ATTENTION: The campaign has already ended.

By a radical base-union from the city of Koblenz, Germany
(shortened translation)

Protest against police-violence and racism

The anti-racist mass protests in the last few months have shown once again: There is no societal change but through massive pressure from below. The direct actions, demonstrations and occupations have not only achieved remarkable things, they have also changed what can be said in public, questioning racist symbols and traditions and even turning the abolition of police into something that is actually debated – or already put into practice within autonomous zones. What is true there is also true here in Europe: The police isn’t here to help you. It was created during the industrial revolution to control the working class and protect the wealthy. You can’t call the cops when your boss doesn’t pay you, but they sure arrive if you ask for it in a manner that is a little bit too decisive – to protect your boss from you. The recent strike of Romanian migratory agricultural workers by the city of Bornheim has shown this once again. Just as in the US the Police is also a racist institution over here, targeting the most vulnerable.The protests, the critique they convey, has opened a possibility for action. For this they deserve more than symbolic solidarity, they deserve gratitude. Therefore we have decided for a material contribution, as limited as it may be. In deciding, whom to support, we’ve made contact with the group Oakland Abolition & Solidarity, a prisoners union with a stance against capitalism and racism and for the abolition of prisons.
Prisons, together with the police, form the second pillar of a racist system of exploitation that roots in the times of slavery. Both need to fall.

For radical unions – in prisons and everywhere

As syndicalists we believe, that protests, as stunning as they may be, do not suffice. Their energies can evaporate or be taken over by self appointed representatives, if they are not flanked by a continuous organizational work on the basis. By this we do not want to repeat the banal prompt to organize. Rather, this is about perceiving not only the spectacular protests but also the constant and arduous work done by groups such as Oakland Abolition & Solidarity and the IWOC-IWW. Even the actual mass protests did not appear from thin air. They stem in the preparations and experiences of many local Black-Lives-Matter-Groups and a long history of anti-racist and abolitionist struggles. With our humble contribution we would like to give more visibility to this aspect of the ongoing struggle. At the same moment we hope to support those that might still today take part in a protest, but could find themselves in the claws of the prison-industrial complex tomorrow. Last but not least we also would like to affirm our dedication to also fight against a racist system of exploitations over here, as it has recently shown its ugly face in Bornheim and even more recently in the slaughtering industry.

You can contribute to our campaign by donating to the following account with reference „BLM“:

Allgemeines Syndikat Koblenz
IBAN: DE53 5776 1591 2900 0581 00
BIC: GENODED1BNA

Or via PayPal:

All donations we receive will be passed on to Oakland Abolition & Solidarity.