Patriarchal structures and protection of perpetrators in Hanover

A call that leaves us stunned and angry.

Because while the OAC outwardly supports feminist struggles, we have seen for years how patriarchal violence in its environment is relativized, perpetrators are supported and those affected are left in the lurch.

Feminism is not a banner that people hold up once a year and then make good on their own flaws.

Out of consideration for the FLINTA*s affected, we will deliberately not publish detailed descriptions of the experiences of violence here. Their stories are theirs. Nobody is obliged to publicly air their own traumas so that patriarchal violence can finally be taken seriously.

But what we want to name is how the allegations and the accused people are handled.

In one of the cases known to us, a person was, as far as we know, convicted of violence against a FLINTA*. Nevertheless, to this day we have not seen any clear distancing of the OAC from this person.

From our point of view, the extent of solidarity with the accused in the OAC environment was also shown on the sidelines of the “Shut down Nazi centers” demonstration. After stewards excluded the person in question from the demonstration, people close to the OAC showed solidarity with him in protest and then left the demonstration together.

Instead of respecting the exclusion, solidarity was publicly shown with the excluded person.

What is a feminist attitude worth if it ends exactly where one's own friends and comrades are concerned?

For us, this incident is not isolated. For years there have been close connections between the OAC environment and a circle of graffiti painters whose approach to patriarchal behavior we find deeply problematic. Accusations have been made against several people from this environment in recent years. In our opinion, there were no consequences in many cases.

We are not concerned with the supposed moral purity of left-wing spaces. It's about responsibility. The question is whether those affected are taken seriously or whether personal friendships, belonging to the scene and one's own political reputation are ultimately more important.

Patriarchal violence is not a problem that only exists outside of our structures. It doesn't disappear because people call themselves anti-fascists, shout left-wing slogans or put up feminist stickers. Left-wing spaces are also permeated by patriarchal power relations, men's associations and structures of silence.

This is precisely why it is necessary to question one's own environment instead of treating allegations of violence as an unpleasant disruption to everyday life in the scene.

Anyone who claims feminist struggles as their own has to deal with patriarchal violence even when the allegations concern their own comrades.

We are tired of FLINTA*s having to fight to be taken seriously in supposedly emancipatory spaces. We are tired of the protection of those affected becoming a matter of negotiation once the accused person is well connected. And we are tired of the fact that those who address these contradictions often face more resistance than the structures they criticize.

It is particularly bitter when, even at a preparatory meeting for the day against patriarchal violence, we cannot rely on the structures involved themselves representing a consistently anti-patriarchal stance.

November 25th is not a day for feminist self-expression. It is a day of fighting against patriarchal violence. A day on which those affected and their perspectives should be the focus - not the need of left-wing groups to give themselves a feminist image.

Anti-patriarchal practice does not begin with banner painting. It begins where solidarity becomes uncomfortable.

That's why we demand:

• The immediate end of the cooperation between the FLINTA alliance and the OAC Hannover.
• The exclusion of the OAC from feminist and left-wing spaces until a serious, affected-oriented processing of the criticized events has taken place.
• A clear distancing from patriarchal violence and the protection of people who perpetrate violence, as well as a transparent handling of the allegations made.
• Consistent solidarity with those affected instead of loyalty to one's own villains.

We don’t want any more empty confessions about feminism. We want structures in which those affected do not have to fear meeting the friends of their perpetrators. Structures in which patriarchal violence is not kept quiet out of misunderstood solidarity. Structures that allow criticism and take responsibility.

Anyone who speaks of feminism must also be measured by feminist practice.

No solidarity with patriarchal violence!

Against mischief, men's associations and protection of perpetrators - also and especially in our own ranks!

For a consistently anti-patriarchal, victim-oriented and anti-authoritarian feminism!

Angry FLINTAs from Hanover*

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