October 3, 1997, the seventh anniversary of the annexation of East Germany by the West, the reunification of “Great” Germany. A day of “celebration” for the political and social elite, October 3rd has become an annual day of protest for Germany’s radical-left. Although there were no major demonstrations or clashes this year as there have been in years past, there were outbursts of militancy in Berlin. The night before the October 3rd celebrations in Germany’s former and soon-to-be-again capital city, small riots broke out in the neighborhoods of Kreuzberg and Mitte. And on October 3rd itself, a group of militants carried out a well-planned action against the German capitalist establishment and in solidarity with refugees and immigrants living in Germany. [Read More]
Berlin: News on evictions
On July 29, 1997, three squats in East Berlin were evicted during a massive police operation. The three houses, all of which had been squatted for seven years, were the Rigaerstrasse 80 and the Scharnweberstrasse 28 in Friedrichshain, and the Pfarrstrasse 88 in Lichtenberg. Around 500 riot cops took part in the evictions, which began at 6:30 in the morning when the squatters were all still asleep. Some SEK special police units with machine guns were dropped by helicopter onto the roofs of the houses. You would have thought the squats were home to Red Army Fraction (RAF) or something! Most of the squatters were released from custody after their identities were checked, but 5 people were detained, 3 because they weren’t privileged enough to carry German passports. The houses were all sealed up shortly after the evictions to prevent renewed squatting attempts. [Read More]
Radar Online Agenda
