Jan Müller on the forgetfulness of history in German pop & his return to political activism.
Looking back, I believe that the Holocaust was one of the central reasons that I became interested in politics. The outrage over how many old Nazis had remained blameless and the violence and provocative activism of neo-Nazis made it seem natural for me to position myself in the left-wing camp. If you lived in Hamburg at that time, as I did, then Hafenstrasse with its squatted houses was a fascinating place of unrest.
I also started to get interested in punk music in those days. From the end of the 80s, the “Störtebeker Center” on Hafenstrasse was my evening living room. Here I experienced concerts that were awakening experiences for me. For example No Means No, Fugazi, LWS, Hammerhead, Erosion, Heresy, Active Minds, Born Against and EA80. “But you hardly dare to say anything / For fear it would be too much,” sing the latter in “Schweigen”, one of their best songs.
A stale feeling remained
In the spring of 1988, I remember being silent about a mural on Hafenstrasse that shocked me: under a drawn machine gun, it said in huge letters “Boycott Israel – Goods, Kibbutzim and Beaches.” The word Israel was put in quotation marks. I already knew the anti-Israel slogans of the anti-imperialist faction at the demonstrations I attended in those days. But the unfiltered hatred that spoke from the mural went beyond that. He was one of many reasons why I stopped my activity in the left-wing radical milieu in those weeks.
I stopped going to demos. But I continued to go to concerts in the “Störtebeker”. The concerts were hosted by people other than those who put up the mural. But a stale feeling remained. With my band Tocotronic I got to know a new progressive-political scene in pop Hamburg in the 90s. Only the occasional RAF folklore from some of the protagonists bothered me. But at least there was always counter-talk. Those were wordy, discursive times. (By the way, the wonderful Wild Billy Childish mocked the terrorism cult in a very funny way in the song “Oh Mein Gott Baader Meinhof.”)
Oblivion of history in German pop
In the noughties, new left-wing movements emerged that were closely linked to pop culture and unequivocally distanced themselves from anti-Semitism. But there was also a forgetfulness of history in German pop. And in 2004 there was a campaign by the animal rights organization Peta to put the Holocaust into perspective, with the participation of pop musicians.
The BDS campaign, which describes Israel as an apartheid state and calls for a boycott, was formed in 2005. I was sad to discover that, especially in Great Britain, many musicians whose music I appreciated began to support the BDS. In October 2009, left-wing demonstrators in Hamburg prevented the screening of the film “Why Israel”. “How can it be that the Germans hardly react at all to this incident?” comments director Claude Lanzmann.
The BDS’ breakthrough in Germany began in 2017: their first target was the Pop Culture Festival in Berlin. The aggressiveness with which BDS acted here caused deep insecurity in my circle of friends and in me. In April 2018, rappers Farid Bang and Kollegah received backlash for an album that disparaged the memory of the Holocaust. A specially appointed Echo internal ethics committee gave the green light for the award.
The Documenta scandal made it clear that the BDS had found numerous advocates in the academic milieu
In 2022, it was another mural that shockingly expressed anti-Semitism. The Documenta scandal also made it clear that the BDS had long since found numerous advocates in the academic milieu. On October 22, 2023, I spontaneously decide to attend the solidarity rally for Israel at the Brandenburg Gate. It is the first time in decades that I have taken part in a political demonstration. A broad alliance from the Federal President to reggae musician Filou from the left-wing “Berlin Boom Orchestra” will take part in this event on stage.
Roni Roman arrived from Israel. Her sister Yarden was abducted by Hamas on October 7th (On November 29, she was among the sixth group of hostages that Hamas handed over to the Red Cross as part of the ceasefire – note.). Roni and Yarden Roman’s grandparents fled Germany after the pogrom night in 1938. Yarden Roman’s birthday is on the day of the rally. Roni asks the participants to sing the song “happy Birthdayto agree. She doesn’t know whether her sister is still alive.
I am happy about my decision to take part in this moving event. However, I notice that there are very few young people among the participants. In any case, the number of participants is embarrassingly low. Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer said on November 9, 2023 about the current situation in Germany: “I am not surprised. Just disappointed and sad.”
This column first appeared in Musikexpress issue 1/2024.