Call for the International Day against Police Violence 2023

In two weeks it will be March 15 again, the International Day against Police Violence. It commemorates March 15, 1996, when Swiss police brutally attacked two children, aged 11 and 12. Since then, every year on March 15, people around the world take to the streets to commemorate the dead and to oppose police violence. This year in Dresden, too, we want to invite people to various events around March 15, 2023.

 

Many people experience police violence in their everyday lives or are exposed to the constant fear of being controlled.

Due to discriminatory prejudices of police officers, certain groups of people such as people of color, homeless people or people in mental crisis situations often experience controls. This leads to emotional and mental stress. 

In so-called danger areas, police officers carry out racist and/or random controls. This also happens in Dresden, for example at the Amalie-Dietrich-Platz in Gorbitz or the Alaunpark in the Neustadt.

 

Last year, police violence in Germany escalated to the extent that four people were murdered in just one week. Despite this, there is talk about further arming of police officers. The causes of the violence are not discussed.

 

But police behavior is not only a problem in Germany. All over the world people experience violence and repression by the police.

In the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the repression of protest in Russia, in the protests against the regime in Iran as well as in the anti-Zero-Covid protests in China, the police played a central role and exercised massive violence against people. This shows that the police system and state repression are closely related.

 

For these reasons, we continue to fight and call on you to participate in the International Day Against Police Violence this year. Organize events in your city about this issue or join others in their struggles. Together, we can not only stop police violence, but also ensure that it never happens again in our society.