The Germans who dared grieve
TAG: Honouring the children of Gaza
On Oct 13, some 500 Berliners dropped by the Neue Wache on Unter den Linden to read the names of the Palestinian children killed in Gaza. Most were foreigners. Not all. Meet the Germans who dared show empathy.
It’s a windy Sunday on Unter den Linden, yet an eclectic gathering of people – 600 total over the day - are standing still on the pavement next to a heap of used children’s shoes, outside Berlin’s Neue Wache, the city's memorial for the "Victims of War and Tyranny". Every four minutes, one of them walks up to a microphone and reads one page of 42-45 Arabic-sounding names, surrounded by more kids’ shoes, women dressed in giant white wings and collected listeners.
No speeches, no music. Not a political slogan in sight.
It’s October 13, 2024, and Israel’s war on Gaza has claimed the lives of 17,000 children. In June, we’d already gathered here to ‘honoured’ 8000 of them over a 15-hours marathon reading. This time we’d come back for 10 hours and a batch of 8000 names. Despite the wind and the damp cold, an uninterrupted flow of volunteers flocked to the Neue Wache. The emotion was as humbling as the first time.
“Readers on that day seemed to reflect both Berlin’s multinational demographics and world’s politics”
Meet the mourners
They’ve come alone, with partners, friends or dogs – sometimes accompanied by their own children. From 13h the wait time was about 40 min, but even when the rain started, no one thought of complaining. A Palestinian woman asked if her mum could read her “own list” - they have (had?) family in Gaza. A man insisted on reading a second and a third time. When not at the mic he would stand by with an open notebook covered in colourful childish letters: “Wir können nicht schweigen, unsere Kinder werden getötet” (“We cannot be silent, our children are being killed”). He was obviously deeply affected. No one dared ask for more…
Readers on that day seemed to reflect both Berlin’s multinational demographics and world’s politics: they were from Mexico or Russia, India, Japan, Egypt, or Lebanon to name a few. Judging by the turnout, Irish Belriners are in step with their country’s strong empathy for the Palestinian liberation fight. “We had our share of colonial oppression, scars are still there,” said a young woman from Dublin. “Solidarity for us isn’t just words, we feel it in our guts”.
Many Jews and expat Israelis, as well as Germans with Jewish roots joined in, like the violinist Michael Barenboim. The son of legendary Jewish peace-building conductor Daniel Barenboim. Michael is one of Germany’s few prominent voices to have protested the war in Gaza in any media that would hear it. His outspokenness, humble availability (he’s also a co-initiator of the Kilmé Palestinian talks series) and his natural eloquence have made him a hero among Berlin’s thriving pro-Palestine milieus.
Another ‘Promi’ among the crowd: Mehmet König. The Berlin SPD Queer MP wasn’t reading today. He, his husband and their dog Oscar came for support. Barenboim and König are among the few German men here today.