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I live in Berlin, I tried to cycle home yesterday past Bernauer Strasse (pictured) but the police had completely blocked off the whole region with barricades an

I live in Berlin, I tried to cycle home yesterday past Bernauer Strasse (pictured) but the police had completely blocked off the whole region with barricades and around 20 police wagons. I'm pretty sure the irony of commemorating the Berlin wall and its fall via people with guns stopping the public from crossing was lost on them.

sdoering 5y ago
Thanks for sharing this story. Made me smile. Nice ironic touch.
bogomipz 5y ago
Can you say what was the reason that they were there? A protest?
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- nibix 5y ago
  The official commemoration ceremony with all German top politicians took place at Bernauer Straße. That was probably the reason why the street was blocked by police. https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/gedenken-an-mauerbau-steinmeier-schicksalstag-fuer-die.1939.de.html?drn:news_id=1290550 https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/gedenken-an-mauerbau-steinmei...
  - rkachowski 5y ago
    Thanks for the link, I couldn't find anything on Berliner Zeitung and cynically assumed it was something to do with Elon Musk being in town.
tpmx 5y ago
~15 years ago I randomly wandered into an antifa vs police standoff in Berlin, just as it was forming. Surreal experience. Everyone knew where they were supposed to be, except for me. It felt like they had done it so many times before. I got out of there just in time. It's the only time I've seen large scale street violence. I don't think it belongs in a civilized society.
- ostenning 5y ago
  Nothing has changed, I witnessed a fairly violent antifa against police just recently
- deanCommie 5y ago
  > It's the only time I've seen large scale street violence. I don't think it belongs in a civilized society. "...more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can't agree with your methods of direct action;" [1] - Martin Luther King, Jr. I wasn't there on the street with you 15 years ago. I don't know what the protestors were protesting (though "antifa", depending on how you use the term may suggest they were protesting a fascist/neo-nazi group). But i include this quote only to say that you have to be careful to consider whether society is as civilized as those in power believe it is, and whether it can always be improved through other "civilized" manners. [1] http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/060.html http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/060.html
  - leereeves 5y ago
    That quote could be [mis]used to defend any movement, but I don't recall MLK leading people in helmets, carrying shields, to violently confront police, without even making a clear statement of what they want. MLK was very clear about what he meant by "justice", never tried to hide his identity, and didn't respond with violence. "Antifa", on the other hand, aren't even honest about what they want. They call themselves anti-fascist, but they are anarchists, who dishonestly label any authority "fascist".
    - adventured 5y ago
      Anarchists of that sort are only such until they acquire structural power, then they immediately become the new, organized, violently oppressive authoritarian power. It's why Antifa so resembles the fascism they claim to oppose. That exact switch happened repeatedly across the 20th century. An organized anarchist movement is something close to an oxymoron, a facade at best, for people lusting for the power to implement their own vision of how things should be (while using that particular appeal to lure followers). The people that were responsible for installing Lenin's famines and ultimately Stalin, would of course tell you they also meant well (akin to someone claiming they mean you no harm while they break your skull).
seanmcdirmid 5y ago
Maybe that was the point? To temporarily re-divide the city as part of the ceremony? If not intentional now, I can see that kind of thing happening in the future.
sarabande 5y ago
There is/was a (right-wing) NPD political assembly that is being protested by the Green Party, supposedly in the area of the wall. I'm guessing this is the reason for the hordes of police. https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/corona-demo-rechtsextremismus-101.html https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/corona-demo-rechtsext...
- tpmx 5y ago
  That story is from last year. (August 25, 2020) > I'm guessing this is the reason for the hordes of police. Somehow I doubt it.
nbadg 5y ago
Out of curiosity, when? I walked down Bernauer Straße with my dog (from the Hundeplatz at Mauerpark to Nordbahnhof; I live relatively close-by) and didn't see anything unusual. I don't keep track of time well on a Friday at the dog park, but I'd guess that would have been around 20:00, give or take.
- rkachowski 5y ago
  9:30

sdoering 5y ago

Thanks for sharing this story. Made me smile. Nice ironic touch.

bogomipz 5y ago

Can you say what was the reason that they were there? A protest?

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
nibix 5y ago
The official commemoration ceremony with all German top politicians took place at Bernauer Straße. That was probably the reason why the street was blocked by police. https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/gedenken-an-mauerbau-steinmeier-schicksalstag-fuer-die.1939.de.html?drn:news_id=1290550 https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/gedenken-an-mauerbau-steinmei...
- rkachowski 5y ago
  Thanks for the link, I couldn't find anything on Berliner Zeitung and cynically assumed it was something to do with Elon Musk being in town.

tpmx 5y ago

~15 years ago I randomly wandered into an antifa vs police standoff in Berlin, just as it was forming. Surreal experience. Everyone knew where they were supposed to be, except for me. It felt like they had done it so many times before. I got out of there just in time. It's the only time I've seen large scale street violence. I don't think it belongs in a civilized society.

ostenning 5y ago
Nothing has changed, I witnessed a fairly violent antifa against police just recently
deanCommie 5y ago
> It's the only time I've seen large scale street violence. I don't think it belongs in a civilized society. "...more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can't agree with your methods of direct action;" [1] - Martin Luther King, Jr. I wasn't there on the street with you 15 years ago. I don't know what the protestors were protesting (though "antifa", depending on how you use the term may suggest they were protesting a fascist/neo-nazi group). But i include this quote only to say that you have to be careful to consider whether society is as civilized as those in power believe it is, and whether it can always be improved through other "civilized" manners. [1] http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/060.html http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/060.html
- leereeves 5y ago
  That quote could be [mis]used to defend any movement, but I don't recall MLK leading people in helmets, carrying shields, to violently confront police, without even making a clear statement of what they want. MLK was very clear about what he meant by "justice", never tried to hide his identity, and didn't respond with violence. "Antifa", on the other hand, aren't even honest about what they want. They call themselves anti-fascist, but they are anarchists, who dishonestly label any authority "fascist".
  - adventured 5y ago
    Anarchists of that sort are only such until they acquire structural power, then they immediately become the new, organized, violently oppressive authoritarian power. It's why Antifa so resembles the fascism they claim to oppose. That exact switch happened repeatedly across the 20th century. An organized anarchist movement is something close to an oxymoron, a facade at best, for people lusting for the power to implement their own vision of how things should be (while using that particular appeal to lure followers). The people that were responsible for installing Lenin's famines and ultimately Stalin, would of course tell you they also meant well (akin to someone claiming they mean you no harm while they break your skull).

seanmcdirmid 5y ago

Maybe that was the point? To temporarily re-divide the city as part of the ceremony? If not intentional now, I can see that kind of thing happening in the future.

sarabande 5y ago

There is/was a (right-wing) NPD political assembly that is being protested by the Green Party, supposedly in the area of the wall. I'm guessing this is the reason for the hordes of police. https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/corona-demo-rechtsextremismus-101.html https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/corona-demo-rechtsext...

tpmx 5y ago
That story is from last year. (August 25, 2020) > I'm guessing this is the reason for the hordes of police. Somehow I doubt it.

nbadg 5y ago

Out of curiosity, when? I walked down Bernauer Straße with my dog (from the Hundeplatz at Mauerpark to Nordbahnhof; I live relatively close-by) and didn't see anything unusual. I don't keep track of time well on a Friday at the dog park, but I'd guess that would have been around 20:00, give or take.

rkachowski 5y ago
9:30