NAME

Stefan Beck of Germany

TITLE

Subtle knocks on your backhead enforce your capacity to think. (German proverb.)

SYNOPSIS

A particular and general critic on cultural politics as practiced by the City of Frankfurt/Main, Germany. [-pacgfh] (options)

THE EVENT (a description)

On the early Sunday morning of October 15th around four o^clock some eighty policemen entered the backyard of Mainzer Landstraße 125 and terminated a party held there on occaision of the Frankfurt International Bookfair by the Kassel (the city of the Documenta) based publishing house <Martin-Schmitz-Verlag>. Without any warning they started clubbing at the remaining 40 guests and driving out of the room. Some people witnessed them shouting: ”We are going to get the shit from the street, and you are shit.“ Around 15 people, men and women, were severely injured. The executive of that party faces the accusation of ”resistance against the state power“ and ”attempted breaking the peace of the country“ (Landfriedensbruch, a very old, very German term of law.)

WHAT HAPPENED AFTERWARDS? (question)

Nothing! No one cared! On monday the Frankfurt based newspapers brought articles spreading the police^s point of view, of people having attacked the police. When the victims asked to print their version of the event only the center-left orientated Frankfurter Rundschau gave the that space and published an article which centered on the victims of the police.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR CULTURE?

Imagine such a thing would have happened half a mile to downtown at the Alte Oper (Old Opera , former opera house, now concert hall), policemen knocking down visitors. I bet sure this would have become a scandal. Now the scandal is, that such can happen in some nearby part of the town and no one cares.

THE AREA

The Mainzer Landstrasse is one of the Frankfurt downtown streets with the heaviest traffick. Plus, it is an area which is thought as a developping site, one possible axis for new highrises. Most of the houses in this area already belong to banks. The DG Bank has built its tower ”Westendstraße 1“ in the nearest vicinty to the spot at Mainzer Landstraße 125. The owner of that houses try to get out all tenants as soon as possible to make room for new highrises, if needed. Some hundred meters to the south is a large area which shall give space for the new European Central Bank.

Why a party in this area? The City of Frankfurt governs a policiy of extreme difficulties for anz attempt to create new place of nightlife and amusement. Its nearly impossible to get a license. So must of the young clubowners try to make their sites illegal. And this is for sure not possible in downtown. So they are forced to reside in some ghettolike parts around the main station.

To live in such an area is no fun. So its understandable that people living there want their peace at least for the night.

BUT WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH ”NOISE“?

optional

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ”CULTURE“?

In my opinion this is the endmark of the highrise cultural policy in Frankfurt. While spending and licensing becomes more and more restrictive it is forced by the responsible politicianc, namely mayor Petra Roth (CDU, christian democratic party), secretary of culture Linda Reisch (SPD, social democratic party) and secretary of finances Tom Koenigs (Gruene, green party), to suppress all evocations of some independent party or club culture which will not fit in the image of the city of Frankfurt as a major banking and economic trading market place.

CONCLUSION

I think that there can be, cannot exist, a reasonable reason for beating up people through the police on a cultural event, on any kind event.

EXAMPLES

Find more examples of this kind in your hometown.

SEE ALSO

My home page at: http://www.inm.de (no longer available)

My German description of the phaenomenon.