Call out from housing projects of Nordkiez in Friedrichshain, Berlin:

Defend Rigaer94! Destroy the Investor’s Paradise!

On the 17th of June, we published the first call out for the 9th July neighbourhood demo “Destroy the Investor’s Paradise, Stop Carré Sama-Riga!” 5 days later the landlord, cops, and Senate cooperated in the storming of the house project Rigaer94. The cops, private security and labourers evicted the autonomous collective space Kadterschmiede, the rest of the ground floor, including a workshop and garden, the attic in the back house and also the squatted attic in the front house.

John Dehwurst, who bought the house at the end of 2014, took the responsibility for this attack through a hypocritical press release from the fictitious building management. It was claimed that the evicted parts of the house would be used as living space for refugees. This would mean that the people moving in would find themselves under constant surveillance by the cops and security. At the moment such people are able to live in Rigaer94 in self determined and supportive structures. We take this propaganda as an attempt to destroy structures of resistance by cynically playing different groups off against each other. The AfD, NPD and Co. are rubbing their hands in glee at the argumentation from the South African apartheid-regime lawyer Dehwurst and the ‘Law and Order’ politics of justice minister Frank Henkel.

The dangerzone, which has operated continuously since the end of October 2015, has permitted the countless underhanded actions of police, and the direct assaults on self-organised projects which pose an unceasing threat for all of the inhabitants of Rigaer street. The partial eviction of Rigaer94 and especially the momentary loss of Kadterschmiede are attempts to displace structures of solidarity and rebellion and to replace them with capitalist city politics. Regardless we will continue to fight for self-determined spaces everywhere and for everyone!

We need places where we can come together, and organise without the need for legitimisation from the state. Rigaer Street is one of the only places in this city where people can meet on the street, discuss, argue, get to know each other and organise in solidarity and resistance. We will not just stand back and watch, as these structures are destroyed and replaced by the shiny glass facades of luxury apartments such as the new Carré Sama-Riga. The future is not yet written – The struggle continues!

The attack on the Nordkiez of Friedrichshain is an example of the inhuman politics of displacement, development and strict compartmentalisation of areas for “rich and poor” people in the cities, small states and provinces. Everywhere people are divided between useless or profitable, valuable or worthless. In the background of a society which is lurching increasingly to the right, it is important to defend the last remaining self-determined spaces, show solidarity and withstand state repression. Therefore, this is not just about our personal struggle to defend our scene spaces, but a united struggle on many fronts against exclusion, displacement and a city for the rich.

On the 9th of August, M99, the “Shop for Revolutionary Materials”, which has survived for 30 years in the heart of Kreuzberg, is due to be evicted. We should do everything in our power to keep and build the pressure leading up to and following this date. The countless actions of the last days and nights give us the strength, sharpen our hope and strengthen us in our resolve to never give up without a fight. Our solidarity against their repression!

We repeat our call for the demo of the 9th of July, now more than ever; we call out to you to struggle together with us against social cleansing, capitalist city politics, repression and the state-terror of the last months. Come to the streets and express our rage!

How we want the demonstration to be: We wish to show a decisive and powerful sign, exactly as in the demo of the 6th of February. In order to be realistic in the general political situation we have decided it was preferable to register the demonstration. Outside of this we would like to create space for different forms of action, and make it possible for people coming from outside of Berlin to take part. For these reasons we have decided to change the time of the demonstration to 9pm.

Nothing is over yet!