Official statement from Berlin Against Pinkwashing and QUARC about the 2020 Berlin Anarchist CSD:
Despite the promises of the Berlin Anarchist Christopher Street Day march (ACSD) to hold an event “where all people feel comfortable”, it ended up being more of the same: the organisers subjected BIPoC marchers to racism and silencing. In the face of this, we, a group of marchers from BaP (Berlin against Pinkwashing) and QuARC (Queers Against Racism And Colonialism) made our voices heard — to applause from our fellow marchers and local bystanders.
The predominantly white-led demonstration on Saturday 25th July, 2020 marched through the Berlin neighbourhoods of Neukölln and Kreuzberg, known for their large migrant and Palestinian communities. We joined the march at Kottbusser Tor, carrying colourful signs with the text: “Queers for a free Palestine. End Israeli occupation. Fight against racism, Islamophobia, homo/transphobia, Antisemitism and Apartheid”. The background image on our signs was similar to the “Progress” pride flag designed by Daniel Quasar, which was also used as the background of the ACSD flyer.
Fellow activists who were at the final organisational meeting for the ACSD told us that although there was a “No national flags” policy, organisers welcomed signs and speeches in support of Palestine. The organisers of the ACSD apparently did not want to continue the tradition of censoring queer BIPoC expression — something that has happened at many previous pride events, both mainstream and “alternative”. As recently as last year, the organisers of Berlin’s “Radical Queer March” attempted to censor queer support for Palestine, going so far as to call the police on a BIPoC section of the march.
However, from the time we arrived, the march organisers made it clear we were not welcome. On several separate occasions, they came and told us to put our signs away, because national flags were not permitted. We didn’t have any national flags, only the signs described above (see photo). We kept hold of our signs and remained at the demonstration, receiving an overwhelmingly positive response from fellow marchers and local bystanders. People applauded and cheered, gave us the thumbs up, and came to talk with us to share their support.
One of the organisers, who we believe is white German, and who was holding the microphone for most of the event, came intrusively close to one member of our group as we walked down Kottbusser Damm. This person repeatedly got in our personal space, questioning us over and over again about our signs. We chose not to engage and kept our distance, only to be harrassed about our signs again by the same person, as we walked along Sonnenallee. A member of our group stated clearly that she did not want to talk to this person any more, and repeatedly said that there was nothing wrong with us being at the march with our signs, which were not national flags.
Another marcher questioned if this organiser was engaging with us in such a manner because they thought we were all “Ausländer” (a racist slur meaning foreigner). At this point, the organiser with the microphone repeated, “Oh Ausländer” sarcastically several times while rolling their eyes. This same person spoke on the microphone about how Neukölln is a neighbourhood known for its high frequency of homophobic and transphobic attacks. We acknowledge that these attacks happen, and vigorously condemn them. In fact, we heard about two incidents that took place at the ASCD. Yet, there is a deeply colonial mentality in how Neukölln and Kreuzberg are approached by white-led queer groups, such as the organisers of this march. We reject the racist fixation on these neighbourhoods and the neo-colonial action of marching through them to teach their inhabitants “progressive values”.
At this point of the march, many BIPoC participants and white allies were highly uncomfortable with the racist rhetoric spread by the organiser with the microphone, and the attempts to silence our group. They joined us in calling for our group to be given the microphone. But the march organisers repeatedly told us that now was not the time and we would have to wait until the open mic.
A member of our group who continued to ask for the microphone was consistently told by white organisers that she “can’t speak like that” and needed to “calm down, watch her tone, speak in a respectful way, engage in a better manner, and lower her voice”. This is a classic example of sexism and tone policing — a racist method frequently used to silence Black women and Women of Colour, by painting us as rude or too angry.
We were promised the microphone very soon, but about 30 minutes passed during which the organisers played loud music and one said over the microphone that “people within this demonstration are even attacking others” — attempting to twist the entire situation and paint us as the aggressors.
Finally, the microphone was passed to a member of our group. As we stood on Sonnenallee, she gave a short speech about the events that we’ve described here. Immediately after, an organiser took back the microphone to deny everything she said. Another one of our members was then told she could speak for 60 seconds. She got the microphone and spoke about how the discussion about Palestine is repressed and censored in Germany. Before her 60 seconds were over, organisers lowered the volume, making her words inaudible. They turned the volume up again only for the end of her speech.
This chain of events shows how the organisers of the ACSD repeatedly bullied members of our group and tried to silence us, while making racist claims about our neighbourhood. Unfortunately, it seems like queer white people are refusing to learn from previous pride events, where similar incidents have taken place.
As queers, we choose to show our solidarity with the people of Palestine. While living under Israeli military occupation they are constantly exposed to violence and gross human rights violations, the most recent being the annexation of Palestinian land in the Jordan Valley to Israel (which is illegal according to international law). Israel continues to pinkwash its crimes against Palestinians, promoting itself as progressive and gay-friendly. Meanwhile LGBTQ+ Palestinians are spied upon and blackmailed by the Israeli military to become informants, and threatened with being outed if they don’t comply.
We believe our struggles for freedom and liberation are united, and the intersections of oppression cannot be separated. What happened at the ACSD should never have taken place at an event calling itself anarchist. As queers, we are not free if we perpetuate white supremacy. In the words of Marsha P. Johnson, “No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us”.
We will not be silenced. Free Palestine! Free all queers everywhere!
Berlin Against Pinkwashing (BaP), Queers Against Racism and Colonialism (QuARC)