Thread by @Markus_Drake

Here we go. Thread. I'm making my way into Berlin to join my first @AufstandLastGen event (Alex, 15 h today). The climate protest group has been mounting entirely peaceful street blockades by glueing themselves to road surfaces (a bit too martyr-style for my taste but I didn't
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do anything to create a alternative that would better suit my political or aesthetic preference, so I'm not complaining. Today's gathering is publically announced, so I don't expect our gathering to engage in direct action itself, but rather to support actions of others as a
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legal demonstration. Though I don't actually know. I am expecting to meet one person I know from before, but even if they don't show up, I think I'll be fine. I'm used to crowds of younger demo goers all assuming I'm an undercover cop by now.

It's... fine.
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Why go? To show support, of course. Both political, for the concept of direct action in the face of #ClimateEmergency, and practical. There has been a massive drumming up of hatred and menace against climate protest in Germany, in mass and social media. Several attacks on
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seated people blockading traffic by aggravated drivers have taken place. Aggressive driving towards, threats and violence against people engaged in nonviolent protest is of course unacceptable and if allowed a free hand can damage all climate activism and spread to make anyone
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seen as "green" a "legitimate target" of outraged right-wing mob violence. Germany has also seen several attacks on Green Party offices, even though the party obviously is not connected to the protest movement and, unfortunately in my view, has partly worked to distance itself
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from this particular form of disruptive protest.

So.

No expectation to be very useful today, but at least I'm planning to be present, witness and support. Maybe worth something.

Demo starts in half an hour, I should just be able to make it there. I'll at least report on the
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mood once I get there, and maybe post some pics, and if anything interesting happens. You can find better images, video and reporting on @AufstandLastGen, #LetzeGeneration and, I guess, #Berlin. Stay safe out there everyone, and also tomorrow there's a demo at 15, Hasenheide.
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A few more words on the local political situation before I reach Alex: CDU has just now seated their new mayor of Berlin, with the support of SPD, who gave up the chance to have the mayor themselves in coalition with Greens and Lefties. Not even the full SPD group supported
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him, and it seems we now have a mayor actually elected with far-right (#noAfD) support. This is seen as exposing the true preference of SPD leadership, against many of their own members who gave support for the coalition in brexit-like numbers, 54 % for, 46 % against.
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This situation in general gives some cause for a reminder that Berlin is pretty ungovernable without consent.

Anyway, now at Alex.
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Normal start: equal amount of people at the gathering point and police keeping an eye on us, about 30 each. Our numbers get added to dripwise, doubling in just a few minutes, as first journalists start taking photos, first police approach, first random tourists get curious.
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Crowd: mixed (though not really diverse). Older than expected (been to too many fff-demos in the past years), 1/3 pensioners, 1/3 people my age with bikes, 1/3 youth, to make extreme simplification. Very calm, explicitly muted.
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Moving.
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...aaand not moving. Walked 50 m and police wagons everywhere.
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Heavily blocked by maybe 12 cop cars in front and on one side, riot gear on one side, and for a short while two veteran cops in comically outmoded uniform behind so for a bit it was the softest possible kettle. Though the two elder statesmen behind only briefly held position.
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15 min of negotiations at the front, now we're allowed to take the street. I hear the previous demonstrations of the week have been bigger, now we're a couple hundred walking very slowly north-east past Alex, fully surrounded by police. Quietest demo I've had in a long time.
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"Eerie" is the word I'd use. Definitely memorable, though not very communicative at the moment. A contact just left the demo to take a phone call, because the PHONE CALL would be too loud. Normally in protests it's the opposite. We have very slowly walked maybe 500 m.
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We're being told via police loudspeaker our freedom to protest is being limited on certain streets (didn't catch which ones) to make place for traffic. The loudspeaker was a bit exaggerated, just raising your voice would have been enough right now. We keep walking.
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The comms have picked up a bit, I see bypassers reading leaflets explaining what's going on, some teens making as if to join but chickening out, laughing, at the last moment, some young dudes chatting with police and laughing with derision. Mixed, a bit better than expected.
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A single demo announcement was made that we will open the route for any rescue vehicles immediately. The announcement was made in (to me slightly cringe) People's Mike-style as we know from the Occupy-movement more than a decade ago. Then it was used because all amplification
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was being confiscated. Here it's another aesthetic-political choice that I have to do some thinking on. We have now moved a full 900 m from our starting point, effectively a slow-moving blockade closing one big street, but only one, and only temporary. No disobedience.
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Some people have dropped off, clearly more than the few late joiners. Police presence on all sides keeps feeling exaggerated and from a purely physical perspective (though not political of course, they are here to move us if deemed necessary) they block more than the demo.
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The demo is coming to an end at a big intersection, blocking off some but far from all traffic. We're asked to remain standing, letting trams through.
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I'm out of water, so quite happy things are coming to an end. Some nervous motorists are honking, speeches are made (still without amplification so can't hear), still no disobedience in the action, just a slow-moving demo with a final speech part. Nothing out of the ordinary.
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I expect to be on the train home soon unless something surprising happens. Unlikely, police also seem bored, mainly. Maybe I add some more reflections on the way home, but other than that, this was my report from the slowest Berlin walk ever. Can't make it to Hasi tomorrow 😕
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Yep, demo over, definitely gave the impression of @AufstandLastGen as a group who are experimenting with protest form, doing things differently from some traditions while attaching themselves to others, very earnest, and ridiculously demonised in mass and social media.
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PS: Train home is delayed with over half an hour, obviously not due to protest, just the general situation. It's fine, part of how things are. That is part of what I would say is strength and weakness of today's demo: it neither created an exception, nor said much new.
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It showed that Letzte Generation can protest with partial effect without arrests. Protest is not locked in to any specific form and can adapt. However, a big challenge is that the forces of order learn quickly and now isolate and clear actual blockades more quickly, while a
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mob mentality whipped up among motorists create general mood of threat at exposed disobedience actions. I hope LG continue to innovate, and also that the demo concept doesn't stick only with today's format which had a bit of a funeral march style. Those can be fine every
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now and then, but even those I would prefer to have a planned carnevalistic climax or end point.

Thanks for organising, @AufstandLastGen, and good luck with the continued protest! Others: please think twice before marginalising them, they seem quite quiet and earnest.
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