A 28-year-old German student is standing trial in Dresden accused of founding a criminal organization and committing six serious attacks on neo-Nazis, in an unusual case of violent left-wing extremism in Germany.
State prosecutors say Lina E.* and her three co-defendants — Lennart A., Philipp M., and Jannis R. — carried out a series of attacks on neo-Nazis in the eastern states of Thuringia and Saxony between 2018 and 2020, including two attacks on Leon R., a notorious far-right extremist who was himself arrested for allegedly forming a far-right extremist organization.
The group around Lina E. is believed to have raided a well-known neo-Nazi bar in the town of Eisenach in late 2019 and attacked Leon R. with hammers and batons. When the initial attack failed, the group attacked him again a few weeks later outside his car. Other neo-Nazis were left with broken bones and other injuries after the attacks.
Prosecutors are asking for an eight year prison term for Lina E., who has already spent well over two years behind bars as the long and complicated trial continued, and up to 3 years and 9 months in prison for the co-defendants. The defense called for Lina E. to be convicted only of the lesser charges of attempted bodily injury and theft.
The case has created plenty of political tension, with the defense and far-left scenes in Lina E.'s home city of Leipzig saying that she has been scapegoated as a left-wing terrorist by both the media and the authorities. Many allege that the justice system is too lenient on neo-Nazi perpetrators.
The state prosecutors say Lina E. is still extremely dangerous. Leading prosecutor Alexandra Geilhorn said the defendant had shown no remorse and had not distanced herself from her left-wing ideology. The prosecutor also described what she called the "severe violence" of the attacks, carried out with an "extraordinary extent of criminal energy," coupled with a "notable measure of callousness."
If any German comrade knows how to support her defense, you should drop a link.
For context, Saxony may very well be the worst out of all German states when it comes to fascist organizing, nazi violence, far right rallies and electoral success of the rightwing AfD party. Since the former DDR was annexed by the post-fascist west, the state has been constantly governed by the worst horseshoe theory conservatives that have bred a massive problem with nazi-affiliated cops, judges, attorneys and intelligence personell while nazi orgs could form at best largely unmolested and at worst under active help from LEOs. Right wing terrorism in Saxony regularly costs lives, the most egregious example in recent years being some terminally online edgelord who tried to shoot up a synagogue, failed to get through the locked entrance door and then just shot a bunch of random passersby until he was arrested.
The antifa scene in Leipzig can rightfully be seen as a besieged leftist stronghold deep within hostile territory, the Connewitz neighborhood saw violent assaults by literally hundreds of marauding nazi skins as well as a steadily increasing number of police raids and it's an absolute farce how much traction this case is getting in the media.
How is what she did a crime? If you see a cockroach you’re supposed to kill it
An org that does support political activists on the left that are leading political court cases is the Rote Hilfe (Red Help Association): https://www.rote-hilfe.de/news/bundesvorstand/1166-lina-aus-leipzig-antifaschistin-seit-einem-jahr-untersuchungshaft
It is looked at by intelligence agencies often cause of their left/communist leanings and support of legal defenses of activists.
However afaik general donation do no directly support the defense of Lina etc for that the direct case website is relevant:
https://freiheitfuerlina.noblogs.org/solidarity/
Wenn ihr Lina finanziell unterstützen möchtet spendet mit dem Stichwort unverzagt an:
If you want to support Lina financially, donate with the transaction codeword "unverzagt".The general secretary of the Rote Hilfe reminds us:
Solidarity is a weapon.
Other organizations are for example the RAV - republican lawyer association which is roughly comparable to the EFF including some taking a "free speech stance".
The Rote Hilfe did also support plenty of animal rights activists (Tierbefreiungsbewegung) which did free animals i.e. from factory farming.
Disclaimer: The Rote Hilfe might be looked at by intelligence agencies in Germany, so supporting them financially or doing advertisement for them without telling you don't condone their action and without telling that you don't agree with them might lead to court cases against you. Therefore I want to be clear that I do not support stuff which is outside the legal framework and I do not agree with the Rote Hilfe as long as it is deemed extremist by courts or alike.
In that regard there was a person Franziska Drohsel of the SPD (social democratic party of Germany), who was in its slightly more left youth wing and back then she was also a member of the Rote Hilfe. When she was supposed to get elected into a secretary office of the city of Berlin (or more correct the district of Steglitz) the CDU (the right conservatives) and FDP (right economic "liberals") worked together with the right extremist AFD (basically a populist/in large swaths in some regions Nazi party) to block her for her former membership of the Rote Hilfe. She was a lawyer at that point and she was too left for the right conservative and economic liberal parties, so that they did ally themselves with the proto-Nazi party to stop her. Cause she was in an association supporting political action in legal settings. Liberals in other words, as well as the conservatives don't really care for legal stuff if they can get power out of ignoring it.
Now consider this a hot take, but all nazis should be killed
Lol, I was expecting Chumbawamba. Had this cover on my playlist for a while tho too. :cat-vibing:
I love this cover, also their Bella Ciao cover is great if you haven't heard it check it out.
Oh, shit, I haven't and I collect Bella Ciaos! I'll go check it out, thanks!
Leading prosecutor Alexandra Geilhorn said the defendant had shown no remorse and had not distanced herself from her left-wing ideology.
Fourth reich
