interview with Christian S.

This is the interview with Christian S., the anti-fascist from Berlin, on resistance from within the prison. Christian is locked up in the prison of Berlin-Tegel because of his active anti-fascist engagement.

Q. “Why did you give yourself in?”

After the last time I have been released, in January 2006 after the pretrial detention time, I have been asked often if I want intending to serve the rest of the sentence, 40 months, or if I rather choose to go underground. A topical question which appeared already often in the history of resistance, and which have been answered in different ways. On the one side, many people fought for my release and therefore the fact that I choose to enter „freely“ the prison again, might take people by surprise. On the other one, going underground means always more and more charges for the one who support me, and it carries also some political results. An escape reprents a huge financial and logistical organizationally effort to be carried on by all the solidary environment, a fact which does not make a person on the run very happy. Moreover, an escape following a sentence for breaching the peace (ndr. Christian's case), brings also grist to the mills of the ones who are responsible for the inflactionary increase of arrest warrants after a demonstration or any antifascist action; at least, it makes a decision for the release from custody very difficult for all the others. As last, my eventual going underground would have meant that nazis and the repression boards would be able to decide who is aloud to be politically active in Berlin, and who, instead, need to prepare his/her luggage and get on his/her own way.

Q. “Does the decision of giving yourself in then representing an act of cooperation with the state?”

In the case of short sentences, it is not a problem to not give yourself in and to wait until the moment you will be then arrested. Talking about long ones, going underground represents the only true alternative. Regarding my case, I was hoping to pass the message that it is possible to keep on living despite prison, say not renouncing to your friendships or your political desires. To push the possible mistakes that lead to being caught, put into custody and process back it is necessary to point them out to others. Indeed, how many people choose to step away at least from the antifascist scene, following their first „contact“ with the pigs?

Q. “How is resistance possible inside prison?”

Cooperation in prison means for example to accept important workplaces, such as in the workshop or in the sanitary and so on… Exaclty those kind of jobs have to be refused, also the contact with with the officials has to be avoided, beside the absolutely minimal one. Instead, the usage of your own „rights“ and the communication of any kind of abuse, through an intensive work within the public sphere, might be contributing to a fully desiderable confrontation inside and outside prisons. Despite the usage of a wide spectrum of oppressive means – as of ones, intended to destroy your own personality – not all the ones willing to resist are being extirpated by the prisons of Berlin. The rage within the prison for young offenders, in Moabit (prison for the ones awaiting trial) and in Tegel is very big, but a lighting spark from the outside is missing.

Q. “Are you aware on how resistance is looking alike in other countries?”

In Greece or Spain the level of political consciousness and of resistance within prisons is much higher, also because many actions of solidarity are happening on the outside, actions that here are almost unimaginable. Surely, also in Greece no prisoner is being released because a bank have been bombed in his/her name, but these kind of actions are contributing in making the prisoners collective consciousness stronger, as well as of their supporters and of all the movement. Absolutely fatal would be leaving the resistance within prisons to our enemies, who gather around the Neo-nazi singer from the band Landser, Michael Regner. The solidarity demonstration done by the nazis to the Tegel prison produced a structural increase of the nazis here inside.

More informnations about Christian: http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20070724105544911