The occupation of the Rote Flora in November 1989 took place in a moment of nationalist excitement in Germany. While the East German GDR collapsed and the frenzy of ‘reunification of East and West Germany’ also swept over Hamburg, activists made things happen and took over the building that became Rote Flora. “The neighbourhood belongs those who live here” was a slogan of the early days. But even though our neighbourhood has changed a lot since then: The Rote Flora still stands irreconcilably 35 years later on. It does so as a place of unrest, a tourist magnet, and as a left-wing centre to be taken seriously. Perhaps one of the last squatted buildings around.
In all those years, our doors were never open to everything. We always attempted to offer a shelter from everyday repression and from our discomfort in this society. No matter what happens outside, no matter who you are and what you look like: here we could and can attend concerts and exhibitions, discuss things, meet people. This is where we argue and learn to endure contradictions. The Rote Flora was the origin / starting point for countless projects and initiatives. It has supported us, offered us space, given us nice evenings and sometimes annoyed us. We are grateful for this and toast to it. Nevertheless, 35 years of Rote Flora also means 35 years of failing to fulfil our own expectations. Mechanisms of domination such as patriarchal and racist structures that exist in within our house must continue to be questioned.
Because we will urgently need places like the Rote Flora in the future. The mob is ready to take action again. Nazis are organising. Racists and anti-Semites have become bold again. Fascists are democratically undermining democracy. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is raging in Europe. Millions of people are fleeing war and poverty, and the results of the destruction of natural resources. The world is literally on fire. The fact that this continues is the real catastrophe!
Local right-wingers, the Hamburg Senate, speculators, and the cops have actually always kept the Rote Flora and its squatters in a kind of defensive position. That’s nothing new for us. But something has changed since the 7th of October 2023: On that day, Hamas murdered, raped, and abducted residents of Israeli kibbutzim and visitors of a music festival.
After the 7th of October 2023, the biggest anti-Semitic massacre since the Shoah, supposedly left-wing activists started to mobilise against our house. With chants like “Our children want to live. Rote Flora is against it” they are shouting their unbridled hostility against us. The reason: Rote Flora reminded the public of minimum left-wing standards very early on, and initially almost alone, with an outdoor billboard saying “Killing Jews is not fighting for freedom” and banners such as “Free the World from Hamas” and “Against any anti-Semitism”. Rote Flora expressed solidarity with the victims of the massacre and clearly rejected any anti-Semitism and any justification of the October 7th attack.
Rote Flora has no sympathy whatsoever for the current Israeli government and is resolutely opposed to relativising the suffering of the Palestinian and Lebanese civilian population. The unspeakable suffering that war has brought upon the civilian population on all sides since October 7th must be brought to an end as quickly as possible. Everyone in the region must be able to live well and safely! Anyone who feels provoked by the above-mentioned positions of the Red Flora, or does not want to understand complexity, and who can think in terms of friend or foe only, in our view rightfully has no place in our house.
This seemingly inner-left conflict is not about subtle disagreements; or a dispute over the right direction with people who basically agree on many things. The current attempt at a hostile takeover of the Rote Flora comes from authoritarian groups. These are groups that advocate a policy of exclusion. They have no problem with authoritarian regimes, for example they have their activities streamed live by Russian propaganda media. They glorify anti-Semitic acts of violence and form alliances with Islamist groups. Their political style is characterised by slander, projections, reinterpretations and marking enemies.
The Rote Flora is close to our hearts as a resistant place between utopia, anti-fascism, solidarity, and subculture, where there must be no room for any form of racism, anti-Semitism, nationalism, anti-feminism, ableism and any kind of resentment towards the LGBTQIA+ community. We want a Rote Flora that is more beautiful, more vibrant and more present. Reactionary and authoritarian leftists have no place here. We will continue to fight for this in the future!
Rote Flora, October 2024
