Political demonstrations and actions are becoming a commonplace sight across Europe, including Britain. Mass demonstrations and marches for all sides of the political spectrum capture the media’s attention like never before in our new digital age. In Britain, young people are standing up and making their voices heard, be it for anti-immigration or in support of Palestine. But are we doing enough?
Tristan Sander, an eighteen year old high schooler from the district of Hannover, central Germany, doesn’t think so. He is in charge of a new youth organisation chapter in his local city of Laatzen, called the Linksjugend Solid. While not officially part of the left wing party of Germany, Die Linke, literally ‘The Left’, they are heavily intertwined and most members of the youth organisation are also party members.
I had the opportunity to follow Sander for a week, investigating the grassroots action of young people in the hard left-leaning district to understand how the very forefront of German political action is led by its youth. During this week I saw firsthand how left wing action is not limited to marches and protests, but mutual aid, caring for the community, and taking down stickers, flyers and posters from right wing organisations. Most of the people involved in Linksjugend Solid: Laatzen are high schoolers, with some moving directly into Die Linke party positions. What can we, as British young adults, learn from their example? How can we turn our words and social media posts of solidarity into hard action?
The first and most obvious difference between Germany and Britain in this respect is awareness. Take any town or city in Sussex, you would be hard pressed to find any sign of political activism. Pubs usually remain neutral and the people walking the streets do not show their colours. Political allegiance is not something British people like to wear on their chest in day-to-day life. A member of Reform could stand next to a member of Your Party and both would be none the wiser. Among younger people, speaking out politically is mainly reduced to social media posts and occasionally a march, but only in larger cities. The existence of youth branches of political parties are not even well known amongst the youth; they simply have no presence. Independent political organisations aimed at young people are tiny movements which stall and dither from lack of motivation of their members. It’s a sad reality of a complete lack of interest in the present situation we find ourselves in in this country. The opportunities to get involved are also simply not known by our young people.
Moving to Germany, a day spent in a city in the North East paints a starkly different picture. It never takes long to start seeing the differences. All over the streets, political graffiti adorns the walls; ‘hunt nazis’, hammer and sickles, ‘Antifa Zone’ and so much more. In one area I visited in Hannover, immediately upon leaving the U-Bahn station, you’re met with an enormous slogan graffitied on the overhang of the building directly in front of you: No Nazi Area. It’s a stark message, to anyone. In every bar there are messages written such as ‘no service to fascists’. Many Germans will roam around displaying political slogans, antifa pins, symbols and badges. Youth organisations are numerous and full of energy. Aside from the demonstrations that happen every other day, pop-up stands, meetings and readings happen constantly. Every day of every week, the political machine is turning across every age group in the country; nobody is neutral.
Tristan has been left wing since he could first understand politics. In Germany, the subject of politics isn’t something you find interest in and follow by choice, it’s drummed in from a young age in the school curriculum to understand how the Federal Republic functions and what each party is and their positions. Because of this, most of the young adults and youth in Germany have a very articulate and comprehensive understanding of how the country functions politically, and why they want to see their favoured party in power.
Sander explained how Germans watched on the news as the police arrested pro-Palestinian protestors and demonstrators in Britain on terrorism charges, and how the demonstrators effectively ‘allowed themselves’ to be arrested as onlookers merely watched and shouted in protest. He contrasted it with violent clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and the police in Berlin, in which the demonstrators ‘actually fought for themselves’. Recently, two protests, one for Tommy Robinson’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally, and another anti-fascist demonstration, pulling in thousands of people on both sides, passed off without major incident.
Is this really the direction we ought to be going in? I saw for myself how spreading political messages through the Internet and social media was more of an accessory to in-person events, rather than a statement of its own. This way, I was shown by the Linksjugend, not only do you capture the interest of people with the post itself, but there is an immediate follow-up action of getting involved with the meeting, demo or event of any kind the post is attached to. Tristan told me that ‘only small children or uneducated centrists remain out of political discussions at school.’ It is broadly known across the city what camp you stand in.
To be politically active means to always be on alert. Sander explained this to me by putting it into practice himself whenever he could. Political stickers and graffiti adorn most walls and posts. Even buses and trams find themselves adorned with political messaging. Tristan and his group always carry homemade stickers of their own designs for various reasons. These include covering up Fascist stickers, replacing their own torn up stickers and covering graffiti such as swastikas or anti-immigrant messaging. Tiny actions like these, when compounded with thousands of other actions, make for a noticeable presence in the streets of Laatzen and Hannover.
Mateja Ilich, another high schooler and member of Linksjugend Solid: Laatzen, leaves no doubt about his position. Patches and pins bearing political symbols and slogans adorn his clothes. He is a first generation Serbian immigrant, now in charge of the graphic design area of Linksjugend. Not only is he in charge of posters and social media accounts, but he also makes stickers and badges for the organisation. While out with Linksjugend on a litter-picking day, he tells me ‘In Yugoslavia there was always a responsibility between all the people to look after their homes and environment. Doing this in my neighborhood for the kids who like to play here feels the same for me, and it should be that way in all places.’
Litterpicking may be far from the explosive scenes seen at demonstrations in Berlin or even central Hannover, however actions like these are just as crucial for Linksjugend Solid. So I joined them for their very first litter-picking event. Despite its humble appearance, Tristan and the others undertook this task with enormous seriousness. It’s a fantastic example of how the German youth are taking accountability of their own situation, instead of simply moaning about it on social media. Jakob, a new recruit for the Linksjugend, said ‘The richer, older parts of Laatzen get cleaned up regularly by the authorities while this park used by the schoolkids in a more vulnerable and lower-income neighbourhood are left to play in filth and cigarette butts. It’s only right we clean it up.’
Political machines are beginning to turn faster and faster in the UK, but our attitudes still have to change. From the example of these German boys and girls, we must likewise think optimistically about the future of our country, and be proactive in shaping it the way we want it to be. Our typically British culture of simply remaining apathetic and shifting the blame between ourselves will keep us in this stagnation we are desperately trying to claw ourselves out of.
What can we do differently? The answer is simple: Organise, organise, organise!