Kate Buckell and Rosie Woods visited Germany in December, to take a message of solidarity to the striking German students from the Campaign for Free Education in Britain. This is what they found.
Tuesday 16 December, 11.25am: arrive in Berlin and meet Judith and Michael from the Student Government at the Free University of Berlin. It is –9°C. We go straight to the Technical University, where banners proclaim “Streik!” and slogans compare government military expenditure with that on education. Students have been striking for over a month at this university.. It is part of a wave of student strikes that began in Hesse in September when hundreds of students had courses cancelled for lack of space and teachers.
Later, we go to the Free University to picket the Minister of the Interior, who is expected to speak at a meeting of Christian Democrat students. 100 students come to the picket, but the Minister of the Interior does not. No-one seems to know who has organised the picket.
The campaign so far has been largely spontaneous. The student unions do not have the same resources as in Britain. Membership is voluntary. The national Free Federation of Student Unions, FZS, was established in 1993, but many of the larger universities — including the three in Berlin — are not affiliated.
Wednesday 17 December: Straight to Humboldt University. After meeting a students’ strike picket, we go round the back to the Infopool, pick up leaflets and talk to Cordula, Petra and Matte for about 15 minutes. They tell us that the strike is mainly about more money for the universities, but there are many detailed demands. They have already forced the government to send representatives to talk to them directly and are in good spirits, though concerned that the movement may peter out over Christmas. Few have had any lectures for weeks, and exams are looming. Although lecturers are banned by federal law from striking, they are offering support by holding open-air lectures.
We hear that school students have walked out in solidarity with the university students. The students have also begun making links with trade unions, in particular with civil servants who may strike in the New Year.
At 3pm, about ten thousand students assemble to demonstrate in Berlin. This turnout is smaller than usual, but it is a week before Christmas and –15°C. The demonstration has been organised by members of the Student Governments at the three universities, although when we arrive no-one seems to be doing much organising. Even more surprisingly, to us, there is only one left-wing paper-seller there.
The demonstration is peaceful but tense. There are speakers from teaching unions, the Student Governments, and the CFE. Our words of solidarity are met with cheers, and the rally ends with chants of “Solidarity International”.
We retire to the warmth of a cafe to chat with Ingo and Sylvie from the Free University. Their demands are wide-ranging, including broader issues of social rights. They complain that only three thousand out of a potential 42,000 students attend the weekly General Assemblies that plan the city-wide campaign. Only?
They confirm that organised socialists are not very visible in the movement, and tell us that a national congress is planned for 8-11 January to codify demands and coordinate action.
Thursday 18 December: At 2am we are on one of 12 coaches travelling the ten hours from Berlin to a national demonstration in Bonn. On arrival we are met by Ulrike from FZS. She tells us that the Federal Government is trying to introduce a law giving the State governments greater control over education, enabling them to introduce tuition fees and to remove student representatives from university governing boards. The FZS is calling on the government to outlaw the introduction of fees and to increase the student grant, which is paltry and available only to a few. It has called the demonstration today.
There is a feeling of frustration on the demonstration, and at one stage about a thousand students clash with riot police in an attempt to reach government buildings. They are driven back with tear gas. There are a few left paper-sellers here, but still not many by British standards.
The students we talk to here are, however, more confident than those in Berlin that they can kickstart the movement again after Christmas. About 30,000 attend the rally, with speakers from student unions, the teachers’ and scientists’ union GEW and, of course, the CFE. Once again we get a rapturous response. The FZS is keen to develop links with the CFE and to send a representative to Britain in the New Year.
As for us, we have seen what students can do, given just a little bit of confidence. British students lack that confidence, for now, and part of our job must be to help create it. If we can, then we have two things on our side that the German students still lack: a well-resourced student union movement, and an organised body of socialists, the AWL, well placed inside that movement.
