Today we were in Friedrichshain for the Immobilien-Rallye which was a demonstration for the preservation of squats and political activist/artist communes. It began on the corner of Rigaerstraße & Liebigstraße. People were to competitively build “homes” that could be carried or moved by wheels (but no motors) through the streets. There were prizes for several categories and games along the way where a team member would have to do something to win points. The float that we walked with was the Cuban Revolution Bar in which during the course of the demonstration was carried by four people and had Helga as a bartender on the inside serving Cuba Libres. It was a great deal of fun.

In Berlin we’re at a crossroads. The golden era of “just before”, “during”, and “just after” the wall fell down is over. Activists, punks and artists were once able to band together to root themselves in a house that nobody wanted or cared about and build a community. Nowadays nearly everyone knows about the cheap rents in Berlin. People from all over the world come in to buy buildings. They renovate them and then put them out for a much higher price to the people coming in fresh from richer cities. People who have been in buildings for years and years are starting to be pushed out.

It was a nice demonstration and there was no real trouble from anyone. I’m very curious about what the future will bring and where everyone in ten years will be. Berlin is my home and as much as I’d like to see this city go in the direction of progress, I’m also feeling very protective of what is already here. It would be nice if people involved in these projects would learn how to beat the system. It’s time to stop being “against” but rather “for” something. We could all make something new and stronger than before.

Our house, the “Cuba Libre Bar” was built by Weissroth & Scheer Gbr

On Saturday we (along with about 25,000 others) went to the demonstration against government control over the Internet. The theme was “Freiheit Statt Angst” (Freedom Without Fear). It began at Potsdammerplatz and went in a big circle around the Tiergarten and Mitte then back to the starting point.

There were many political groups there; Bündis 90/die Grünen, die Pirate Partei, die Linke, DKP, die FDP, Antifa, ATTAC, Chaos Computer Club, FoeBuD, and a few others.

For the most part it was a peaceful demonstration. Unfortunately that wasn’t so for everyone.

As a long-standing Internet media producer I find government censorship of the Internet a terrible step backwards socially. It is the responsibility of anyone who makes or looks, reads or listens to Internet content to stand up for our right to information. Make your voice heard!

You can read more about the demonstration in German and English.

This weekend we participated in the Megaspree demonstration against gentrification of the Spree River.

TECHNICAL NOTE: We apologize for the crappy video. Anyone out there care to donate a used camera? Contact us!

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On Saturday the 27th there were two Christopher Street Day events going on at the same time. We decided to go to the smaller non-commercial demonstration and street party in the Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain area. It was a great amount of fun!

TEXT ERROR IN SUBTITLES: It was meant to say U-Bahnhof Schlesisches Tor, not Schlesisches

Hello and Welcome to Coming to See Berlin! We’re a bit busy on the production side and are a bit behind with the website but that’s about to change as we wrap up some filming/editing.

We love Berlin and as residents want to share with you our own points of view of our city. Let’s begin with a sneak peek, shall we?

Here is a short clip of Helga introducing the Karneval der Kulturen. Unfortunately the English version did not record properly but you get the point by seeing in the background that there was a lot going on!

The Karneval der Kulturen is a yearly springtime festival in Kreuzberg & Neukölln, Berlin that goes on during the last weekend of May. Many groups representing cultures from all over the world set up stands and make a giant parade. Berlin prides itself on its multicultural heritage and here comes together many pieces of it!

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Here Ceven introduces the American Memorial Library located at Hallesches Tor in Kreuzberg. It was a gift from the Americans to the Germans and they are still very happy for it!

Stay tuned there will be more coming very soon!