Due to Israeli military attacks on Gaza in 2014 (Operation Protective Edge) more than 2100 Palestinians have been killed. One-third of the dead are women and children. While the Israeli military murders in Gaza at the same time neo-Nazi in Israel are running though Tel Aviv with Israel flags shouting: "Death to the Arabs! Death to the Leftists!" ¹. Jewish and Arab anti-fascists who made a stand in the streets of Tel Aviv against the neo-Nazis were beaten up². And the Israeli neo-Nazis are wearing proudly the shirts of their European fellows ³. This development towards a fascisization of Israeli society, we view with concern.
But even in Germany, there are ultra-Zionist groups, who justify the killing of civilians in Gaza, who are paying homage to Israeli militarism and physically act against Jewish and German leftists with violence⁴. They organize themselves as "BAK Shalom" within the Youth League "Solid" of the German left party "DIE LINKE". For years, hundreds of Israeli leftists criticized the "BAK Shalom" and his followers and asked the left party "DIE LINKE" to exclude them from their party⁵. After, in 2009 leading members of the German left party "DIE LINKE" and supporters of the BAK Shalom called for further bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli left decided to take action and wrote a first letter of protest to the left party⁶. It was followed by another letter in 2011 when the Geman left party "DIE LINKE", imposed a "gag order" on itself to stop even the discussion about certain actions of solidarity for Palestine. More than 100 Israelis complained against the decision⁷. Both letters of the Israeli leftists were left unanswered. We think that due to the current development, it is important to take a stand against war, antisemitism, islamophobia and fascism.
We must not continue to stab in the back of our comrades in Israel and Palestine. We must show solidarity with the left in Israel and Palestine. We must not allow that, while the people of Gaza die and our comrades are hunted by Neo-Nazis in the streets of Tel Aviv, the same ultra-Zionist structures here in Germany are tolerated within the left party "DIE LINKE".
Therefore, we demand:
- The immediate exclusion of the "BAK Shalom" and its members from the structures of the Left Party "DIE LINKE", as our Israeli comrades demanded. Anti-Left agitation must not be tolerated!
- We are asking the Youth Leage "Solid" and the German left party "DIE LINKE" to publicly distance itself from the "BAK Shalom" and its activities.
- A statement of solidarity from the German Left Party "DIE LINKE" with the people who suffer and die from the military offensive of Israel on Gaza, as well as the leftists and anti-war activists in Israel, who are chased by Neo-Nazis. No to war! No to fascists!
¹ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=578664915587918
² https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGk5pdn44bA
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=164109787278250
³ http://jewishphilosophyplace.wordpress.com/2014/07/14/black-shirt-jewish-neo-nazis-israel-2014-good-night-left-side/
⁴ http://www.arbeitermacht.de/ni/ni94/mauer.htm
⁵ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o34jZCxN3wg
⁶ http://de.indymedia.org/2010/03/276798.shtml
⁷ http://www.scharf-links.de/90.0.html?&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=16999&cHash=67448f1f22
Website of the BAK Shalom:
http://bak-shalom.de/
Contact us:
stop.bak.shalom@gmail.com
