A-Infos (en) ruhr.dieplattform: 102 years of the March Revolution in the Ruhr area: commemorative events by FAU and the platform (ca, de, it, pt)[machine translation]

Two events took place in Dortmund this weekend to commemorate the March 
Revolution in the Ruhr area of 1920. These events were jointly organized by the 
Eastern Ruhr area section of the Freie Arbeiter*innen-Union Duisburg and the 
Platform Ruhr. ---- On Friday evening, a lecture on the events of the March 
Revolution in Dortmund took place in the Black Pigeon anarchist center. A speaker 
from the history workshop in Dortmund was invited. With about 25 people, the 
lecture was very well attended, after the end there was intensive discussion 
about what had been heard. In addition, participation in the second event of the 
weekend was advertised that evening.

This then took place the very next morning at the Dortmund North Cemetery, where 
the common grave of twelve Dortmund workers who were murdered during the March 
fighting is located. A small memorial service was held at the tomb. A 
representative of our organization and a comrade from FAU spoke at this. We have 
documented our speech on the importance of revolutionary and anarchist 
commemorative culture under this report.

The common path and the commemoration at the tomb
After two more songs were sung together, flowers, candles and a small banner were 
placed at the graves of the fallen workers. Afterwards we visited the nearby 
miners' memorial together, which was erected in memory of a colliery accident in 
1925.

We are happy to be able to carry out a commemoration this year that is worthy of 
the dead comrades. We want to build on that next year: so that the March 
Revolution and the people who fought it are never forgotten!

We would like to take this opportunity to express our special thanks to everyone 
who made this commemorative weekend possible. The comrades:innen of the FAU, the 
Black Pigeon as host, of course the speaker of the history workshop. And last but 
not least, of course, to all the comrades who took the time to commemorate our 
dead pioneers on Saturday morning.

Here is the speech we gave at the grave of the march fighters:

"Dear comrades,
I am pleased to be able to speak to you here today as a representative of the 
anarcha-communist federation, the platform. But I am particularly pleased that so 
many of you have come to the North Cemetery today to commemorate the March 
Revolution in the Ruhr area and the workers murdered by fascists and reaction who 
found their final resting place here.

It is important that we came here today. I am convinced of that. Important 
because today hardly anyone in the Ruhr area knows what happened in March 1920 in 
the cities, districts and streets where we live today. Which child growing up 
here today knows that just 102 years ago, hundreds of thousands of workers went 
on a general strike against a fascist putsch? Who knows that they armed 
themselves everywhere to fight the fascists? Who knows that some of them have 
already started to form councils in the factories and cities in order to build a 
different society out of the anti-fascist resistance? Who knows, that in just a 
few days and weeks they managed to organize the strongest and most successful 
revolutionary uprising of the working class that Germany has ever seen? And last 
but not least, who knows that the SPD in government, as soon as the workers saved 
their asses, sent the same fascist bloodhounds into the coal pot and drowned the 
dream of a free future in the blood of over 1000 workers?

Yes, that's right. Hardly anyone knows that - neither here in the pot nor 
anywhere else in Germany. And unfortunately that even applies to many people who 
are politically active here, who continue to fight for a free future today. Why 
is that? It might sound trite, but of course that's because it's the winners who 
make history. And the victors of history, to this day, it is not the proletariat, 
but the capitalist class. After the bourgeois state and capital crushed the March 
Revolution with the help of the fascists, they made every effort to ensure that 
the workers would not think twice about shaking off their chains. This also 
included that this topic was given the place of a historical marginal note in 
history and school books. It was the same in my school book, from which I was 
supposed to learn about the history of the Weimar Republic at the age of 16. 
Ellenlang was told about this emperor, this general and that politician. The 
fascist Kapp Putsch, which triggered the March Revolution, was of course also 
mentioned. As a right-wing extremist threat to the republic. What they didn't 
tell us was the rest of the story: that it was the workers and not the fine 
democrats who repelled the coup. And that it was every fine democrat who then 
formed an alliance with the fascists and let them murder in the pot. There was no 
mention of the revolutionary uprising of the workers. from which I was supposed 
to learn about the history of the Weimar Republic as a 16-year-old, it was the 
same. Ellenlang was told about this emperor, this general and that politician. 
The fascist Kapp Putsch, which triggered the March Revolution, was of course also 
mentioned. As a right-wing extremist threat to the republic. What they didn't 
tell us was the rest of the story: that it was the workers and not the fine 
democrats who repelled the coup. And that it was every fine democrat who then 
formed an alliance with the fascists and let them murder in the pot. There was no 
mention of the revolutionary uprising of the workers. from which I was supposed 
to learn about the history of the Weimar Republic as a 16-year-old, it was the 
same. Ellenlang was told about this emperor, this general and that politician. 
The fascist Kapp Putsch, which triggered the March Revolution, was of course also 
mentioned. As a right-wing extremist threat to the republic. What they didn't 
tell us was the rest of the story: that it was the workers and not the fine 
democrats who repelled the coup. And that it was every fine democrat who then 
formed an alliance with the fascists and let them murder in the pot. There was no 
mention of the revolutionary uprising of the workers. The fascist Kapp Putsch, 
which triggered the March Revolution, was of course also mentioned. As a 
right-wing extremist threat to the republic. What they didn't tell us was the 
rest of the story: that it was the workers and not the fine democrats who 
repelled the coup. And that it was every fine democrat who then formed an 
alliance with the fascists and let them murder in the pot. There was no mention 
of the revolutionary uprising of the workers. The fascist Kapp Putsch, which 
triggered the March Revolution, was of course also mentioned. As a right-wing 
extremist threat to the republic. What they didn't tell us was the rest of the 
story: that it was the workers and not the fine democrats who repelled the coup. 
And that it was every fine democrat who then formed an alliance with the fascists 
and let them murder in the pot. There was no mention of the revolutionary 
uprising of the workers. who then entered into an alliance with the fascists and 
let them kill in the pot. There was no mention of the revolutionary uprising of 
the workers. who then entered into an alliance with the fascists and let them 
kill in the pot. There was no mention of the revolutionary uprising of the workers.

In the bourgeois historiography between all the great, powerful men of the ruling 
class, the experiences and deeds of the workers have no place. They are kept 
secret, denied or covered with lies. This applies not only to the March 
Revolution, but to the history of our class as a whole. And because there is no 
one to remind us of the achievements of our class, we just have to do it ourselves!

This cannot only mean that we are working on uncovering the whole picture of 
history, on virtually completing bourgeois historiography. The focus of our 
remembrance work must be to link commemoration of the history of our class with 
today's struggle for our liberation. Let's explore what worked well back then. 
How could the anarcho-syndicalist Free Workers' Union of Germany organize 20,000 
people in Dortmund alone? How could the workers form an effective armed force in 
such a short time? But let's also take a look at what didn't work! Why did the 
revolution fail? What were the fatal decisions who were met at that time? We can 
and must draw lessons from all of this for today's fight for a free future under 
black and red flags! And we can find motivation even if the circumstances in 
which we are fighting today are incredibly hostile. Let us be certain: The 
conditions for our class after four years of imperialist world war, famine and 
with a military occupation of the pot on the doorstep were not easier times. And 
yet the workers managed to achieve great things. Famine and with a military 
occupation of the pot on the doorstep were not easier times. And yet the workers 
managed to achieve great things. Famine and with a military occupation of the pot 
on the doorstep were not easier times. And yet the workers managed to achieve 
great things.

A comrade once said: There is no revolutionary movement if the people who came 
before it and fought for the same cause are forgotten. So let's remember the 
fallen workers. Because we are standing at her grave today,


https://ruhr.dieplattform.org/2022/03/13/102-jahre-maerzrevolution-im-ruhrgebiet-gedenkveranstaltungen-von-fau-und-plattform
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