this time posted their tents on the grounds at Rebstockbad.

Reception in German politics

In Germany, the globalization-critical network Attac and politicians from the Left Party , including Klaus Ernst , Sahra Wagenknecht and Oskar Lafontaine , called for support for the protests. Politicians such as the General Secretary of the SPD and later Minister of Labor Andrea Nahles , the member of the European Parliament Sven Giegold , the former parliamentary group leader in the German Bundestag, Renate Künast (both Alliance 90 / The Greens) and the then chairman of the German trade union federation Michael Sommer (SPD) expressed solidarity deal with the protests.

The German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble expressed understanding for the movement, he observed it "with great attention" and took the protests "very seriously". The Chancellor herself also expressed “great understanding” for the protests. Die Zeit wrote on October 22nd, 2011: "A maximally broad coalition seems to have formed that supports the protests, be it out of genuine conviction or tactical opportunism."

Joachim Gauck , later Federal President and former Federal Commissioner for Stasi documents, called the current "anti-capitalism debate" ( South German ) "unspeakably silly". The dream of a world in which one can get rid of the binding of markets is a romantic idea. Alluding to the state banks in the GDR , he questioned whether deposits are safer when the financial economy is run by politicians.

Presumed zeitgeist influence and entitlement to representation

The taz warned under the heading "The Dark Side of Bank protest" against "subversion" of the Occupy movement through an "obscure US organization" called Zeitgeist Movement , the former "activist arm" of the so-called Venus project . According to one of the Occupy organizers , who is part of this movement, around 25 of the protesters in the tents in front of the ECB are Zeitgeist supporters. In Frankfurt they reacted “allergically to parties and unions” and, according to the taz , banned their flags and symbols in the camp. The Zeitgeist movement believes in "clear, scientific" answers to social questions and relies on the "guru" Peter Joseph , who propagates an "obscure mixture of criticism of religion, esotericism and conspiracy theories ". Der Spiegel portrayed the “activist” Wolfram Siener, who appeared in various media as a spokesman for the Occupy movement . Siener is referring to the second and third of Joseph's Zeitgeist films, in which the monetary and interest rate policy of the USA is criticized and which, according to the Spiegel , "drifts in parts into conspiracy theories". Less than a week later, Siener withdrew from the public and took a position on Facebook in December 2011 on the allegations. On the website of Occupy: Frankfurt it was made clear that the movement sees itself as a collective and rejects a hierarchical organization; A group of speakers is responsible for inquiries from the media. Occupy: Frankfurt published a critical podcast on the Zeitgeist movement.

literature

Web links

Commons : Occupy protests in Germany  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Commons : German-language banners of the Occupy movement  - collection of images, videos and audio files
 Wikinews: Occupy Movement  - On The News

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Spiegel Online on October 15, 2011: Global protests against banks. 99 percent stayed at home. Retrieved November 7, 2011 .
  2. ↑ Occupy Germany website: About us. Archived from the original on November 7, 2011 ; Retrieved November 7, 2011 .
  3. ^ Hamburger Abendblatt on October 18, 2011: German Occupy protest is not a mass movement. Retrieved November 13, 2011 .
  4. ^ Weser-Kurier on November 10th, 2011: Experts doubt the success of the Occupy movement. Retrieved November 13, 2011 .
  5. ^ Occupy Germany website: Occupy groups in Germany, as of October 16, 2011. Accessed March 23, 2019 .
  6. ^ Nordkurier on November 6, 2011: Political scientist: "Occupy" part of a globalized protest culture. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; Retrieved November 8, 2011 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.nordkurier.de  
  7. ^ Berliner Umschau on October 14, 2011: Global Protest Day on October 15. Retrieved November 10, 2011 .
  8. ↑ a b Süddeutsche Zeitung on October 15, 2011: Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, sometimes briefly occupied. Retrieved November 10, 2011 .
  9. ^ Manager magazine on October 16, 2011: Worldwide protest movement. Hundreds of thousands demonstrate against gambling banks. Retrieved October 17, 2011 .
  10. ^ Verena Hölzl: Occupy Frankfurt. War on the banks - peacefully. In: Frankfurter Rundschau. October 15, 2011, accessed October 16, 2011 .
  11. ↑ taz online on October 22, 2011: With a tent for a better world. Retrieved October 22, 2011 .
  12. ↑ zeit.de: The end of Germany's most famous campground
  13. ^ Hessischer Rundfunk on May 20, 2012: After the big demo. Camper back in front of the ECB. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 26, 2012 ; Retrieved May 20, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hr-online.de
  14. ^ NDR on October 21, 2011: Occupy Hamburg - a protest camp is growing. Archived from the original on October 22, 2011 ; Retrieved October 24, 2011 .
  15. ↑ [1]  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.attac.de  
  16. ↑ Social: World day of action against excesses of capitalism. In: Zeit Online. October 15, 2011, accessed October 16, 2011 .
  17. ^ The daily newspaper on November 6, 2011: Microcosm with gas stove. Retrieved November 8, 2011 .
  18. ^ FR Online on January 9, 2012: The Occupy activists leave their camp in peace. Retrieved January 13, 2012 .
  19. ^ SZ report: "Occupy" demonstrations in Germany: There are many and they are coming back. In: süddeutsche.de of October 22, 2011.
  20. ↑ n-tv on October 22, 2011: Occupy movement “not a flash in the pan”. 10,000 protest against banks. Retrieved October 22, 2011 .
  21. ^ Zeit Online on October 29, 2011: Occupy movement takes to the streets again. Retrieved October 30, 2011 .
  22. ^ Frankfurter Rundschau on November 5, 2011: With music and horns. Retrieved November 7, 2011 .
  23. ↑ NZZ Online on November 12, 2011: Demonstrators “surround” banks and government buildings. Retrieved November 12, 2011 .
  24. ^ Spiegel Online on November 12, 2011: Berlin and Frankfurt - Thousands demonstrate against the power of the banks. Retrieved November 12, 2011 .
  25. ^ Banks in their place - The Berlin speech of "occupy". (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 13, 2011 ; Retrieved July 13, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.alex11.org
  26. ↑ Welt Online on May 13, 2012: Occupy movement must vacate camps in front of the ECB. Retrieved May 16, 2012 .
  27. ↑ Zeit Online on July 8, 2012. Retrieved on August 28, 2012. ( Memento of the original from December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.zeit.de
  28. ^ Website of Occupy Hamburg. Online since October 15, 2011 , accessed June 23, 2013
  29. ^ Blockupy protest in Frankfurt: Crisis protest in the crisis. Retrieved July 5, 2013 .
  30. ^ Occupy is moving again. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; Retrieved July 5, 2013 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.hr-online.de  
  31. ↑ Left Party urges protests based on the US model. In: Focus on October 9, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2011 .
  32. ↑ Lafontaine calls for bank protests à la New York. In: Berliner Morgenpost on October 7, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2011 .
  33. ^ Movement October 15th. Politicians show solidarity with the protests. In: Zeit Online. October 15, 2011, accessed October 16, 2011 .
  34. ↑ Renate Künast at Welt Online on October 17, 2011: “We have no formal party decision on this. But we support the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement, which last weekend also called for widespread protests in Germany. ” Accessed October 17, 2011 .
  35. ↑ zeit.de: Be hugged, protesters! - Manageable on the street, huge in public: media and politics celebrate the Occupy movement with bizarre unanimity. How can that be?
  36. ^ Gauck finds the anti-capitalism debate silly. In: süddeutsche.de , October 17, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2011
  37. ^ Felix Dachsel: Occupy Movement: The Dark Side of the Bank Protest In: taz.de of October 21, 2011.
  38. ↑ Video Maybrit Illner: We can change something (Wolfram Siener, spokesman for the "Occupy Frankfurt" movement, in conversation with Maybrit Illner, October 13, 2011)  in the ZDFmediathek , accessed on February 3, 2014. (offline); Fabian Herrmann: Head of the day. Wolfram Siener - The angry milk face ( Memento from October 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) In: Financial Times Germany from October 16, 2011. Portrait.
  39. ↑ Stefan Schultz: Bank critic Wolfram Siener: Hope bearers of the "Generation Occupy" In: spiegel.de of October 16, 2011.
  40. ↑ http://www.fr-online.de/frankfurt/banken-protest-morddrohungen-gegen-occupy-anfuehrer,1472798,11020130.html ( Memento from July 30, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  41. ↑ facebook, public: Wolfram Siener, statements on the role of the Zeitgeist movement. Retrieved December 15, 2011 .
  42. ^ Occupy: Frankfurt; Press release of October 22, 2011. (PDF) Accessed October 23, 2011 .
  43. ^ Occupy: Frankfurt; Press release of October 27, 2011 (PDF) Accessed November 5, 2011 .