Growing education and welfare protests (eng)

Student protests throughout Germany against spending cuts in education and social welfare are increasing, creative, spontaneous and peaceful methods being used. The actions started in Hamburg and Frankfurt. They have spread to all of Lower Saxony, Berlin, Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt and Hesse. Add to that the 100,000 people who demonstrated against demolition of social security in Berlin on 1 November, despite only reluctant backing by the trade unions, but with their grass roots. The high point so far was reached by three Berlin universities going on strike on 27 November. After the occupation of the office of the Science Senator (education minister) and the head office of the PDS party 20,000 took to the streets and after the demonstration blocked squares and traffic arteries with a big Reclaim The Streets. The occupations of the offices of the PDS and the science senator went off peacefully. On the following day the Finance Senate was occupied, which the police ended by carrying people off. But not just demos are on the programme. Weeks ago students had already blocked Hesse premier Roland Koch in Frankfurt and let air out of the tires of his official car. In Marburg and Giessen offices of the conservative CDU opposition were occupied and in Frankfurt hurdle races were run. Countless actions took place at many other locations: public readings, mourning processions, Ikea-sleep-ins, street blockades, spontaneous demos in banned areas, disturbances against mayors, ministers, state premiers and the political TV talk show Sabine Christiansen, pickets and much else. At least the media and politicians can no longer ignore the resistance. Even though this sometimes produces strange outcomes. Roland Koch, for example, rejects the actions of the students as “unacceptable” and demands a return to peace – although not a single stone has been thrown. A new push for the protest movement could come from networking with pupils, trade unions, especially their rank and file, and the radical left. First steps are being taken in this direction. At the large demo on Thursday, for example, the first trade union flags could be seen. A nationwide student networking meeting is about to happen in Jena. The 1st of November has shown that the social security demolition under the Agenda 2010 is stirring more people than the “reform” friends in the bourgeois media would have us believe. It is simply that too many people are being impacted by the harshest social welfare downsizing in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. There could still be a “hot autumn” in store. (Translated by Diet Simon)