The speech was given at: 1312 + 1: Still not loving police, Campaign closing: 14. Dezember 21, 19:00 @ UT Connewitz, live-Stream via YouTube
The police – your friend and helper? We have never believed in this statement. Never have the actions of the police been neutral towards a person, or not influenced by political interests. Police protects power and property of wealthy people and corporations. Many different people are affected by police violence and controls. They are targeted because they are poor, do not fit into gender norms, have an inappropriate style of dress, are black or a person of color, or simply because of their age. The actions of the police are determined by prejudice.
In addition, the police are being given more and more powers, surveillance capabilities and military equipment. The new Saxon Police Law, which came into force at the beginning of 2020, disregards civil liberties and restricts fundamental rights. A climate of fear and mutual distrust is increasingly being created. Although the crime rate is lower than ever, a perpetual threat scenario is invoked. Instead of militarization and equipping with more and more surveillance and investigative powers, the legitimate question is whether it would not be more sensible to put all this money into better functioning social structures.
The tendency for the powers of the police as an institution to be extended more and more is continuing, as we have seen, for example, in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. As early as March 2020, there were repeated checks on homeless people who were punished for failing to comply with curfews. Similarly, the Corona measures can be used as an opportunity to ask each person the reason for their stay in public space. At the discretion of the officers, IDs, proof of partnerships, or proof of work can be requested.
The police are present everywhere, controlling corona measures on the street, in public transport and even in restaurants and private spaces.
The use and exercise of these powers, which in some cases far encroach on people’s fundamental rights, happens on a daily basis. However, if the misconduct takes place on the side of the police, such as assault in office, there are hardly any consequences worth mentioning for the police officers.It is necessary for an institution that is endowed with so much power and authority to be completely transparent in its actions. However, this transparency was and is not given at any time!
For the above reasons, it is understandable that the phrase “still not loving police” probably elicits a nod of understanding and agreement from many people. Due to the hierarchical structure of the police apparatus, due to the basic capitalist values that this apparatus represents, and due to the continuous striving for more power and influence, we do not see any possibility of gaining much more positive from the institution of the police. We are not interested in having a new, more awesome, more lovable police force. We are for a society that can function without the institution of the police.That is why we focus our actions on making ourselves independent of the police. For this purpose we have founded the Cooperation against Police Violence in order to offer a contact point for people who have experienced police violence, controls or harassment by officers. Political and financial independence is very important to us. We do not apply for funding from political parties and foundations, nor do we accept donations from them. We think that society itself should maintain the structures in which it has an interest.
With the help of a crowdfunding campaign, we opened our office in Dresden at the beginning of 2021.We support those affected by police violence and controls in coping with the consequences of their experiences and in exercising their rights. In concrete terms, this means that people can visit us in our office. There, we hold a conversation in a confidential atmosphere, where people can talk about what they have experienced. We offer emotional support, look at what next steps can be taken and arrange both legal and psycho-social support.
In addition, we document police misconduct, keep our own statistics on incidents of police violence and inform people about their rights regarding the police.Thus, we want to counteract the political power of the police and make police violence a subject of public discussion.
A society must organize together to deal with the problems it faces.Tell your friends that we and other initiatives, such as Copwatch Leipzig, exist and that we would like to support you as an information and contact point.
We call on you: Support those affected by police controls, do not let yourself be intimidated and stand in solidarity with people when they experience violence by the police.