Hi all, a good friend of mine, who lives in Germany, has sent an anonymous letter (it has to be anonymous because of the situation in Germany) about Germany’s shameful complicity in the Gazan genocide. What follows is the text of that letter.
Dear Colm,
This letter is somewhat long overdue. Here is another update from Germany. After your recent blogs, I decided to write to you again.
Living in Germany for the past two years has been a bit like a parallel world. Although the images of starving children and Israel’s continuing brutality, bare-faced lies, monstrosity, and sheer capacity to break every law that ever existed are starting to make some inroads here, finally, it is still a weird place.
The Secret Code
At work, with friends, at events, etc., the genocide does not come up in conversation, and when it does, it is in quiet corners – based on the knowledge of the other person that I am Irish… that I am not German.
I have noticed that there is a code here, a secret code, an cód rúnda, that indicates a person wants to discuss the genocide. It has happened to me a few times here, especially at big events. I can be in a conversation with a person, and they make a point of stating how much they like and respect Ireland. Now, Germans generally like to say how they like green Ireland and the Ring of Kerry and the Cliffs of Moher and sheep, etc., but the secret code, an cód rúnda, is different… in this they talk about respect, history and the Irish people. They mention how Ireland is not the UK and that we are very different… words such as humanity, history, and colonialism appear, they respect what the Irish are about, they make a point of saying we like you…
From my experience, an cód rúnda generally happens in conversations with people with migration backgrounds. For example, I have had this conversation with someone with a Balkan background and someone with a Moroccan background, but from those Spanish colonial outpost cities on the Moroccan coast. They ask about the Irish language, show interest in the Irish famine, and bring up shared stories from their background of colonialism and their own history of language. When the word “famine” appears, you know exactly what they want to discuss… and then you can have that conversation.
It is a bit bizarre that after 21 months of what we have seen and heard, etc., it is still crazy that this conversation – this real conversation – generally has to happen away from the group. It will never appear in the big group conversation in the way that it does in Ireland. That person I had the conversation with said that he believes the Germans are a bit lost. He agreed with me that this conflict highlights those with histories of being the Coloniser and Colonised.
German Politics, History and Democracy
Of course, this does not mean every German; there are many, many Germans out there fighting the good fight for Gaza and justice, but, unfortunately, they are outnumbered. It is not that the Germans are raving to murder every Palestinian. Still, it is the inaction of the population in the face of their government and media’s rubbish with regard to supporting the Zionists… That is what gets me. There is no desire to mass protest or do much about it. No Irish government could get away with that. The Germans as a group tend not to want to rock the boat and do anything that might be against the powers to be… The in-built desire for “stability” comes from their history, even when that stability is built on supporting morally evil actions.
However, maybe things are changing glacially. Podcast episodes about whether Germany can still stand at Israel’s side are starting to air on the “respectable” news stations. They are starting to air these things without constantly going back to what the Israeli government have to say on it. They are starting to show just the slightest bit of criticism and other thinking, not just parroting the extremist Israeli government line. However, it is glacial, and they cannot get to the core of the issues here – that of a state formed in a religio-ethnic manner that this one is not a good idea… especially when it claims to be a democracy – and “on our side”.
The fact that you cannot question it – especially when you know the history of how it was established – hurts democratic thought. Listening to German politicians talk is like listening to an absolute parallel universe… Of course, what Israel is doing is not very nice, and we need to speak with them, but we will never stop supporting them… This is a paraphrase of one I heard recently. It is mindboggling.
Yes, yes, Germany has its history – they are reminded of it all the time and everywhere… guess what, lads, all colonial powers did horrendous things… The Germans beat themselves up constantly about it – which is undoubtedly better than glorifying empire as certain countries do – but they also need to approach it somewhat critically… Germany should be the country that says, we descended into madness and brutality by dehumanising people and should act as a force – arguably the force – around the world that stops that from happening… they should say, do not do what we did… but they have deeply flawed logic when it comes to that country in the Middle East.
The Rules and Laws
In Germany, rules and laws are held up as ideals to be achieved. Germans will wait at traffic lights, even when no cars are in sight. They will wait patiently, especially older Germans. They like rules, order, and laws. So, it is a strange juxtaposition. It must be mind-breaking to constantly support and stand with the Zios regarding their constant rule-breaking. They have broken every single rule of international law and such in the last two years, and somehow, it is justifiable.
- Bombing schools,
- Targeting hospitals,
- Bombing crowded civilian areas,
- Leading “defensive” wars of aggression,
- Launching terrorist actions,
- Starving a civilian population,
- Targeting journalists,
- Not letting foreign journalists into or near the area,
- The constant use of “anti-Semitism” accusations at any and all criticism,
- The settler violence,
- The killing of Hind Rajab – and all the other Hind Rajabs.
How Germany’s society and politicians can defend—or be inactive—about all that is disappointing and anger-inducing.
The Lies
For me, yes, I am disgusted at the sheer barbarity, monstrosity, and sheer inhumanity of the Israeli regime… but I am also disgusted at how our political “leaders” and those in power and with influence have tried to make us pretend that we cannot see what is happening. I am offended by the lies – the constant, constant lies to defend the indefensible.
Do you remember when the football hooligans went to Amsterdam? – lots of them were IOF fighters – and they behaved truly disgustingly around the city and sang the most horrifying things, and then got their arses handed to them by the locals they had been harassing. They got the Sh*t kicked out of them. If they had been anyone else, they would have been dismissed as football hooligans and condemned for running amok in a European city. However, the powers that be – especially here in Germany – brought up Kristallnacht and pogroms and talked about “anti-Semitic violence”. They said this, when we could all see the videos of what actually happened. That is mindbending to me…
Remember, at the start of the genocide, when Israel bombed one of the biggest hospitals in Gaza. German news showed the claim of the supposed Bond-lair Hamas operation centre uncritically and as if it were a fact. I remember watching it and seeing that illustration that was shown. Logically, it was ridiculous. It was utterly ridiculous. This was clearly something that was taken from a Bond film. I thought it was a sick joke.
But as journalists and politicians did not question it, it allowed them to bomb a major hospital, to specifically target a hospital, and that set the precedent for what was to come. When they could get away with bombing this school or hospital without facing any pressure or questioning from their allies… they would keep doing it. That is something I will never forget or forgive. There was never any evidence presented of that Bond-villain base under the hospital (obviously).
Are Things Changing?
Honestly, I do not know. I think it is now possible to go protest here without being arrested and deemed an Islamic fundamentalist and terrorist. The Cork protests that happen every week would not happen here… In Germany, they would send in the armed police to cordon off these “Islamic terrorist sympathisers” and “anti-Semites”, arrest some, beat up some of the Arabic-looking ones and keep the whole protest away from the general public. However, more “respectable” groups are coming together slowly to protest. It feels pretty late in the day, to be honest. Better late than never… maybe…
It seems to be the hunger and deliberate starvation of the population that has finally, possibly broken the monster’s back… It is still early to say… but deliberately starving children (and adults) in a world of plenty seems to be what may finally do it.
It feels like maybe something is changing slowly – possibly. People are talking about how Israel may be going too far, and they should really stop now. A bit like Bob Geldof in your piece earlier, Colm. In reality, nothing has really changed. Israel keeps doing Israeli things. If you have been following this from the start, there is no depth that they will not sink to. Their criimes are beyond counting and human comprehension. They have been like this from the start when you add them all up. That they are actually openly stating they will put the Palestinian population into a giant concentration camp – sorry, “humanitarian city” – did catch me a bit by surprise – how they could be so open about it… But, yes, it seems like all of this is also finally clicking here.
Looking Forward
I think it is too late for pressure from Europe to stop the genocide. Only the US can really exert any real influence. So even if all of Germany got out to protest this, it feels like it is too late. Maybe they could have been halted back in October or November 2023 – maybe even into early 2024 – maybe external pressure could have kept them in check, but it has gone too far. Only the US Republicans could maybe do something, as they deliver Israel its weapons. So, I fear this battle will be lost. Of course, that does not mean we should stop protesting and stop trying to put an end to this, however we can.
In the long run, though, whole generations will have been turned away from Israel and will want nothing to do with it – even here, hopefully. Germany is an old country, where older people have a lot of power and are often old in their thinking. How the younger generations will react to Israel… I do not know.
In 20 years, when we speak to our children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc., we will all say that we were against this. We cannot use the excuse of previous atrocities that we did not know. It was broadcast to us every single day on social media and news channels. It was live-streamed. Their lies and lies and lies were broadcast to us uncritically for months and years. I do not really know what so many of the Germans here will say. I do not know what many of us will say.
I am sure the respectable people here will look back and eventually, like so many of our politicians, etc., they will try to blame Benjamin Nety only for this mess. He will be the fall guy and probably only after he has died and can no longer be held accountable for his monstrous behaviour. He should be condemned in history among the other disgusting figures of the 20th century and throughout world history. He should also be condemned in court as the war criminal and truly evil man that he is. However, the issues there go beyond one man. This could not have happened without much broader support and those defending the indefensible.
Conclusion
So that is it, Colm. That is another letter from Germany. I expressed a lot here, and hopefully, it makes some sense. I guess what I am getting at is that the top of the country here – the media, the government, the “respectable” people here – are entirely behind it and will do everything in their power to support Israel. The ordinary people seem to be okay with that, do nothing about it, and never talk about it. It is a strange environment.
Should I lead the charge and scream at them to change everything? Again, I feel this needs to come from the German population. I do not feel German, I am not German, and this goes to the very soul of a people. The recent Australian march of over 100,000 people shows what it should be like. The constant actions and protests around Ireland show what it could be like. Germans are well able to protest against other things, but on this, it feels like it has not happened to the extent that it needs to.
Anyway, that is enough for today.
Saoirse don Phailistín!
Note: This is the second letter that my friend has sent me regarding the genocide. I’d also recommend reading the first one, which is here:
Ponderings Of An Autist 