leavenoonebehind – Christian Frank

Madleen

Last night, the Israeli government seized the Freedom Flotilla’s vessel Madleen in international waters and illegally detained the crew. The boat and its humanitarian cargo are most likely lost; we can only hope that the public visibility of Rima Hassan (MEP) and Greta Thunberg will protect all crew members and ensure their safe return.

The Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, derided and belittled the crew and labeled them as extremists. He’s following the same right-wing playbook that Donald Trump is currently following in Los Angeles. Or that Putin follows in Ukraine, or Dobrindt at our border.

Fascism is resurfacing in our time under the guise of “Law & Order”.

Instead of concentrating our efforts on mitigating the climate emergency, we need to deal with old white men clinging to their power and murdering many thousands, just because they can.

(Hope, Cologne, 5/30/25)

Riesa

Last weekend, the German neo-fascist party #noAfD had its annual convention in Riesa, Saxony.

Gone are all pretensions of being part of our country’s parliamentary system. The party fully embraced nationalist and völkische ideas, especially about asking people to leave our country that haven’t been here for generations. Much like Donald’s mass deportations, the #noAfD firmly embraces the concept of remigration.

Some other points were borderline absurd, such as tearing down wind turbines, but the direction is clear: The #noAfD wants to propel Germany back to 1930 and resurrect the Third Reich.

We were outside the convention center, with over 15,000 people, and were able to delay the proceedings significantly. While that was a strong sign, much more will be needed in the coming weeks and months to protect our democracy.

The convention in Riesa marks a turning point in the history of our republic.

(Tractor, Riesa, 1/11/25)

War in Europe, weeks 117 through 118, and weeks 33 through 34

Ukraine is still short on ammunition, but luckily, most partners have finally allowed their weapons to be used against targets in Russia. The Tsar is not happy. Maybe Germany will now send Taurus cruise missiles?

In the Israeli-Arab war, year another ceasefire proposal has come and gone. Hopefully, Benjamin Gantz will leave the government today! But there’s no hope or change for the people of Gaza on the horizon.

Last Friday, we had an EU-wide climate strike to highlight the dangers to our climate coming from right-wing parties – there won’t be climate justice without democracy, and we need to fight to protect both.

This Sunday, we have the actual European election. The minimum age for voting in these elections is 16, and it’s an absolute privilege to vote.

Andate, elettori, andate!

(Zum Konraderhof, Hürth, 6/6/24)

War in Europe, week twenty-three

The heat has lessened, but the crises remain:

The Tsar is trying to expand his empire and murdering everyone standing in his way; he’s showing his apparent disdain for western democracy and our open and tolerant way of life.
Prices are rising, especially for energy, and might soon lead to social unrest.
The climate is collapsing since we’re not stopping the use of fossil fuels fast enough.
Pandemics are on the rise, and we’re not acting fast enough for fear of upsetting a vocal minority of fear mongers.

Sometimes I miss the early 2000s when I still believed flying, driving a car, or eating meat and animal products were okay. And sometimes, I feel powerless as an individual looking at the magnitude of change that will be necessary to survive as a species.

So, what can we do? Live our life as it is necessary to overcome the crises and safeguard our planet for future generations!

(South Bridge, Cologne, 7/18/22)

War in Europe, weeks twenty-one and twenty-two

We’re still in a summer lull. The heat sits like a blanket atop our city and slows everything and everyone down.

But the crises do not wait.

All over the world, from the Tsar in Russia and Xi Jinping in China to Trump and Bolsonaro in the Americas, right-wing dictators are fighting against western values. At the same time, the climate justice movement is embracing global and intersectional goals.

There are two directions in society now that move in opposite directions.

I believe that we will need to work hard, and there will be sacrifices ahead if we want to continue living in a liberal and open society, which I do.

The same goes for dealing with the Climate Emergency and the current and coming pandemics.

(Vegan Lunch, Cologne, 7/23/22)

War in Europe, weeks sixteen and seventeen

As the crises continue, I’m running out of things to write:

The Tsar is still killing people
The Climate Emergency is still killing people
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is still killing people

These three disasters are connected, and we can tie them to using fossil fuels and over-consumption.

Unfortunately, our governments are not doing much about these issues besides lip service. So, what can we as individuals do?

Send money to Ukraine
Switch to bicycles and public transport
Wear a mask and get vaccinated

And join the rallies worldwide, trying to pressure our governments to look up and act!

(Bicycle rally, Cologne, 6/19/22)

War in Europe, week fourteen

“At times like this, all we can do is practice the world we’re trying to live in.”

(Quote taken from TeenVogue: Roe and Privacy Rights by Namrata Verghese)

And indeed, this is all we can do if we do not want to succumb to despair.

I am utterly disgusted by the inaction of my government towards the war in Ukraine – they are altogether abandoning any pretense to support the people there but focusing solely on economic gains.

Covid-19 is in the usual summer slump but far from over – the incidence rate in Cologne is at 210 right now; we can expect new viruses to emerge relatively soon.

And don’t get me started on the climate emergency – even though the danger is a little less immediate than the war, it is a much more significant threat to our planet and species. Just look up!

(100 Maps and the War, Katapult Magazine, May 2022)

War in Europe, week eight

This week was utterly frustrating – Ukraine is under heavy attack, and our government is doing almost nothing to support them.

There was a good analysis by Anders Östlund on Twitter, pointing out the four old white men in our governing party (Olaf Scholz, Gerhard Schröder, Sigmar Gabriel, and Walter Steinmeier). They do not want to acknowledge that their policy toward Russia has failed. The approach that worked well with the former Soviet Union now fails with the Tsarist autocracy and leads to bloodshed and murder.

Also, we should not underestimate the role of fossil fuels and greed in this.

On Covid, the incidence figures in Cologne have remained stable at 600. Nevertheless, I got my recommended second booster this week, four months after the first.

(Ferris wheel and bridge, Cologne, 4/12/22)

War in Europe, week seven

The slaughter in Ukraine continues, and evidence of war crimes mounts every day.

Our government acts as indecisive as it did the last couple of weeks. It shows an apparent unwillingness to support the people of Ukraine by sending arms and stopping energy imports. Why did I even vote for them?

Pink Floyd released a new song in support of Ukraine, which I have on repeat ever since – David Gilmour’s guitar touches me on so many levels, and I’m so grateful that they came out in support of the people of Ukraine.

On Covid, the incidence has further gone down to 600 in Cologne.

(Pink Floyd: Hey Hey Rise Up, YouTube, 4/10/22)

War in Europe, week six

Six weeks into the war and the slaughter of civilians is continuing unabated.

For Europe, there is only one course of action left before entering into the war: Stop buying energy from Russia. Now!

However, the German government is too afraid to agree to an outright embargo, even though most Germans would support a ban on Russian gas.

I wonder what we can do to make our government act. Any ideas?

On Covid, the incidence has gone back down to 1000 in Cologne.

(Tunnel with light at the end, even though there is none; Frankfurt; 4/3/22)