Our first Sunday off had me
dreaming of lounging in a quiet and shady park with my notebook. Soon I learned that Berlin had other plans
for the day. To my surprise, this
involved the protest that I had vaguely heard about that morning. It had passed by as I was eating lunch, but
this was not the last I would see of it.
On our way to the Tiergarten, we made a stop by the Brandenburg Gate
where we were met with thousands of Berliners, booming bass music, and lots of
glitter. This location happened to be
the endpoint of this rally. Truthfully, I
was initially slightly annoyed to not be able to get to the park. After fully
taking in my surroundings, I became grateful for the change of plans. Quite by accident I was witnessing a moment
in history, firsthand. Not only just witnessing,
but participating in. It ended up that
it was even the kind of movement I would purposefully join in America. So, why not in Berlin? After all, it is the very city that is
teaching me to always go with the flow. So
I embraced the experience. When I first
heard about the protest, I did some basic research out of curiosity, but after
being a part of it I was inspired to learn more about what exactly I had
supported. This rally, titled “Bass Away
the AfD” was in response to a march in support of the AfD. To sum it up this group is known for
discrimination. I’ll leave you to
further research if you please and make your own opinions on that. Using the dance club culture the city is known
for, it was broadcasted that the AfD as well as its discrimination and hatred
have no place in Berlin. The plaza was
instead filled with peace flags, outfits made of gold and silver foil, dancing,
and of course, the inspired roar of the crowd (which made me long evermore so
to understand German). The
counterdemonstration outnumbered the initial march by twenty thousand Berliners
and because of a lucky bit of poor planning, a few Americans.
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