Demonstrations
A dreary grey day suited an equally monochrome event in Muenster Germany today. All traffic across the major artery to the train station, Eisenbhanstrasse, into areas adjacent to the Altstadt was blocked by heavy police barricades. Only residents of areas beyond the police line were allowed to cross. On one side of the station that normally shunts people between the surrounding city and the Altstadt a major Neo-Nazi demonstration, on the other side a group of counter protestors.
As customary in all German public gatherings empty beer bottles & trash from sandwiches and baker’s goods spotted the street. In a small parking lot a small stage was set up for various bands and speakers to preach their anti-Fascist propaganda. A small booth was cashing in on flags, banners and shirts with anti-Nazi slogans. The only remarkable voice of opposition to the Neo-Nazi demonstration was a black asexual mass of disembodied youths dressed in Brit-punk & Goth garb. A soft drizzle of rain would come and go as Anarchist hooligans who on any other occasion would be disbanded by police were rejoicing in triumph. Drinking pilsner and wallowing on the asphalt in the middle of intersections with their comrades. Meanwhile, working class onlookers & curiosity seekers, myself included, wandered about in disarray. There were sudden bursts of police movements and the buzz of choppers overhead. There was no potential for confrontation as any movement by either camp was faced with staunch police resistance.
Some in the crowd were merry and laughing with the police. Others had come with family including toddlers and children in strollers, perhaps in an effort to educate. Still others were stoic and navigated amidst the congregation; and a few obvious immigrants scampered about anxiously.
The situation was one of differing ideologues separated by a tactical divide. At that both camps were convinced of their own righteousness. And it was clear that there is no separation between good and evil, but rather a continuum. The Neo-Nazi demonstration & its counter-demonstration on Saturday February 18, 2006 in the benign picturesque city of Muenster, Germany, was a microcosm of the schism between peoples of differing convictions. Through out the world convictions are manipulated by iconic figures and the ruling elites in order to polarize humans against one another. The convictions of man lay the foundation for civilization. Too often human beings are coerced by perverse beliefs preached to them from altars or podiums. In effect convictions can be systematically used to shape the perception of fellow humans.
Perceptions shape memory and put man in his stance within the world. Thus the formation of perceptions constitutes a driving force behind convictions; and how people view one another. Polarizing the perceptions of people about righteousness antithetical to hostility & wickedness leads to conflict and is in fact the highest form of violence. War is the result of a critical-mass attained through propaganda targeting our perceptions. The product of these perceptions; our convictions lay the foundation for civilization. If people surrender to propaganda, that aims to influence their perceptions, then our convictions will be hijacked and along with it our civilization.