Panthifa – Proclamation of Formation
Why Panthifa?
The Panthifa is a new radical leftist group for Black self empowerment and organisation in Germany. We welcome the success of the young german Black Lives Matter mass movement that connected us, but we see the necessity for radical leftist, anticapitalist, anticolonial and intersectional structures exclusively geared towards Black People. In keeping with diversity of tactics, we don’t want to replace Black Lives Matter but supplement it. Although we are also organized in Antifa- and Migratifa alliances, we see a divide in power between Black and non-Black members that will not be able to be overcome without prior Black self empowerment.
The white german left has yet to find a way to utilize the ressources of Black Activists in their battles. We don’t feel welcome or heard as Black People in white structures, which is why we need to create a space for ourselves that facilitates activistic development without the need of burning us out on educating our white peers.
The Panthifa wants to create and organize a space for community, collective and mutual antiracist and anticolonial education as well as a safe space to exchange experiences with the end goal of Black Structures that are capable of their own activism.
Goals of Panthifa
The Panthifa is organized around a series of longterm and shortterm demands that are upheld by the members.
Longterm Demands:
1. Consequent denazification
2. Reparations for colonialism
3. Abolishing of police and prison justice, replacement by community based alternatives
4. Global freedom of movement and residence for all people
5. Overcoming of capitalism
6. Establishing of a culture of remembrance for colonial crimes
7. Abolishing of performance based school systems and replacement by modular learning structures focussed on individual encouragement and fostering
The goal of these demands is to facilitate the final end of marginalizing conditions, not just for Black People.
Shortterm Demands:
1. Federal antidiscrimination law
2. Lex Specialis criminalizing the use of racist terms
3. Full societal reevaluation of Germanys colonial history
4. Recognition of the genocide against the Herero and Nama perpetrated by Germany
5. Replacement of the word “Rasse” by an appropriate term in the german constitution
6. Removal of colonial memorials and street names out of public spaces
7. State grants for Black Institutions
8. Unconditional basic income for maginalized people
9. Reevaluation and inclusion of colonialism in german school and university curricula
10. Enabling of a Representative Panafrican Studies degree and academic discipline
11. Promotion of Black Student Associations
Who is Panthifa?
The Panthifa is a pro Black movement, from Black People for Black People. Racism can not be overcome before we end capitalism and it’s inherent (neo-)colonialism. The global north established it’s wealth by theft and exploitation of the south. This injustice will never be corrected by capitalistic “development aid”, but only by reparations and solidaric redistribution of ressources.
A fight for Black Liberation will only be successful by liberating us with all our intersections. Only by inclusion of our queer, trans, disabled, neuro atypical, muslim, jewish and indigenous siblings will we be able to consider and include all necessary perspectives. Until we’re all free, nobody is.
The Panthifa is against military and police as tools of national defense and enforcement. These organizations not only serve the defense of nations and their (stolen) capital, but put an unnecessary strain of (imaginary) money and ressources on their own people. Yet we explicitly distance ourselves from pacifism, which is propagated by white people as the “bloodless” ideal way to fight for colonial liberation. This historic revision ignores the unbeliavable bloodshed for the oppressed who chose pacifism, while the oppressors were spared this fate.
Position on white allies
While we want to believe in the good intentions of white allies, they have impressively proven again and again that their priorities are at odds with the vital importance of antiracism. While this must feel like an indictment for white readers, this only shows how inadequate the white analysis of racism is. As per our aforementioned demands, we believe that racism is a structural problem that is enforced by capitalism and it’s inherent colonialism. Yet in the white liberal mainstream, racism is framed as an individual instead of structural shortcoming, which implies that racists are supposedly bad people. This is the basis of individual White Fragility against accusations of racism which amounts to societally rehearsed gaslighting and silencing of Black People.
In a society that structurally trains white people to participate in capitalism, colonialism and exploitation of Black People, it is individually impossible for white people to not be racist. The duty of white allies is to drop their expectation to do antiracism “correctly”, as this 1. is not possible and 2. perpetuates the myth of racism as an individual shortcoming, which prevents societal analysis and reflection.
We call on white allies to support the Panthifa with meeting rooms, money, promotion and logistics when called upon. A further collaboration will only take place under the terms of Panthifa.
What now?
We see the necessity for outspoken radical structures to act carefully and longterm. The first phase of formation and organization will focus on the establishment of a shared identity. We call on all comrades to follow and share our following channels:
www.instagram.com/panthifa
www.twitter.com/panthifa
