On the night of Easter Sunday, Lorenz was shot dead by police in Oldenburg’s city center. Lorenz was just 21 years old.
As always in cases of fatal police violence, the media defamed and dehumanized Lorenz as a „dangerous knife attacker.“ In doing so, they unquestioningly reproduced the police’s narrative of an alleged attack on police officers with a knife, which led to the fatal use of a firearm …
One day later, the results of the forensic autopsy confirmed fatal injuries from (at least?) four shots fired from behind… these hit him in the head, back, and hip, plus a graze on his thigh. The presence of a knife could not be confirmed by investigations …
… and once again, „experts“ in police training confirm that the use of firearms is intended to definitively stop „attackers“ – which is why several shots are repeatedly fired in quick succession. In this context, the so-called „vital triangle“ from the head to the base of the ribcage is often referred to as a target focus. In practical terms, this trained „strategy“ means a massively increased probability of death due to multiple injuries in several vital body regions, a wide range of body parts hit due to recoil, and a danger to bystanders from shots that miss the primary target in the rush.
On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, we held a vigil for Lorenz at ARRIVATI PARK in Hamburg St. Pauli.
The vigil begins at 8 p.m.
We stand united against racism, which is structurally rooted and systemic, especially in the police.
The murder of Lorenz is not an isolated incident!
The names follow one another in the federal state of Lower Saxony:
Aman Alizada (2019 – Stade)
Kamal Ibrahim (2021 – Harsefeld)
Qosay Khalaf (2021 – Delmenhorst)
Mamadou Bah (2023 – Braunschweig)
Lamin Touray (2024 – Nienburg)
Racist police violence must not go unchallenged!
Touch ONE – Touch ALL!
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Gerechtigkeit für Lorenz – Mahnwache im ARRiVATi-Park
In der Nacht zu Ostersonntag wurde Lorenz in der Oldenburger Innenstadt von der Polizei erschossen. Lorenz war erst 21 Jahre alt.
Wie immer in Fällen von tödlicher Polizeigewalt diffamierten und entmenschlichten die einschlägigen Medien Lorenz als „gefährlichen Messer-Angreifer“. Dabei reproduzierten sie unhinterfragt die Narrative der verantwortlichen Polizei von einem angeblichen Angriff auf Polizeibeamte mit einem Messer, weswegen eine Schusswaffe zum tödlichen Einsatz kam.
Einen Tag später belegen die Ergebnisse der rechtsmedizinischen Autopsie tödliche Verletzungen durch (mindestens?) 4 Schüsse von hinten … diese trafen ihn am Kopf, im Rücken, in der Hüfte zuzüglich eines Streifschusses am Oberschenkel. Die bisherigen Ermittlungen haben ein Messer nicht bestätigen können …
… und erneut bestätigen „Experten“ für Polizeiausbildung, dass der Einsatz der Schusswaffe dazu dienen soll, „Angreifer“ definitiv zu stoppen – deswegen werden immer wieder gleich mehrere Schüsse in kurzer Schussfolge abgegeben. Gern wird in diesem Zusammenhang auch auf das sog. „vitale Dreieck“ vom Kopf bis zur Basis des Brustkorbes als Zielfokus verwiesen. Im praktischen Kontext bedeutet diese antrainierte „Strategie“ eine massiv erhöhte Tötungswahrscheinlichkeit durch multiple Verletzungen in gleich mehreren lebenswichtigen Körperregionen, eine rückstoßbedingte große Streubreite getroffener Körperteile sowie eine Gefährdung von Unbeteiligten durch Schüsse, die das primär anvisierte Opfer in der Hektik verfehlen.
Am Mittwoch, den 23.4.25 haben wir eine Mahnwache für Lorenz im ARRIVATI-PARK auf St. Pauli abgehalten.
Wir stehen geschlossen gegen Rassismus, der auch und gerade in der Polizei strukturell verwurzelt ist und systemisch wirkt.
Der Mord an Lorenz ist kein Einzelfall!
Die Namen reihen sich aneinander – im ganzen Bundesland Niedersachsen:
Aman Alizada (2019 – Stade)
Kamal Ibrahim (2021 – Harsefeld)
Qosay Khalaf (2021 – Delmenhorst)
Mamadou Bah (2023 – Braunschweig)
Lamin Touray (2024 – Nienburg)
Rassistische Polizeigewalt darf nicht ohne Konsequenzen bleiben!
6th anniversary of the death of William Tonou-Mbobda – We accuse!
William Tonou Mbobda was killed on April 21, 2019, in front of the UKE Psychiatry Clinic by security guards from the UKE subsidiary Klinik Logistik & Engineering GmbH, who illegally and illegally restrained him in a prone position. The security guards surrounded the patient, who was sitting peacefully and smoking, and ordered him to return to the ward immediately. One of the three security guards grabbed him by the shoulder from behind. When Tonou When Mbobda stood up and tried to resist the attack, the three men brought him to the ground together, laid him on his stomach and made him kneel on his back so that his hands could be forcibly tied behind his back.
Tonou Mbobda suffered a fatal cardiac arrhythmia and was declared dead 6 days later.
The Hamburg public prosecutor’s office has closed the investigation with unspeakable reasons – to date, the UKE has not apologized to the bereaved families or compensated for any necessary expenses.
Therefore, we accuse:
We accuse the violent security staff of the UKE subsidiary Klinik Logistik & Engineering GmbH of having jointly killed our brother Tonou-Mbobda on April 21, 2019, by securing his arms behind his back in a prone position and adding at least some of their body weight to his weight. They thus knowingly accepted the possibility of the victim’s death by positional suffocation.
We accuse the responsible ward physician at the UKE Psychiatry Department, Dr. Ch . Sauer, of unlawfully ordering the violent, involuntary commitment of brother Tonou-Mbobda without a court order for commitment and of subsequently failing to provide medical supervision. We accuse her of failing to take seriously the concerns raised by Tonou-Mbobda during his voluntary inpatient stay regarding taking a prescribed medication due to known allergic reactions. In this context, the traumatic loss of his brother due to an allergic reaction to a medication should have been a necessary reason for offering an alternative treatment strategy. We also accuse her of failing to diagnose the serious congenital heart defect, which was only discovered during a later forensic examination, during a thorough admission examination to rule out possible physical causes of his psychological overload.
We accuse the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the UKE of having prevented the diagnosis of a potentially fatal , congenital heart disease despite several pathological ECG findings by failing to consult a specialist cardiologist and of having ignored an additional low potassium level in the deceased’s blood.
We accuse the Medical Director of the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Prof. Dr. Gallinat , of giving false testimony before the Citizens‘ Assembly’s Scientific Committee on August 18, 2020, by claiming that all ECGs—including those from previous stays and from other clinics—were „unremarkable,“ even though they had already been marked as „pathological ECGs“ by the computer analysis. He also claimed that the lethal restraint used to facilitate the compulsory treatment ordered by the ward physician, Ch . Sauer, was allegedly not a „medical measure“ under Section 12 of the HmbPsychKG ( Medical Treatment Act) and therefore “ no medical supervision obligation“ existed.
We further accuse the UKE Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, as well as the UKE as a whole, of never having offered psychological support to the surviving relatives of Tonou-Mbobda, who died under their care . At no time were the family members given a personally comprehensible explanation of how and why their son, brother, and cousin had to die violently. We accuse the fact that to this day, no expression of sympathy has been personally addressed or conveyed to the family by the responsible clinic or the UKE.
We accuse the UKE of having publicly and in violation of medical confidentiality painted a stigmatizing image of the deceased as an ‚aggressive patient‘ in order to deceive the public about its own responsibility for significant negligence, the unlawful use of force, and for the patient’s death.
We accuse the Department of Intensive Care Medicine at the UKE of failing to conduct a necessary, timely external forensic examination and documentation of the injuries caused by the restraint force on April 21, 2019, despite our express advice, or of only initiating this several days late.
We accuse the UKE Institute of Forensic Medicine of having accepted and conducted the autopsy order under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Klaus Püschel, despite the existence of an obvious conflict of interest due to his affiliation with the responsible company, the UKE. Furthermore, we accuse Prof. Dr. Klaus Püschel and his autopsy team of having prepared a one-sided autopsy report, completely omitting any discussion of a probable positional asphyxiation, as well as of having breached their duty of care by failing to diagnose a serious heart condition despite repeated pathological ECG findings. This omission confirms the alleged conflict of interest both professionally and factually.
We accuse the Hamburg public prosecutor’s office of closing the investigation into the Tonou-Mbobda homicide without filing charges. We further accuse the public prosecutor’s office of awarding the autopsy contract to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the UKE despite a clear conflict of interest . The involvement of an external forensic pathologist under the direction of Prof. Dr. Püschel was neither suitable nor appropriate to eliminate or neutralize this conflict of interest.
We accuse the investigating public prosecutor, L. Mahnke, of having constructed a reversal of the perpetrator-victim relationship by neglecting the violations of the existing S3 guideline of the German Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Neurology (DGPPN) „Prevention of Coercion: Prevention and Therapy of Aggressive Behavior in Adults,“ by neglecting the victim’s right to self-determination and self-defense, and by the inappropriate assumption of an „intention to save lives“ regarding the incompetent and escalatory approach of the security staff. Furthermore, in a professionally unjustifiable manner, he excluded the possibility of a positional suffocation by asserting the technically untenable precondition of an allegedly necessary restraint duration of 20-25 minutes.
We accuse the UKE as a company and the UKE Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy for failing to provide effective training for its employees on the topics of positional asphyxiation and the contents of the S3 guideline of the German Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Neurology „Prevention of Coercion“ dated September 10, 2018. There is no other explanation for the fatal actions of the security guards on April 21, 2019, against our brother Tonou-Mbobda , or for the objectively incorrect assessments by UKE employees regarding the supposedly „professional“ or „appropriate“ actions of the security guards .
We accuse the UKE as a company of not having established effective and protected reporting options for racist or other inhumane incidents at the time of the fatal incident, or of not having adapted such a system to actual requirements .
Furthermore, we accuse the UKE of not having provided a responsible mechanism for dealing with medically caused deaths or injuries for relatives, as this was demonstrably not done in the present case.
We accuse the UKE as an organization of having—if any—only a rudimentary understanding of the interpersonal and institutionalized mechanisms of racism and, furthermore, a completely inappropriate culture of error. The UKE was neither able to adequately address the failures related to the death of our brother Tonou-Mbobda nor to deal respectfully and thoughtfully with his surviving relatives and friends.
Our demands:
We call on the UKE to apologize to the bereaved family in an appropriate and personal manner for the death of William Tonou-Mbobda and to reimburse the costs incurred for the repatriation and burial of the body.
We call on people of African descent to join us today in remembering our brother William Tonou-Mbobda and his family. We urge you to support the family with all your strength in their fight for clarification and justice, and to raise awareness of this case beyond Germany’s borders, and especially in Africa.
We call on the solidarity-based civil society in Hamburg and throughout Germany to recognize and support the struggles of Black communities in Germany for the investigation of institutionalized murders of Black and otherwise racialized people. It is the task of the German majority society to combat the systemic racism within it, its authorities, and its institutions through implicit prejudices, racial To effectively counteract profiling , special laws, restrictions on benefits for asylum seekers, exclusion and illegalisation and, in particular, prejudice-based treatment and jurisprudence.
The violent death of Tonou-Mbobda is not an isolated incident!
The fact that Black people repeatedly die, are seriously injured, or are disadvantaged as a result of the responsibility or irresponsibility of German institutions and authorities is, unfortunately, a bitter and daily experience in our communities – including and especially here in Hamburg:
Achidi John died at the UKE Institute of Forensic Medicine – he was killed by Prof. Dr. Ute Lockemann forcibly injecting emetics into his lungs instead of his stomach …
In 2014, Francis Kwame died on the streets of Hamburg after surviving the 2011 Libyan war, the escape across the Mediterranean, and the hopelessness of Italy…
Yaya died in 2016 Jabbi in the Hahnöversand Prison in Hamburg. The prison administration announced that Yaya allegedly killed herself by hanging in her cell, even though there had been no indication of this shortly beforehand…
In 2017, Ghanaian Obang A.A. was shot by a plainclothes police officer and then left lying there without any assistance for more than 15 minutes until the ambulance arrived…
In 2019, William Tonou-Mbobda died due to illegal, irregular, and inappropriate restraint in front of the psychiatric ward at the UKE…
… and for none of these known deaths and the many other injuries has anyone ever been held accountable or appropriately accountable!
“Africa and Beyond: Our Struggles for Liberation and Justice”
Contributions and discussion about the history, achievements and impact of African liberation movements There can be no liberation without collective and global efforts and a shared understanding of our anti-colonial and anti-imperialist struggles.
Panel / Contributions:
Moderation: Sipua Ngnoubamdjum & Dr. Aissa Halidou
Translation:Marianne Ballé Moudoumbou
Dr. Malusi Mncube– University of Johannesburg (Political Science Department)
Prof. Kehinde Andrews – requested – Birmingham City University (Black Studies)
Prof. Hakim Adi – University of Chichester (History of Africa and the African Diaspora)
Ayreen Anastas (Occupied Palestine)and Rene Gabri(Iran)– New York (artists/activists in exile)
Nataly Jung-Hwa Han – Prominent Activist and Chairwomwn of the Korea Verband Deutschland
Dr. Malusi Mncube is a respected activist and scholar of Politics from the University of Johannesburg. His contributions will focus on the enduring impact of Pan-Africanism and anti-colonial movements, highlighting the role of radical activism in addressing both historical and contemporary injustices across Africa. His insights will also bridge discussions on the interconnectedness of African liberation movements with global struggles, emphasizing the critical role of international solidarity
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Prof. Kehinde Andrews, is a Professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University, where he established the first Black Studies program in Europe. A leading figure in discussions on racial politics and Black radicalism, his work critically addresses the global dynamics of race, class, and power, emphasizing anti-colonial and anti-imperial struggles. His insights into the transnational movements for Black liberation make him a vital contributor to dialogues on liberation across Africa and its diaspora. He is co-founder of the Harambee Organisation of Black Unity.
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Prof. Hakim Adi, is a Professor of the History of Africa and the African Diaspora, holds the distinction of being the first historian of African heritage to become a history professor in Britain. His extensive scholarship covers the Pan-African movement and the experiences of African and Caribbean communities in the UK, offering a profound understanding of the historical and ongoing struggles for liberation that connect Africa to the global Black diaspora.
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Ayreen Anastas is from Occupied Palestine. Rene Gabri is from Iran.
In their work as artists and collectively with friends, they are interested in creating spaces and contexts for bringing together fields of study and struggle. From 1999 to 2015, they have animated with many comrades, an intergenerational, diasporic political and cultural space located just below Wall Street in Lower Manhattan. 16 Beaver (the address of the space) has been a movement and learning space for rethinking, revitalizing the terms and means of struggle in the face of ongoing imperial, colonial, racial, patriarchal, capitalist extraction, dispossession, destruction, displacement, legalized mass violence and criminality. In the context of African liberation and Palestine, they are developing with friends a grammar for what could become a movement, a coalition to overcome “genocidal-denialist futurity.”
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Nataly Jung-Hwa Han, an activist with the Korea Verband in Berlin, will draw parallels between Korean and African liberation movements. She will address the struggle for liberation from Japanese colonialism, the legacy of comfort women, and how gender disparities interconnect with these struggles.
Nataly will explore the historical trauma of colonization and its impacts, linking them to African experiences. She will highlight cross-cultural solidarity and the importance of education and diaspora activism in sustaining liberation movements. Her perspective underscores the universal fight for justice and equality.
„Afrika und darüber hinaus: Unsere Kämpfe für Befreiung und Gerechtigkeit“
Beiträge und Diskussion über die Geschichte, Errungenschaften und Auswirkungen Afrikanischen Befreiungsbewegungen
Ohne kollektive und globale Anstrengungen und einem gemeinsamen Verständnis unserer antikolonialen und anti-imperialistischen Kämpfe kann es keine Befreiung geben.
Panel / Beiträge:
Moderation: Sipua Ngnoubamdjum & Dr. Aissa Halidou
Übersetzung:Marianne Ballé Moudoumbou
Dr. Malusi Mncube– Politikwissenschaftler University of Johannesburg
Prof. Kehinde Andrews – angefragt – Birmingham City University (Black Studies)
Prof. Hakim Adi – Universität Chichester (Geschichte Afrikas und der Afrikanischen Diaspora)
Ayreen Anastas (Besetztes Palestina) and Rene Gabri(Iran) – New York (Künstler*innen / Aktivist*innen im Exil)
Nataly Jung-Hwa Han – Korea Verband Deutschland (Aktivistin )
Dr. Malusi Mncube ist ein angesehener Aktivist und Politikwissenschaftler der Universität Johannesburg. Seine Beiträge werden sich auf die anhaltenden Auswirkungen des Panafrikanismus und der antikolonialen Bewegungen konzentrieren und die Rolle des radikalen Aktivismus bei der Bekämpfung sowohl historischer als auch zeitgenössischer Ungerechtigkeiten in ganz Afrika hervorheben. Seine Erkenntnisse werden auch eine Brücke zu Diskussionen über die Vernetzung afrikanischer Befreiungsbewegungen mit globalen Kämpfen schlagen und die entscheidende Rolle der internationalen Solidarität hervorheben. ——————————————————————– Prof. Kehinde Andrews ist Professor für Black Studies an der Birmingham City University, wo er das erste Black Studies-Programm in Europa etablierte. Als führende Persönlichkeit in Diskussionen über Rassenpolitik und schwarzen Radikalismus setzt er sich in seiner Arbeit kritisch mit der globalen Dynamik von Rasse, Klasse und Macht auseinander und betont dabei antikoloniale und antiimperiale Kämpfe. Seine Einblicke in die transnationalen Bewegungen zur Befreiung der Schwarzen machen ihn zu einem wichtigen Mitwirkenden an Dialogen über die Befreiung in ganz Afrika und seiner Diaspora. Er ist Mitbegründer der Harambee Organization of Black Unity. —————————————————————————————– Prof. Hakim Adi ist Professor für die Geschichte Afrikas und der afrikanischen Diaspora und gilt als erster Historiker des afrikanischen Erbes, der in Großbritannien Geschichtsprofessor wurde. Seine umfangreiche Expertise beinhaltet panafrikanische Bewegungen und den Erfahrungen afrikanischer und karibischer Communities im Vereinigten Königreich und bietet ein tiefgreifendes Verständnis der historischen und aktuellen Befreiungskämpfe, die Afrika mit der globalen Schwarzen Diaspora verbinden. ————————————————– ————————————- Ayreen Anastas stammt aus dem besetzten Palästina. Rene Gabri kommt aus dem Iran. In ihrer Arbeit als Künstler*innen und gemeinsam mit Freunden sind sie daran interessiert, Räume und Kontexte zu schaffen, um Studien- und Kampfinhalte zusammenzubringen. Von 1999 bis 2015 haben sie mit vielen Genossen einen generationsübergreifenden, diasporischen politischen und kulturellen Raum direkt unterhalb der Wall Street in Lower Manhattan belebt. 16 Beaver (die Adresse des Raums) war eine Bewegung und ein Lernraum zum Umdenken und zur Wiederbelebung der Bedingungen und Mittel des Kampfes angesichts der anhaltenden imperialen, kolonialen, rassischen, patriarchalischen, kapitalistischen Enteignung, Enteignung, Zerstörung, Vertreibung und legalisierten Massengewalt und Kriminalität. Im Kontext der afrikanischen Befreiung und Palästinas entwickeln sie mit Freunden eine Syntax für eine neue Bewegung, einer Koalition zur Überwindung der „völkermörderisch-verleugnenden Zukunft“. —————————————————————————————— Nataly Jung-Hwa Han, Aktivistin beim Korea Verband in Berlin, wird Parallelen zwischen koreanischen und afrikanischen Befreiungsbewegungen ziehen. Sie wird sich mit dem Kampf um die Befreiung vom japanischen Kolonialismus, dem Erbe der Trostfrauen und der Frage befassen, wie Geschlechterunterschiede mit diesen Kämpfen zusammenhängen.
Nataly wird das historische Trauma der Kolonialisierung und seine Auswirkungen erforschen und sie mit afrikanischen Erfahrungen verknüpfen. Sie wird auch über interkulturelle Solidarität und die Bedeutung von Bildung und Diaspora-Aktivismus für die Aufrechterhaltung von Befreiungsbewegungen sprechen. Ihre Perspektive unterstreicht den universellen Kampf für Gerechtigkeit und Gleichheit.
« L’Afrique et au-delà : nos luttes pour la libération et la justice »
Contributions et discussions sur l’histoire, les réalisations et l’impact des mouvements de libération africains
Il ne peut y avoir de libération sans efforts collectifs et mondiaux et sans une compréhension commune de nos luttes anticoloniales et anti-impérialistes.
Panel / Contributions:
Modération: Sipua Ngnoubamdjum & Dr. Aissa Halidou
Traduction :Marianne Ballé Moudoumbou
Dr. Malusi Mncube – Université de Johannesburg (Département de sciences politiques)
Prof. Kehinde Andrews – demandé – Université de la ville de Birmingham (Études noires)
Prof. Hakim Adi – Université de Chichester (Histoire de l’Afrique et de la diaspora africaine)
Ayreen Anastas (Palestine occupée)et Rene Gabri (L’Iran) – New York (artistes/militants en exil)
Nataly Jung-Hwa Han – Korea Verband Allemagne (traductrice)
Le Dr. Malusi Mncube est un activiste respecté et un universitaire en politique de l’Université de Johannesburg. Ses contributions se concentreront sur l’impact durable du panafricanisme et des mouvements anticoloniaux, soulignant le rôle de l’activisme radical dans la lutte contre les injustices historiques et contemporaines à travers l’Afrique. Ses idées jetteront également des ponts sur les discussions sur l’interdépendance des mouvements de libération africains avec les luttes mondiales, en mettant l’accent sur le rôle essentiel de la solidarité internationale. —————————————————————————————— Le professeur Kehinde Andrews est professeur d’études sur les Noirs à la Birmingham City University, où il a créé le premier programme d’études sur les Noirs en Europe. Figure de proue des discussions sur la politique raciale et le radicalisme noir, son travail aborde de manière critique la dynamique mondiale de la race, de la classe et du pouvoir, en mettant l’accent sur les luttes anticoloniales et anti-impériales. Ses connaissances sur les mouvements transnationaux de libération des Noirs font de lui un contributeur essentiel aux dialogues sur la libération en Afrique et dans sa diaspora. Il est co-fondateur de la Harambee Organization of Black Unity. —————————————————————————————— Le professeur Hakim Adi, professeur d’histoire de l’Afrique et de la diaspora africaine, a la distinction d’être le premier historien du patrimoine africain à devenir professeur d’histoire en Grande-Bretagne. Ses vastes recherches couvrent le mouvement panafricain et les expériences des communautés africaines et caribéennes au Royaume-Uni, offrant une compréhension profonde des luttes de libération historiques et en cours qui relient l’Afrique à la diaspora noire mondiale. ————————————————– ————————————— Ayreen Anastas vient de Palestine occupée. René Gabri est originaire d’Iran. Dans leur travail en tant qu’artistes et collectivement avec leurs amis, ils souhaitent créer des espaces et des contextes permettant de rapprocher les domaines d’étude et de lutte. De 1999 à 2015, ils ont animé avec de nombreux camarades, un espace politique et culturel intergénérationnel, diasporique situé juste en dessous de Wall Street dans le Lower Manhattan. 16 Beaver (l’adresse de l’espace) a été un mouvement et un espace d’apprentissage pour repenser et revitaliser les termes et les moyens de lutte face à l’extraction, la dépossession, la destruction, le déplacement et la légalisation de masse en cours la violence et la criminalité. Dans le contexte de la libération de l’Afrique et de la Palestine, eux et leurs amis développent une syntaxe pour un nouveau mouvement, une coalition pour surmonter le « futur négationniste du génocide ». —————————————————————————————— Nataly Jung-Hwa Han, militante du Korea Verband à Berlin, établira des parallèles entre les mouvements de libération coréens et africains. Elle abordera la lutte pour la libération du colonialisme japonais, l’héritage des femmes de réconfort et la manière dont les disparités entre les sexes sont liées à ces luttes.
Nataly explorera le traumatisme historique de la colonisation et ses impacts, en les reliant aux expériences africaines. Elle soulignera la solidarité interculturelle et l’importance de l’éducation et de l’activisme de la diaspora dans le soutien des mouvements de libération. Son point de vue souligne la lutte universelle pour la justice et l’égalité.
Africa Unity Week has been an annual event since 2011, dedicated to honoring Africa’s rich and unique heritage and focusing on the African diaspora living in Germany. Scheduled from May 18 to May 25, 2024, it culminates in the celebration of African Liberation Day. Organized by the AKONDA e.V., Black Community Coalition for Justice & Self-Defence, Tschoobe For Freedom, Alafia Africa Festival and others this initiative aims to unite and support all People of African Descent as they celebrate this significant day.
PROGRAM:
Saturday, May 18th 2024 | 5 PM Opening panel on „Africa and Beyond: Liberation & Justice Struggles“ Discussing that there can be no liberation without collective effort and understanding. Hybrid Online-Panel (Online-Registration required for Zoom-Link)
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Sunday, May 19th 2024 | 2 PM Commemoration with Liberation and Healing songs — Orisa songs and Liberation songs fostering spiritual and communal well-being. Registration required (info@blackcommunitycoalition.de) Venue will be shared through registration
Sunday, May 19th 2024 |Malcom X Day Commemoration — worldwide
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Monday, May 20th 2024 | 1 PM Africa Family Day Fest — A day of joy, Story telling, food and family activities to celebrate African heritage. Face2Face (Registration required)
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Tuesday, My 21st 2024 | 6:30 PM Campaign for Justice „Touch One – Touch All“ — Advocacy and solidarity actions focusing on justice and communal support. Touch One -Touch All! Network Hybrid-Online-Panel – Live-Stream at Facebook and Youtube | Audience and screening at B5 Internationales Zentrum
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Wednesday, 22nd 2024 -|- 5 PM Sister’s Circle with Coffee & African Ethnic Food — An afternoon dedicated to empowering conversations over coffee and delightful dishes. Face2Face – AKONDA Cafe Barmbek°Basch (Wohldorfer Str. 30, 22081 Hamburg)
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Thursday, 23rd 2024 | 10 to 10:10 AM Stand in Power: Silent Picket-Protest — 10 minutes of silence in strike at 10 AM to make a powerful statement on social racial issues. Nationwide , Social media Campaign
Friday, 24th 2024 | 3 PM Public Townhall Meeting in front of Hamburg City Hall — Open mike, individual cases and discussions about community issues, racial justice, decolonisation and development plans. Rally –Rathausmarkt
SATURDAY, 25th 2024 | 2 PM AFRICA LIBERATION DAY 2024 Rally – Wandsbeker Marktplatz (22041 Hamburg-Wandsbek)
Die Africa Unity Week ist seit 2011 eine jährliche Veranstaltung, die sich der Würdigung des reichen und einzigartigen Erbes Afrikas widmet und sich auf die in Deutschland lebende afrikanische Diaspora konzentriert. Die Veranstaltung findet vom 18. bis 25. Mai 2024 statt und findet ihren Höhepunkt in der Feier des Africa Liberation Day. Diese Festwoche wird von AKONDA e.V., Black Community Coalition for Justice & Self-Defence, Tschoobe For Freedom, Alafia Africa Festival und anderen organisiert und zielt darauf ab, alle Menschen afrikanischer Herkunft bei den Feierlichkeiten dieses bedeutenden Tages zu vereinen und zu empowern.
PROGRAMM:
Samstag, 18. Mai 2024 –|– 17:00 UhrEröffnungspanel zum Thema „Afrika und darüber hinaus: Unsere Kämpfe für Befreiung und Gerechtigkeit“ Diskussion darüber, dass es ohne kollektive Anstrengungen und ein gemeinsames Verständnis keine Befreiung geben kann. (Online-Anmeldung für Zoom-Link erforderlich)
Sonntag, 19. Mai 2024 | 14:00 UhrGedenkfeier mit Liedern der Befreiung und Heilung – Orisa-Lieder und Befreiungslieder zur Förderung des spirituellen und gemeinschaftlichen Wohlbefindens. Anmeldung erforderlich (info@blackcommunitycoalition.de) Der Veranstaltungsort wird durch die Anmeldung bekannt gegeben
Sonntag, 19. Mai 2024 Malcolm X-Tag Erinnerung und Gedenken — weltweit
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Montag, 20. Mai 2024 | 13:00 UhrFest zum Tag der Afrikanischen Familie — Ein Tag voller Freude, Geschichtenerzählen, Essen und Familienaktivitäten zur Feier unseres afrikanischen Erbes. Face2Face (Anmeldung erforderlich: info@blackcommunitycoalition.de)
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Dienstag, 21. Mai 2024 | 18:30 UhrKampagne für Gerechtigkeit „Touch One – Touch All“ —Interessenvertretung und Solidaritätsaktionen mit Schwerpunkt auf Gerechtigkeit und gemeinschaftlicher Unterstützung. Touch One – Touch All! Netzwerk Hybrid-Online-Panel – Live-Stream at Facebook and Youtube | Präsenz und screening: B5 Internationales Zentrum
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Mittwoch, 22. Mai 2024 -|- 17:00 UhrSchwesternkreis mit Kaffee und afrikanischem Essen — Ein Nachmittag mit belebenden Gesprächen bei Kaffee und köstlichen Gerichten. Face2Face – AKONDA Café Barmbek°Basch (Wohldorfer Str. 30, 22081 Hamburg)
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Donnerstag, 23. Mai 2024 | 10 bis 10:10 UhrPower-Streik: Stiller Streik-Protest — 10 Schweigeminuten im Streik um 10 Uhr, um eine kraftvolle Erklärung zu sozialen Fragen abzugeben. Bundesweit, Social-Media-Kampagne
Freitag, 24. Mai 2024 | 15:00 UhrÖffentliches Townhall Meeting vor dem Hamburger Rathaus — Offenes Mikrophon, Einzelfälle und Diskussionen über Community-Themen, rassistische Diskriminierung, Dekolonisierung und Entwicklungspläne. Kundgebung –Rathausmarkt
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SAMSTAG, 25. Mai 2024 -|- 14:00 UHRAFRICA LIBERATION DAY 2024Kundgebung – Wandsbeker Marktplatz (22041 Hamburg-Wandsbek)
La Africa Unity Week est un événement annuel depuis 2011, dédié à honorer le patrimoine riche et unique de l’Afrique et à se concentrer sur la diaspora africaine vivant en Allemagne. Prévue du 18 au 25 mai 2024, elle culmine avec la célébration de la Africa Liberation Day. Organisée par AKONDA e.V., Black Community Coalition for Justice & Self-Defence, Tschoobe For Freedom, Alafia Africa Festival et d’autres, cette initiative vise à unir et à soutenir toutes les personnes d’ascendance africaine alors qu’elles célèbrent cette journée importante.
PROGRAMME:
Samedi 18 mai 2024 | 17H00 Panel d’ouverture sur „L’Afrique et au-delà : luttes de libération et de justice“ Discuter du fait qu’il ne peut y avoir de libération sans effort et compréhension collectifs. (Inscription requise pour Zoom-Link )
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Dimanche 19 mai 2024 | 14H00Commémoration avec chants de libération et de guérison — Chants Orisa et chants de libération favorisant le bien-être spirituel et communautaire. (Inscription requise) Le lieu sera partagé lors de l’inscription
Dimanche 19 mai 2024 | Malcolm X-Day Commémoration— mondial
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Lundi 20 mai 2024 | 13H00Fête de la Journée de la famille en Afrique — Une journée de joie, de contes, de nourriture et d’activités familiales pour célébrer le patrimoine africain. face à face (Inscription requise)
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Mardi 21 janvier 2024 -|- 18H30Campagne pour la justice „Touch One – Touch All“ — Actions de plaidoyer et de solidarité axées sur la justice et le soutien communautaire. Touchez un – touchez tout! Panel en ligne hybride – Diffusion en direct sur Facebook et Youtube | Présence et projection : Centre International B5
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Mercredi 22 2024 | 17H00Cercle des sœurs avec café et cuisine ethnique africaine — Un après-midi dédié aux conversations stimulantes autour d’un café et de plats délicieux. face à face – AKONDA Café Barmbek°Basch (Wohldorfer Str. 30, 22081 Hambourg)
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Jeudi 23 2024 | 10H à 10H10Stand in Power: piquet de protestation silencieux — 10 minutes de silence en grève à 10 heures du matin pour faire une déclaration forte sur les questions sociales et raciales. Campagne nationale sur les réseaux sociaux
Vendredi 24 2024 | 15H00Réunion publique de la mairie de Hambourg — Microphone ouvert, cas individuels et discussions sur les enjeux communautaires, la justice raciale, la décolonisation et les plans de développement. Rassemblement – Rathausmarkt
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SAMEDI 25 2024 | 14H00JOUR DE LIBÉRATION DE L’AFRIQUE 2024Rassemblement – Wandsbeker Marktplatz (22041 Hambourg-Wandsbek)
BY THE BLACK COMMUNITY-COALITION FOR JUSTICE AND SELF-DEFENCE AND THE AFRICAN AND AFRICAN DESCENDANT COMMUNITIES IN GERMANY
In a profound state of shock, outrage, and grief, we, the BLACK COMMUNITY-Coalition for Justice and Self-Defence (BCCJSD), alongside the Black, African and African Descendant, Afro German, Indigenous, and POC communities in Germany, are confronted with the stark realities of systemic injustice. This has been tragically highlighted by the events leading to the death of Lamine Touray in Nienburg on March 30, 2024. In a critical moment of mental health crisis, Brother Lamine Touray encountered not the assistance his loved ones desperately sought when reaching out for emergency help but instead was met with excessive force by those called to protect and serve. Despite initial police claims, Lamine had not threatened his girlfriend with a knife — a narrative proven unequivocally false, yet utilized to justify a response so disproportionate that it resulted in eight shots being fired, leading not only to Lamine’s untimely death but also to injuries within the police ranks.
The tragic circumstances surrounding Lamine Touray’s death and the subsequent police response cast a glaring light on deep-seated issues of anti-Black racism and the pervasive, harmful stereotype of the „dangerous Black man.“ Rooted in centuries of racial bias and discrimination, this stereotype continues to endanger Black lives by influencing law enforcement’s perceptions and actions, often resulting in unnecessary and excessive use of force in situations necessitating empathy and assistance. Lamine Touray’s encounter serves as a harrowing reminder of the lethal consequences of such biases. Despite his vulnerable state and the need for mental health support, Lamine’s experience was shaped by entrenched notions of threat and criminality tied to his Black identity.
This event is not isolated but adds to a distressing pattern marked by the deaths of Mouhamed Lamine Dramé in Dortmund in August 2022, and the looming five-year commemoration of Tonou Mbobda’s death at UKE Hospital on April 21st. These incidents collectively underscore the urgent need for comprehensive reform in our approach to mental health crises and policing practices.
The profound delay in securing justice, particularly in cases involving the deaths of Black individuals in Germany, starkly embodies the principle that „justice delayed is justice denied.“ This sluggish progression in addressing and resolving such pivotal matters not only exacerbates the trauma experienced by our communities but also signals a broader systemic failure to afford Black lives equal protection and value on all executive levels. The slow response and extended investigations deepen the sense of injustice and mistrust within the African and African Descendant communities in Germany, highlighting a systemic reluctance, bias or incapacity to promptly and effectively confront the root causes and repercussions of anti-Black racism and police violence. This inaction prolongs the anguish of affected families and communities and perpetuates a cycle of trauma and fear among all Black individuals within these societies.
From repeated and consistant experiences, we fundamentally doubt the system of Police investigating Police or Prosecutions investigating themselves to challenge systemic cognitive dissonance and supremacist ideologies with the authorieties at work in the so called State of Law – where the presumption of innocence is strictly rewarded to perpetraiting officers and pre-judgments regulary allocated to the the victims of state violence and racial discrimination.
Our Unified Call for Action:
1. Comprehensive Support for Lamine Touray’s Family:
We demand immediate and comprehensive support for the family of Lamine Touray, including psychological and grief counseling, legal assistance, and financial support to cover all funeral and memorial expenses. This support should also extend to facilitating any travel and accommodation needs for family members who have come to Germany in their quest for justice and closure.
2. Correction of Misinformation:
We call for the public correction of false narratives surrounding this incident, to restore the dignity of the victim and his family.
3. Direct Dialogue with Authorities:
The family of Lamine Touray must be given opportunities for direct dialogue with investigative authorities and policymakers. This will ensure transparency, allow the family to voice their concerns and questions directly, and engage in the pursuit of justice for Lamine. It is crucial that the family’s voices are heard and respected throughout the investigation and beyond.
4. Community-Led Crisis Intervention:
We advocate for the funding and implementation of community-led programs, prioritizing the expertise of mental health professionals over police intervention in crises.
5. Comprehensive Reform and Education in Policing:
We insist on mandatory, extensive training for all police officers in de-escalation techniques, mental health awareness, and a deep dive into the historical and oppressive origins of policing, particularly its roots in colonialism and slave patrols. Recognizing and addressing this history is crucial for dismantling racial biases and reimagining a policing model that serves and protects all community members with equity and compassion.
As we navigate our collective grief, our resolve for justice, systemic change, and the eradication of racial biases within policing and crisis response systems only intensifies. The tragic killings of Lamine Touray, Mouhamed Lamine Dramé, and Tonou Mbobda are stark reminders of the deep reforms required in our policing and mental health care systems. We stand united in our call to action, seeking clarity, accountability, and justice, and insisting that dignity and humanity guide our society’s approach to the well-being of every individual.
Justice For Lamine Touray
Touch One – Touch All!
Signatories: BCCJSD Black Community Hamburg ARRiVATi Alafia Akonda e.V. Africa Home Africa Survival in Hamburg Tschobe for Freedom Africans From Ukraine Sisters in Struggle Black Media Group
Statement of an Activist of Self-Organized #AfricansFromUkraine
Speech on Rally at Jungfernstieg August 21st 2022
It’s been 6 months and we are still on the same topic. What is our status? Have we really escaped the war just to meet another kind of war ahead of us? It’s been 6 month since we left Ukraine in an attempt to escape the war and seek help in Germany, just like many Ukrainians. I have friends who are settled and are not passing through what we, as 3rd world nationals, face on a daily basis; the uncertainty, the threats to leave the country, the discrimination we face at the immigration office. They are taking our passports and forcing us into asylum.
We are not asylum seekers, we are refugees of war just like the Ukrainians but I don’t see any of them being forced into asylum. We are students just like the Ukrainians. We invested into the Ukraine. We studied there. We worked there. We have memories there. Our livelihood and properties has been destroyed just like theirs. The Ukrainians came looking for help from Germany, just like us. Were we wrong to believe that we could find help within the borders of Germany?
– tortured with tear gas and Taser then shot to death by Dortmund police
The 16-year-old Mouhamed Lamin Dramé was an unaccompanied refugee from Senegal and on August 8, 2022 in such an extraordinary crisis situation, that he threatened to harm or even kill himself. At that time, he was in an inpatient placement in a youth residential group of the St. Elisabeth Youth Welfare Service at St. Antonius Church in Dortmund Nordstadt. A short time before, he had been treated at his own request for mental problems in a psychiatric clinic and expressed his suicidal intentions both to his caregivers and to the police officers called. He understood little or no German. His mother tongues were Wolof and French.
So we ask ourselves: How and in which language did the police actually communicate to calm him down in order to prevent suicide?
Mouhamed died in a hail of bullets from a submachine gun. The horror of the taking of such a young life should be dominating national headlines, yet, much of the reaction seems to be a “debate” or justification about the use of deadly force given that Mouhamed was holding a knife.
We condemn the general media narrative which distorts the course of events as if the police officers „had“ to shoot Mouhamed as a last resort, because the use of irritant spray gas and Tasers had „failed to calm him down“.
Why did the team of responders in a suicidal crisis not include mental health professionals or why did the police officers not wait for medical professionals to take adequate care but intervened excessively violent in the first step, unprofessionally escalating an already existing crisis situation?
How can police officers seriously „try“ to „prevent“ a suicide by means of a chemical warfare agent („tear gas“) and an electric pulse weapon (Taser)?
What are the competencies of police officers who are primarily called to deal with patients in psychologically critical situations? Is so called administrative assistance a license to violently intervene or moreover a license to kill?
Every medical doctor* would be held accountable for wrongful fatal treatments of patients – police officers, however, have an unconditional license to harm and kill, sanctioned by the state authorities and politicians as well as media made public opinion, without regard to their lack of competence and expertise or any accountability. While „speculations“ about known facts are morally and legally „forbidden“, the prejudiced and immediate construction of „self-defense situations“ is a routine normality in the public media discourse of police killings and its juridical persecution.
However, the use of violence against children, adolescents and people in need of protection is always an inhuman problem and can never and under no circumstances be assumed a goal-oriented „solution“!
Countless cases of police violence, race-related aggression and extralegal killings of vulnerable people by police officers, who have insufficient training/expertise in handling psychological crisis situations, are an unfortunately all too familiar phenomenon – yet learning processes or even error culture in the authorities are nowhere to be recognized. Rather the contrary is the status quo: impunity by all means providable.
As we grieve the loss of Mouhamed, we share in the grief, pain, rage, and sorrow of the recent killings of
August 2nd – a 23 year old Black man from Somalia was executed by a shot in his head in the early morning hours by police in Frankfurt
August 3rd – 48 year old Jozef Berditchevski, a street musician of Russian nationality was killed in his flat by 2 Köln civil police officers
August 7th – a 39 year old man in an obviously psychotic state of mind was killed by the police in Recklinghausen.
We also mourn the past killings of
Kamal Ibrahim – shot dead on October 3, 2021 by Stade police – 3 shots fired
Omar K. – shot on May 28, 2021 by Hamburg police – 7 shots fired
Mohamed Idrissi – shot on June 18, 2020 by Bremen police – 2 shots fired
Aman Alizada – shot on August 17, 2019 by Stade police – 5 shots
Adel B. – shot dead on June 18, 2019 by Essen police – 1 shot (through a door)
Matiullah Jabarkhil – shot dead by Fulda police on April 13, 2018 – 12 shots fired.
This list explicitly does not mean that German police officers do not shoot or otherwise kill White people in psychological crisis situations – but it illustrates that the inappropriate and counterproductive execution of vulnerable Black and People of Colour in crisis situations by police has no legal or institutional consequences.
Not a single one of these cases resulted in criminal charges or even officer discipline. Accountability is needed to deter future use of force and build community trust
We do understand all these cases as instances of racial health inequality and race-related brutality which is deeply rooted in institutional and systemic oppression.
We understand the historical context and condemn the systemic legalization of the dehumanization of Black lives in German Laws, German Administration, Media and societal practices.
We will not allow the death of 16year old Mouhamed Lamin Dramé to be in vain.
His killing is a sober reminder of the need, once again, to fight for the value of Black life in this country where a Black child in a mental crisis can be assassinated in impunity.
The BLACK COMMUNITY COALITION Of JUSTICE & SELF-DEFENCE calls on all courageous civil society initiatives and organisations to act swiftly and thoroughly to investigate and clarify the murder of Mouhamed as to bring justice for his grieving family.
Formally we demand thorough and comprehensive procedures by the German state of law well aware of our lived experiences of legal bias and cover up in all such cases ever since.
Schon wieder starb eine Schwarze Schwester in einem deutschen Psychiatrie-Krankenhaus … Schon wieder erfolgte eine Zwangsbehandlung, die tödlich endete … Schon wieder wurden die Beschwerden der Patientin über die starken Nebenwirkungen der Zwangsmedikation nicht ernst genommen … Schon wieder wurden die Angehörigen nicht unmittelbar über die Zwangsbehandlung, die Notfallverlegung in ein Herzzentrum und den Tod der Patientin informiert … Schon wieder soll ein „Herzinfarkt“ für den Tod der 34-jährigen Patientin verantwortlich sein …
On this year’s World Refugee Day on June 20, we want to show solidarity especially with African and international refugees that fled the war in Ukraine and are being discriminated against on racial, ethnical or national grounds. They are refugees of the same war, have suffered the same trauma of war and flight from war, had to leave behind their valuables and belongings, their normal lives and achievements – but are treated differently through discrimination and exclusion from temporary protection.
We want to advocate for the right to equal treatment of ALL refugees of ALL wars or due to ALL other valid reasons to flee once country of living.
It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of Valérie Iyobor on March 21, 2022 in Uelzen, Germany. Seven-year-old Valérie had been experiencing excruciating abdominal pain and started vomiting on Sunday. She was urgently presented to a pediatrician at the Hammersteinplatz Medical Care Center in Uelzen the following day.
However, the pediatrician sent the little girl home recommending that the worried mother give her bananas to eat and water to drink. That very same day, however, little Valérie’s pain became increasingly unbearable and her condition progressively worsened, prompting her mother to call 112 for an ambulance. She was taken to the hospital and underwent emergency interventions, but unfortunately all efforts to save her life failed. The police informed the mother that the preliminary autopsy revealed the cause of death to be a ruptured appendix.
