Violence is the currency of the regime

Let's start with a confession: there were those in our group who threw rocks. Unprovoked, some may say, we sought the conflict. We started the violence.

There is some truth in the first statement. We do seek the conflict. In an unjust, repressive system, the only answer is refusal to listen, to acknowledge the authority of those in power, and to fight the symbols and guardians of this repression. They are the strong, and we are the weak.

As to the second statement, the absurdity of such a claim is apparent to all. Violence is the currency of the regime, the only claim it has to legitimacy. It is, unfortunately, the only language understood by many in power. For everyone else, for the millions in Germany and around the world following the events in Rostock yesterday, violence is what made it worth watching.

In the coming days, I'll try to give a glimpse from the other side, from the 'radicals' who seem so impossible in their demands and methods, who seem to so many to embody everything that is wrong with the protesters of today.

One thing is certain: As long as we continue the in-fighting, we'll never reach our goals. If we stick together, we may have a chance.