A peaceful demonstration involving over 3,000 people was violently attacked by police on Saturday, August 30 in Cologne, Germany. As part of this crackdown, police also surrounded hundreds of demonstrators in a ‘police kettle’ for almost 11 hours. Many of those surrounded were pulled out individually, in some cases with the use of brutal physical force from the police including use of fists, batons, and pepper spray. 147 people had to be treated by paramedics, and in 13 cases an ambulance had to be called. 52 people required medical attention, many of those having sustained facial injuries.
For several hours, the police operations command refused to communicate with the demonstration organizers. Paramedics were only allowed into the kettle after a delay, and toilet use was not allowed until very late.
On one side were the state authorities, on the other the solidarity of the demonstrators was on full display. Hundreds remained just outside the police line surrounding the group until 5 AM, chanting slogans and singing songs to support those on the inside. There were also protests in front of the Cologne police headquarters.
The demonstration was the culmination of the Disarm Rheinmetall (Germany’s biggest arms company) campaign’s camp in Cologne’s ‘Green Belt’ park district. This camp saw up to 1,000 mostly young people take part. During the camp, several protests took place, including blockades of the company Deutz AG, which manufactures engines for military vehicles, a German Armed Forces recruitment office, and an occupation of the city’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) office. These acts of civil disobedience were carried out in a determined and peaceful manner.
The police had attempted to ban the camp in advance. However, the ban was overturned by the Higher Administrative Court in Münster, which pointed out that the police cannot ban a camp that is essentially political in nature on the basis of the assumption that individual administrative offenses or violations of the law may occur.
Repression is the Strategy
The escalation of police violence and the increasing number of injunctions nationally are no coincidence, nor have the police just “gotten out of hand” in this instance. It is a deliberate strategy being pursued by the state. So far, this repression has mainly been aimed at organized left-wing groups protesting against the German government’s massive increase in arms spending and moves towards an introduction of compulsory military service. But there is a growing openness among young people to anti-militarist ideas, despite the constant media bombardment in favor of rearmament. Thus the state wants to prevent the movement from growing and make it clear from the outset that there will be consequences for those who engage in politics opposing rearmament.
This has already failed in the case of the Gaza protests. Despite the appalling brutality with which the Berlin police confront demonstrators and mistreat people week after week, the Palestine solidarity movement is growing. On August 30, 15,000 people took to the streets in Frankfurt—where a police ban based on blatant lies was also overturned by the court. On September 27, tens of thousands are expected in Berlin for what is likely to be the largest Palestine solidarity demonstration in German history.
The best defense against the wave of repression is to broaden the movement. A campaign against compulsory military service should be used to educate, activate, and organize a new generation of students. After the nationwide Gaza demonstration, new branches should be established everywhere.
Die Linke can and must play an important role in this. It immediately declared its solidarity after the attack on the Cologne demonstration, and members of the Bundestag spent hours trying to influence the police. Die Linke also supported the camp in the run-up to the demonstration. However, the fight against militarism and solidarity with Gaza do not yet play a major role in the everyday lives of many party members. This must change. It is also important to mobilize and activate the members themselves in order to build up the movement against armament, conscription, and preparations for war.
