Dear friends,
one year ago, we’ve been here as well, sitting on the floor at Wohlwillstraße, watching the Megaphon Choir passing by. Police all around. We were hanging out, having a beer, or a Schorle, walking slowly in the middle of a mass, trying not to get lost or not to loose each other, we’ve been here, discussing, shouting, trying to make our way through the city. Flashback. Last year in July, there was a completely different relation to public space. It became tangible, it was questioned, discussed, limited, claimed and reclaimed, shifted, transformed, occupied, endangered, and much more. Now, one year later, people are back in the streets – Massencornern. Listening to FSK radio program. People are preparing snacks… Solidarity is a (vegan) Waffel. We are surprised by the meaning of the title ”Treffen Total“ when applied to the summit. We are learning the G20 protest circle dance and performing it in front of Messehallen. And now, I am standing close to Arrivati park/Grüner Jäger where the rave demo is about to start. I miss your presence. Everything looks a bit like a small scale reenactment, even the helicopters are there. The demo will travel to all the important spots of the protest: Rote Flora, Millerntorplatz, Landungsbrücken… it feels like the citizens of Hamburg are working on their collective memories. But far from nostalgia. We listen to a letter from Malta, written by a Lifeline activist, while people are folding orange paper boats. We listen to a French Attac member who organizes the protest against the next G20 summit in Argentina. Today, there are protests in 18 different cities all over Germany, they send messages to each other, they speak about today, about borders and solidarity. They are quite well organized. And it almost feels like, there is hope. (But of course, we’re in a big mess.. still dancing.)
H.
treffentotal.de 