The Left Berlin Newsletter, 7th May 2026
Support the School Strikes! Join the Demonstration tomorrow!
Welcome to this week’s Left Berlin Newsletter.
Tomorrow, it’s the latest School Strike against militarisation. The school strikes have been organised primarily against Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s threat to introduce military service. Tomorrow’s demonstration - held on the anniversary of the end of the Nazi reign in Germany - has been specifically chosen to link the struggles against war and Fascism.
The School Strike is organised by a broad coalition of forces, and is our Campaign of the Week. It starts at midday at Brandenburger Tor. Please join the demonstrations, which are an important part of the more general wave of actions in Germany against militarisation and conscription.
Last week’s Ulm 5 trial was postponed after the judge refused to allow the defence lawyers to sit with their clients. But the court cases continue. You can see the full provisional list of court dates in the article which we published about how you can support the Ulm 5.
Transport from Berlin is so far being planned for May 22nd, June 15th, July 3rd, and July 27th, with potentially more dates in the future. You can order tickets by mail from common_journey_court_watch@systemli.org. You can also pick up tickets at the Berlin Nakba Day demo, Palivision, or Café Karanfil on May 16th, or from a Küfa at K-fetisch on May 20th.
This week in Working Class History - 6 May 1943: The birth of Andreas Baader
This week, 83 years ago, Andreas Baader was born. Baader was one of the leaders of the Red Army Fraction (RAF) which attempted to carry on the anti-imperialist movement post-1968. He was tried in Stammheim - site of the current Ulm 5 trial - where he died under mysterious circumstances. You can read his story here.
Repression in Berlin
This week’s Repression in Berlin column looks at the attempt by German trade unions in recent years to clamp down on Palestine activism. The German trade union federation, the DGB, is accused of excluding speakers and Palestine, and collaborating with police repression. Read more here.
Demonstrations in Berlin
Today at 1.30pm, Social professions in times of war and militarisation. Alice-Salomon-Platz
Today at 4pm, No Cop Conference in Berlin. Messedamm 26
Tomorrow at midday, School Strike against Conscription. Brandenburger Tor.
Saturday at 6pm, No Heimat for Nazis. Mandrellaplatz Köpenick
Tuesday at 2pm, Walk of Care for a Just Health System. Invalidenpark
This week’s Events
This evening, there is an open-air film screening of My Friend the Terrorist. For the first 25 years of his adult life Jose Maria Sison was known to various degrees as the Fidel Castro, Mao Zedong, and Che Guevara of the Philippines. Watch his story at 6pm and Zwille. During the screening there will be food, and a collection for donations. The film will be shown in English.
Tomorrow sees the last day of the Orbán government in Hungary. Join the Day of Liberation from Orbanism at the Bauhütte Kreuzberg to celebrate together, loudly, and cathartically. The event is family-friendly, with dedicated activities for children. We end the evening with music and dancing. Drinks against donations, bring your own food, free entry. Registration requested.
Also tomorrow, The Sun Rises Over Gaza offers stories and reflections on recent events in the Mediterranean, including the “f.lotta,” the flotilla, ship-to-ship communications, and compass readings. A journey that weaves together experiences of navigation and solidarity, paths of resistance, and collective memories. The journey starts at 7pm in the Stadtwerkstadt, Karl-Liebknecht Straße 11.
On Saturday, it’s the latest Left Berlin On-boarding. Are you interested in getting more involved in The Left Berlin or helping on our editorial board? This meeting will introduce you both to how we write and publish articles, and how you can help organise our various activities. If you’d like to attend, please join this telegram group, where we will post updates and follow ups. It starts at 2pm in Agit, Nansenstraße 2.
On Sunday, join the latest Left Berlin Walking Tour: (Anti-)Colonialism in Berlin. Today, Berlin is full of reminders of the city’s colonial past. A few of the city’s worst street names are being changed. In our (Anti)Colonialism tour, we look for signs of oppression and resistance. We start in front of Akademie der Künste at Pariser Platz. The tour will take around 2 hours.
Tuesday sees a panel discussion: Global Politics in Flames: Is the End of Fossil Fuels Near? How do we achieve an energy transition that is not only ecologically sound, but also socially just – one that responds to geopolitical upheaval without fuelling the political shift to the right? Join Luis Alvaro Pardo, Susanne Götze, Tonny Noshwin, Karin Zennig, and Linda Schneider in the Spore Initiative from 7.30pm
There is much more going on in Berlin this week. To find out more about Events we organise, please look at our Events page where you can choose between viewing All Events or just the ones organised by us. If you would like to recommend other Events, please contact us on team@theleftberlin.com.
News from Berlin and Germany
In News from Berlin, row about conflicting 1 May demonstrations in Kreuzberg.
In News from Germany, Germany’s economy still large - but where is the money going?; birth rate sinks for fourth year running; Cologne venue cancels Palestine demo; Israeli defence firm may take over Volkswagen factory; government cuts federal support for healthcare; and doubts about the source of an attack on Brandenburg’s antisemitism commissioner.
Read all about it in this week’s News from Berlin and Germany.
New on theleftberlin.com
T. Giddins talks to Engineers Against Apartheid
The German government was wrong to label the Jüdische Stimme “extremist”. Jakob Reimann reports
Palestinian student Dima is conducting a survey about violence on Palestine demos in Berlin and would like your help
Cherry Adam’s photos from the Revolutionary 1 May demonstration
The Berliner Ensemble recently put on a musical about Franz Kafka and Jewish identity. Nathaniel Flakin was not impressed
We talk to Nikodem Kaddoura about the coming Nakba camp and demo in Hamburg
Rezgar Akrawi examines Palantir’s new manifesto
Left-wing singer songwriter David Rovics was in Berlin recently. We talked to him about music and politics
Video of the Week
The Video of the Week shows Richard Boyd-Barrett raising the issue of the Ulm 5 in the Irish parliament. Look out for an interview with Richard on theleftberlin.com coming soon.
Stay in Touch
You can follow us on the following social media
If you would like to contribute any articles or have any questions or criticisms about our work, please contact us at team@theleftberlin.com. And please do encourage your friends to subscribe to this Newsletter.
Keep on fighting,
The Left Berlin Editorial Board