Demonstration after the verdict in Hungary: fireworks for Maja T.

“Love and strength in underground and imprisonment” echoes across the Silesian Gate in Berlin-Kreuzberg as the demonstration lines up in solidarity with Maja T. just hours after the verdict was announced in Budapest, where the Thuringian anti-fascist was sentenced to eight years in prison. A right-wing streamer is annoying the anti-fascists, filming them and their banners. “Shut up! Fuck off!” is shouted from the demonstration. A squad of police officers comes over and positions themselves ready for action. But then nothing happens.

In the run-up to the verdict against T., who is accused of attacks on neo-Nazis on the sidelines of the neo-Nazi “Day of Honor”, ​​there was talk of a “Day X”. The protest was relatively small. The sentence of 8 years instead of the 24 years demanded by the public prosecutor may also have contributed to this. Around 800 people marched from the Schlesisches Tor in the Kreuzberg district to the Frankfurter Tor in Friedrichshain. There were also protests in many other German cities on Wednesday, such as Hamburg, Leipzig and Dresden. It remained peaceful everywhere.

In Berlin, the demonstration quickly moves through the streets of trendy neighborhoods. Many here are obviously angry, shouting their frustration into the night in loud chants. For others, it’s more of a must, an anti-fascist evening walk where you talk about the latest news. The audience is young, and for a demonstration from the autonomous Antifa environment, a surprising number of people are wearing red hammer and sickle scarves. Fireworks continue to go up in the area around the demonstration, and pyrotechnics are also set off in the front block.

“I can hardly put my feelings into words. I’m just angry and sad,” a young person on the sidelines of the demonstration told taz. It’s true that Germany really recognizes Maja T. as a non-binary person extradited to queer-hostile Hungary is hard to believe. And now the verdict. A man in a cardigan holds up a sign that says “No Evidence for Prison.” “That says it all, doesn’t it?” he says when the taz speaks to him. It is clear that the verdict is “classic repression” without any basis.

Apparently nothing more needs to be said for those present. There are no speeches, no interim rallies. The police are also holding back. Once at the Frankfurter Tor, the demonstration is quickly broken up and the Antifa disappear into the night.