Germans and Demonstrations

The first ever demonstration that I ever noted in my life....came about ten months after I'd arrived in Germany in 1978....in Frankfurt.  From the distance, what I can say is that some folks (my view was that the crowd was building up and at least several thousand) were in some protest theme concerning the Shah of Iran, and they apparently were about to encounter the Frankfurt police.  Part of me wanted to stand around and observe the event, but logic swept over....and I quietly departed the area before the 'mess' started up (at least 300 protesters injured, and dozens of cops were reported in distress).  The curious thing is that you could have gone around and asked a hundred working-class Germans at the time who the Shah was, and I doubt if more than 10-percent could have identified his picture or what the whole discussion was about.

Demonstrations occur on a frequent basis in Germany today.  Some of these might involve a hundred folks....some might involve a hundred-thousand folks. The majority of these demonstrations are held with no violence.  I'd even go and suggest that 95-percent occur now with no injuries.

Is there a higher ratio of demonstrations in Germany than the US?  I tend to suggest yes.  But there are different reasons for this.

First, urbanization does play a major role in German demonstrations.  If you go over into the Bitburg area, and bring up this topic....the vast majority of people (probably over 90-percent) will grin and admit that they've never been to a protest or demonstration in their life.  In that case, the ones who do admit a protest action....are typically farmers, in protest of government policy.  However, if you went to Dortmund, or Stuttgart.....asking a hundred folks about their participation....you might find a much higher participation rate.  And in their case, there could be dozens of themes over a 20-year period....that they've protested about. 

Second, there is a perception in Germany that protests accomplish 'goals'.  Journalists and intellectuals will suggest that mob-mentality and protest-actions....often force compromise among political folks.  Part of this gimmick though....is that journalists hype this up and ask the politicians what they intend to do.  If the Mayor or Premier-President responded that he's going to buy 12 new police cars to replace the dozen burned in the protest, or that he's pressing on charges that could send a dozen 'bad-boy' protesters to jail for five years.....well, that's not the theme that the journalists want as a reaction.

Third, the ability of mass transit to deliver a thousand, or ten-thousand folks to one central metropolitan area on a Saturday?  There's absolutely no problem in getting ten-thousand people to central Essen or Hamburg at 12-noon.....to stage some three-hour 'walk' or protest.  In a lot of US cities, it's just not possible to expect mass transit to deliver large crowds (DC and NYC might be the exceptions). 

Fourth, when these key points come up for the protest action....you tend to notice that the 'advertising' or the reasons for the protest....are kept to a bare minimum.  I would suggest that the German attitude about asking follow-on questions, or to dig deeper into the bulk of the logic for the protest....usually is limited or marginal.  Things will sound good with three or four bullet statements, and the chatter will seem like the bulk of society is 'with them'.....but it often comes as a hyped-up action.  There's some thrill then perceived by the German that for the 'greater-good'.....the protest is necessary.

So the idea of watching a protest?  I think Americans are curious and occasionally drawn to view the action from a distance.  I felt that way in 1978.  The smarter side of me suggested that it was time to vacate the center of town and avoid whatever was going to come.