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File:  ltr to Congress, 76 scientists 2012.pdfResource Type: Letters

File:  ltr to Congress, 76 scientists 2012.pdfResource Type: Letters

from Act for Free

[Note of Sans Nom: On Tuesday, September 9, in the southern districts of Berlin, at around 3:30 a.m., flames engulfed two 35-meter-high, 110-kV electricity pylons located on Königsheide Street in the Johannisthal district, cutting power to Europe’s largest technology park located nearby in Altendorf. Steel chains were also wrapped around the cable insulation sheaths to cause a short circuit once they had melted in the flames. These two pylons are located at the end of the overhead line, where electricity passes from the air to the underground route. More broadly, all of the southern districts of the German capital were left without power, including its 50,000 residents, 3,000 businesses (including those in the technology park), shopping centers, trams, a dozen schools (which remained closed), traffic lights, and telephone communications. The temporary connection system that was put in place only managed to restore full power after 60 hours (on the afternoon of Thursday, September 11), and repairs to the network on the two pylons are expected to last until 2026, according to a spokesperson for the company Stromnetz. This power outage in Berlin is also the longest in decades, since the accidental outage in Köpenick in February 2019 affected only 30,000 households and lasted about 30 hours. Here is a translation from German of the communiqué published on the same day on de.indymedia, signed “Some anarchists”…] —————– Attack on the military-industrial complex – Blackout in Europe’s largest technology park September 9, early morning: thousands of cities wake up, millions of people are roused from their sleep by the shrill beep of their alarm clocks, heralding the start of another day of monotony and apathy—15 minutes to drink a coffee before rushing off to work. An hour on public transport, a few exchanged glances, no one talking, everyone glued to their screens. Tons of cars crisscross the streets, the noise of sirens scaring the few birds circling above the city. Neighborhoods become a little more dreary every day. Loneliness settles in among the crowds, between concrete buildings, fences, and cameras. Surrounded by a police presence that threatens to suffocate us more and more. Advertising screens encourage us to consume or invite us to join the German army (Bundeswehr). Yes, here we are again: “The world will rise again thanks to the German spirit” [a famous line from a poem by Geibel in 1861, intended as a call to the world to “become more German”]. The “historic turning point” requires unwavering defense of the homeland and readiness for war, with the “body of the people” sticking together and making sacrifices. Militarization is advancing, and behind the neoliberal promise of prosperity, the fascist face is showing itself more and more openly. Resignation and pessimism are gaining ground, and there is a certain sadness in the air. The news is constantly relaying catastrophic events. Wars and genocides never cease. On the contrary: in Gaza, Congo, Sudan, and Ukraine, massacres continue and leaders rub their hands with glee. Business is booming. New agreements are constantly being signed to exploit other countries’ resources, depriving populations of their means of subsistence. Neofascists are firmly entrenched in power in a growing number of countries, and capital is constantly at their service. The reactionary wave of anti-feminism and hostility towards queer people is fueled by tech bros, and AI continues its meteoric rise, making the world increasingly artificial. Their dystopian promise of progress: a fascist-like technocracy with extra-planetary aspirations in response to the collapse of the planet. Everything seems to indicate that this world has long been lost, that there is no possibility of action, that our actions are useless, as if the times of revolt belonged to a distant past. But today, not everything is working as smoothly as usual. In Europe’s largest technology park, east of Berlin, usually bustling with activity, this normality seems to have dissipated in a matter of minutes in the early hours of the morning. Darkness has given way to a glimmer of hope, for apathy and frustration are not the only reactions to this oppressive reality. [Read the rest of the article here]

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