Event day Sunday, September 14, 2025
Venue: “bUm,” Paul-Lincke-Ufer 21 in Berlin-Kreuzberg
Admission from 1 p.m.
10 euro admission fee
From 2 p.m.:
The role of the German media in the Gaza genocide (Gaza Committee)
Starting at 4:45 p.m.:
In the first part, we want to explain the position of German trade unions on Palestine and the connection between the DGB (German Trade Union Confederation) and the Zionist trade union Histadrut, and discuss a Palestinian perspective on class struggle under colonial oppression. In the second part, we invite everyone to join the discussion on what internationalist trade union work can look like in times of war, militarization, and genocide.
50 years of partnership agreement between the Israeli “trade union” Histadrut and the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) - 50 years of German support for Zionist colonial violence against the workers’ movement in Palestine.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the partnership agreement between the DGB and Histadrut, celebrated by the DGB leadership on September 3, we have bad news: From their ivory tower, they celebrate as an achievement of Germany’s denazification an agreement with a partner that is today part of the genocide in Palestine. The Histadrut, touted to the world as a mere trade union, has been an agency of colonization in Palestine since its inception. Since the 1920s, the Histadrut has played an important role in the ethnic segregation and disenfranchisement of Palestinian workers in Palestine, helped organize the ethnic cleansing of 1948, and continues to provide material support to the settlement movement to this day. It was involved in the founding of the IDF and the Israeli military-industrial complex. Despite its conflicts of interest with the current far-right government in Israel, it continues to support the colonial war of annihilation in Gaza.
With Claudio Feliziani for StopArmingIsrael Berlin Sai Englert, social and political scientist Leena Dallasheh, historian from Haifa
Starting at 7:00 p.m.
Open networking meeting for internationalist trade union work against war, armament, and genocide
The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), apart from its programmatic declarations on “advocating for controlled disarmament, peace, and international understanding” [1] – not only fails to call for large protests, but also offers no significant resistance to plans to militarize the economy and to the $500 billion in war credits that are already being paid for through cuts in social and cultural spending. When the reason of state (“Staatsräson”) and the interests of the military-industrial complex, against the will and interests of the majority of workers in Germany, support the genocide in Palestine, continue to arm the endless massacre of the war in Ukraine, and rearm the economy in preparation for a world war, the lack of political and trade union representation of the incompatible interests of workers and the lack of a perspective of international solidarity becomes unbearable.
But it’s not all bad news. In France, Italy, Greece, Morocco, and other countries, dockworkers are showing that arms shipments can be stopped. On June 4, 2025, for example, dockworkers belonging to the CGT union in Marseille - Golfe du Fos refused to unload weapons destined for Israel for use in genocide [2].
CUB, USB, and SICobas grassroots unions in Italy called for a general strike against war and armament on June 20, 2025. The political documents of the Italian grassroots unions clearly show the connection between social cuts, the war economy, and genocide in Palestine [3].
On August 1, 2025, the CALP collective of dockworkers in Genoa, acting on information from dockworkers in Piraeus, Athens, blocked the docking of a COSCO container ship loaded with weapons destined for Israel [4]. CALP Genoa, Athens, and Marseille have founded an international coordination of dockworkers. An international meeting of dockworkers will take place on September 26.
More than 200 trade unions and non-governmental organizations in Spain had already called for a one-day general strike on September 24, 2024, “against genocide and the occupation of Palestine.” [5]
In Germany, too, trade unionists are speaking out against genocide and militarization. [6]
How do we build international solidarity here in Germany?
Gewerkschafter4Gaza invites all interested parties — union members and (as yet) non-union members, Forum Gewerkschaftslinke, Migrantifa, Vernetzung kämpferischer Gewerkschaften, Mo Anker (dockworker in Hamburg and active in “Waffenlieferung Stoppen!”), Ramsis Kilani (Sozialismus von Unten SvU), and others.
The more interested people participate, the more lively and productive this evening will be.
[1] https://www.dgb.de/fileadmin/download_center/Beschlüsse/Satzung_des_Deutschen_Gewerkschaftsbundes-_Stand_Mai_2022.pdf
[2] https://archive.ph/Gi4Ut
[3] https://cub.it/sciopero-generale-venerdi-20-giugno-2025/
[4] https://www.facebook.com/CalpGe/videos/1258452399194879/?mibextid=LoFJqn
[5] https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/hundreds-of-unions-ngos-in-spain-call-for-general-strike-in-solidarity-with-palestine/3343327
[6] https://www.instagram.com/p/DNsoZqg5F_l/
We are organizing this event in cooperation with the “Gaza Committee.”
There will be fundraising for Palestinian families and Palestinian food.
The two panels will also be livestreamed. You can also participate in the open network meeting via Zoom. Link to follow.
- Datum: 5 September 2025