Description:

What was the global student movement in 1968 and what historical lessons can we draw from it? The student uprising for Palestine today mirrors the Vietnam movement of 1968, with global protests against imperialism facing similar repression from media, police, and politicians. Understanding these movements helps us organize against state and university mechanisms. This panel explores these parallels, tracing connections between the 1968 Vietnam Kongress and the 2024 Palestine Kongress in Berlin.

Speakers:

Tariq Ali
Pakistani-British political activist, author, journalist and historian. Ali was a keynote speaker at the 1968 Vietnam Kongress in Berlin and was active internationally in the 1968 student movement

Sabine Broeck
Professor Emeritus of American Cultural Studies /American Literatures and Cultures/Black Diaspora/Gender at the University of Bremen
Broeck was a student political activist in the 70s in West-Germany

The Vietnam Kongress and the 68' movement in Germany

25th July 4-5:30pm

Description:

Universities, art schools, and museums support settler colonialism in Palestine through investments and research that directly fund the occupation. These institutions often express commitment to social justice while sidelining and punishing students, faculty, and staff for solidarity with Palestine. Increased military budgets and unwavering support for Israel by elite academic and political institutions are common. This panel explores these complicities and resistance strategies in an authoritarian climate.

Speakers:

Representatives from

LSE Encampment, London

Anthropology Sociology Egyptology Association, Cairo

Student for Palestine FU, Berlin

Institutional Complicity in the Genocide in Gaza

25th July 6-7:30pm

25th July 8-9:30pm

Description:

Over 120 years ago, Germany committed the first genocide of the 20th century against the Nama and Herero people. Today, paradoxically, Germany poses as an authority on what qualifies as genocide, often forgetting its own colonial and genocidal past. This pattern resurfaces within each protest movement, including decades of repression of Palestine solidarity. For 76 years, Germany has defended Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestinians while ignoring the victims. This panel highlights Germany's history of genocidal imperial violence and unites victims in a shared experience.

Speakers:

Nandiuasora 'Nandi' Mazeigno
Chairperson of the Ovaherero Genocide Foundation, Mazeigno also spoke on behalt of the Nama Traditional Leaders Association
Both groups have worked on documenting the genocide of the Nama and Herero people at the hands of German colonists, as well as advocating for recognition and reparations for the descendants of the victims

Wieland Hoban
Chairman of Juedische Stimmt (Jewish Voice in Germany), the largest group of anti-zionist jewish activists in Germany

Tracing Germany's genocidal history from Namibia to Gaza

26th July 4-5:30pm

Description:

Since October, German police and cultural institutions have deployed harsh measures to repress Palestine solidarity through event cancellations, bans, threats, arrests, and house raids. German media participates in this repression by spreading racist stereotypes, doxxing activists, and falsely portraying the movement as antisemitic. This panel explores the underlying motivations behind the German state's actions, and the growing dangers for individuals and collectives expressing solidarity with Palestine.

Speakers:

Ali Abunimah
Palestinian-American Journalist. Co-founder of Electronic Intifada. Abunimah received a ban (Betätigungsverbot), in the morning before his talk, by the Berlin Immigration Office threatening him with prison if he were to join the Palästina Kongress via Zoom.

Hebh Jamal
Palestinian American Journalist living in Germany. She has written extensively on the Palestinian life in Germany, the German state's complicity in the Genocide in Gaza and the student movement for Palestine, in journals such as Mondoweiss, Al Jazeera, The New Arab and Middle East Eye.

26th July 6-7:30pm

Palestine is the key to all our liberation struggles

Description:

Activists discuss why Gaza has become a rallying cry for them since October 2023. They explore the meaning of the phrase "Palestine will liberate us all," and share insights from decades of struggling for Palestinian liberation, highlighting their experiences facing repression on the front lines against capitalist and imperialist violence.

Speakers:

Ather Zia, Kashmiri Author

Salah Said, Palestinian activist in Berlin

BAPSA Jawaharlal Nehru University Representative

Georg Ismael, Arbeiter:Innenmacht

State Repression: Against Palestinians and Allies in Germany

Description:

Student representatives share first-hand accounts of activism for Palestinian Liberation on campuses worldwide. The panel explores how students have risen up to answer Gaza's call, and how their activism is shaping and being shaped by their local contexts. Universities are now front lines of capitalist, imperialist violence, with repression reminiscent of the 1968 protests. Speakers discuss their movements' motivations, actions, successes, setbacks, and goals, offering valuable lessons and connections in the shared struggle for Palestinian freedom.

Speakers:

Representatives from

Right 2 Education, Birzeit University, Palestine

AUCians 4 Palestine, Cairo

CUNY 4 Palestine, New York

SOAS Liberated Zone, London

The students resist! Reports from campuses around the world

26th July 8-9:30pm