The Week ending 7 May 2000

Johannes Schneider Johannes.Schneider at gmx.net
Mon May 8 02:10:20 PDT 2000


Jim heartfield wrote:


> MAY DAY WITHOUT WORKERS
>
> On May Day, anarchists and environmentalists fought with police in
> London and Zurich, while Fascists and Anti-Fascists clashed in Hamburg
> and Berlin. The international workers' day was noticeable for the
> absence of workers, as middle class concerns dominated.

I dont know about London and Zurich, but your observations about Hamburg and Berlin are simply false: there were no clashes between fasicsts and anti-fascists, but clashes between police and left-wingers.

It seems you are just echoing the bourgeois press, which only concentrates on 'clashes'. But actually May Day in Germany was dominated by the Trade Union demonstrations, there were in all 500,000 participants almost all working class. You might criticise the uninons for their social-democratic policies, but the call for jobs is a genuine working class concern.

Likewise it does not make much sense in Germany to lump the 'Autonomen' together with the Green party. Perhaps twenty years ago you could do so, but nowadays the Greens have changed completely.

Johannes



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