The Budapest Antifascist Solidarity Committee (BASC) was founded to support those affected by the repression of Hungarian and German authorities in the context of the events in Budapest. We do not want to leave the interpretation of what happened to state institutions and right-wing and bourgeois media, especially in Hungary and Germany. We want to give the necessary space to a left perspective on the events, as well as to support those persecuted by repression. In this context, we would like to contribute not only with political analysis , but also with practical support in the context of upcoming proceedings. 

Meanwhile, almost 5 months have passed since the weekend around the so-called “Day of Honor” in Budapest. For more than twenty years Nazis from all over Europe use this day to commemorate Wehrmacht and SS. The idea is to commemorate a defeat of nearly 30,000 Nazi soldiers in the Hungarian capital. This February weekend is one of the most important international networking meetings for fascists and Nazis who can feel safe in proto-fascist Hungary. In February, this sense of security was broken for a moment by committed antifascists. In the period from February 09th to 11th , there were several clashes with well-organized and networked Nazis on the fringes of the event. In the process, militant anti-fascist actions made it clear that fascists cannot “mourn” or exchange ideas anywhere in peace. They were, in an otherwise right-wing hegemony, confronted with the feeling of powerlessness – which they usually spread among their enemies – in a direct way. The outcry is enormous. Not because again thousands of (neo)Nazis and fascists openly appear with Hitler salute, steel helmet and swastika, despite the actual ban. No. This outcry is directed solely at the comrades who are said to have opposed them. Two of them have been imprisoned in Hungary since mid-February and endure the inhumane conditions of imprisonment every day anew. We are with Tobi and the italian comrade! We also express our solidarity with the comrade who has already been released from custody, as well as with the anti-fascists who are being sought internationally by the German and Hungarian authorities.

We know that we cannot expect any leniency from these authorities for us or for those affected. The last years have clearly shown how anti-fascist structures are being targeted. The repression has become a daily routine for many people of the antifascist movement. Because the intimidation by state actors does not only begin when a stone flies through the air. It doesn’t matter if you take part in a sit-in, hold a youth plenum, or support militant antifascism. Anyone who stands up for left-wing issues becomes an enemy. The shift in discourse is real. But it does not come from the left, as it is always claimed, but from the state, supported by a society that is drifting further and further to the right. Anti-fascist actions are increasingly criminalized and various structures are exposed to more and more comprehensive and profound repression. House searches are not only since the incidents in Budapest on the agenda. 

With the founding of SokoLinx, the Saxon authorities made it clear once and for all where they see the enemy. While a group of over 250 Nazis can attack a residential neighborhood and not have much to fear other than a rap in the knuckles, Dirk Münster’s squad of snoops conjures up the stealthy growth of a danger from the left. The Antifa Ost trial shows how the rule of law undermines itself if it absolutely wants to achieve investigative success. Together with the Federal Prosecutor’s Office no effort is spared in order to see the three numbers at the end with shining eyes: 1.2.9. Here, it is not only an explicit act that is punished, but rather the political attitude.  – 1.2.9 “That’s all of us.” This was and still is a popular demo slogan in the context of the radical left. Intended as solidarity with all those who are facing these investigations and trials. At this point we send greetings to the four from the Antifa Ost trial. Our unbroken solidarity goes out to you as well. 

With its strategy, Soko LinX shows us one thing above all: that it sees us all in exactly the same way. As criminals and enemies. Not only the four in Dresden or the accused in the Budapest complex, but also everyone who has to do with them. Family as well as friends. It is enough to be a roommate or to live in the same house. Doors are shot open, people are bugged and observed; everything for the success of the investigation, everything to illuminate the alleged structure. And where there are no structures to investigate, it is a tradition to proceed arbitrarily. The most recent example: Day X, when hundreds of people were kettled for hours under undignified conditions by police units from all over the Federal Republic. They were denied food, toilet facilities and parental assistance for minors. The closing of ranks of mayor Jung, police chief Demmler and the press (a few exceptions confirm the rule) made the final point. Not to mention the lack of compensation for the unlawfulness of these measures, we are left with traumatized people. Our solidarity is also with you and those who stand by you.

So it is also necessary from our side to develop strategies to react to the unity of federal prosecutors, courts and investigators. But we are faced with a great task, because we must not forget that this triumvirate of repression directly brings along its propagandists, when they kick in the doors of our friends at 6 in the morning.

While the Springer press, as well as right-wing media and social media accounts, are outdoing each other with untruths, speculations and lies, the bourgeois press has also jumped on the bandwagon and is spreading the narrative set by investigative authorities of a new generation of left-wing terrorists and a new RAF without counter-investigation or even counter-speech. Investigators already known from other contexts ponder underground activities and grasp at any straw to maintain their narrative of the enemy from the left and expand their investigative powers. This is printed gladly, but unquestioned. Thus, a meme on the net is quickly fantasized into a death threat and the political reality in Saxony, Germany and not least Hungary is completely ignored. For clicks, no inflammatory headline is too far-fetched, and sometimes the alarm clock is set extra early for exclusive photos and information. While Nazis and fascists are often enough granted with a presumption of innocence and with the “probably”, comrades then see themselves unpixelated and with clear names in print and online editions of the tabloid media. Here, too, neither the form nor the content is questioned, and the consequences for those affected and their environment are accepted as collateral damage. Left-wing media have so far maintained a low profile – which may also be due to the fact that many things are unclear and many questions remain unanswered. 

Many things need to be clarified and discussed. We are under no illusion that we will succeed in convincing a bourgeois majority of the necessity of militant antifascism. It is not least about the ability of a radical left to act, which has let many debates fall asleep in recent years. We no longer want to press the snooze button when it comes to important inner-left debates. But we must not let ourselves be paralyzed by this and, above all, we must not leave the accused alone to their fate and the interpretive sovereignty of others. A long and energy-sapping process lies ahead of us, the extent of which cannot yet be approximately surveyed. We would like to walk this path together with those affected by repression and their families and friends, expressing our solidarity and offering them our support. Only together we can oppose the unity of repressive authorities, press and fascists in order not to let a right-wing hegemony become a reality here, as it already exists in Hungary.

Anti-fascist practice is diverse and necessary – whether in Berlin, Leipzig, Jena, Milan or Budapest: “Whoever fights against the Nazis cannot rely on the state at all.” – Esther Bejarano