2008-07-04
In front of the Japanese Embassy in Berlin, Germany, a small demonstration of 40 people took place to send a message of solidarity to our friends and comrades in Japan. Even in the rain, we met to send a clear message that we think the G8 is more clearly a part of the problem, and not a solution to such issues as Climate Change or poverty in Africa. A number of speeches were read, also highlighting the massive recent repression in Japan against anti-G8 activists. In Berlin the Japanese Embassy is directly next to the Italian Embassy, so speeches were also made about the problem of state violence at the G8 in 2001, and about the coming verdicts against a large number of police who have been rightly accused of abuse of power and violence towards protesters.
After the demonstration a number of people also went to the nearby opening of the U.S. Embassy, where former President (1988-1992) George Bush was giving a speech. As he cut the ribbon to offically open the Embassy, he was booed from outside the huge security barrier.
Ironically, the position of the security barrier to keep out the public was exactly in the same place where former President Reagan gave his famous speech about tearing down the wall dividing Germany. The Americans obviously did not see the surrealism by newly erecting a wall dividing the elites invited by the U.S. Embassy from the average public in Berlin. In the end, it was good to inform people about the current protest in Japan, and some mainstream press as well as indymedia recorded the event.
We also taught people at least two new words in Japanese, shouting quite often, "G8 Funsai!" (Smash G8!) The Japanese Embassy staff clearly heard us from inside their fenced in Embassy, and we hope they will be reporting our anger promptly to Japan.
We wish solidarity to our Japanese friends, and look forward to hearing other solidarity reports from Europe and the rest of the world.
COMMUNIQUE READ TODAY AT ANTI-G8 DEMO IN BERLIN:
To the Comrades in Berlin, We learned a lot from your project at the Heiligendam summit and prepared our own intervention at Lake Toya. We do not know to what extent and how we can develop your heritage here, but we all hope to add a page of East Asia in the history of the anti-capitalist struggle. Even before the summit, various forms of crackdown began and continued thereafter. But we intend to persist in our struggle. Let us make the G8 history! In solidarity, No! G8 Action