Sören Brandes
@union-brandes.bsky.social
Your local German union organizer, organizing Europe's biggest land port in Duisburg | formerly a historian
Reposted by Sören Brandes
📍 Montag, 9. Februar: Streiktag!
Düsseldorf, Wuppertal, Duisburg, Meerbusch, Neuss u.a.
🕤 9:30 Uhr Schadowplatz Düsseldorf
💜 Ohne uns läuft hier nichts. Kommt solidarisch dazu!
Düsseldorf, Wuppertal, Duisburg, Meerbusch, Neuss u.a.
🕤 9:30 Uhr Schadowplatz Düsseldorf
💜 Ohne uns läuft hier nichts. Kommt solidarisch dazu!
February 6, 2026 at 10:52 AM
📍 Montag, 9. Februar: Streiktag!
Düsseldorf, Wuppertal, Duisburg, Meerbusch, Neuss u.a.
🕤 9:30 Uhr Schadowplatz Düsseldorf
💜 Ohne uns läuft hier nichts. Kommt solidarisch dazu!
Düsseldorf, Wuppertal, Duisburg, Meerbusch, Neuss u.a.
🕤 9:30 Uhr Schadowplatz Düsseldorf
💜 Ohne uns läuft hier nichts. Kommt solidarisch dazu!
Reposted by Sören Brandes
May 1936: Heinrich Himmler inspects "Dachau", intended as a model concentration camp to "restore calm" in the nation and "rehabilitate" political prisoners. These camps were made known on purpose to instill fear. By 1942 much larger extermination camps were conceived. These were a state secret.
February 2, 2026 at 2:04 AM
May 1936: Heinrich Himmler inspects "Dachau", intended as a model concentration camp to "restore calm" in the nation and "rehabilitate" political prisoners. These camps were made known on purpose to instill fear. By 1942 much larger extermination camps were conceived. These were a state secret.
Reposted by Sören Brandes
People keep talking about how decentralized the resistance is in MN, and yes there is no singular figure, committee, or group coordinating all things. That's very different than there being no structures (plural), groups (plural), or leaders (plural) keeping things going and building things further.
January 29, 2026 at 6:50 PM
People keep talking about how decentralized the resistance is in MN, and yes there is no singular figure, committee, or group coordinating all things. That's very different than there being no structures (plural), groups (plural), or leaders (plural) keeping things going and building things further.
Reposted by Sören Brandes
Aus aktuellem Anlass nochmal: In Sachen Streikaktivität ist in Deutschland noch deutlich Luft nach oben.
February 2, 2026 at 11:51 AM
Aus aktuellem Anlass nochmal: In Sachen Streikaktivität ist in Deutschland noch deutlich Luft nach oben.
Reposted by Sören Brandes
This is what democracy sounds like: three Minneapolis organizers chart the process that built an effective multiracial fight back against federal occupation. Moving beyond a brave and nimble minority to a "popular front" majority to beat back fascism and win democratic victories for all
New Dig: interview w/ organizers Emilia González Avalos, Greg Nammacher, and JaNaé Bates Imari on the Minneapolis fight back against ICE/Border Patrol occupation. Critical lessons on the importance of structure-based orgs/mass base plus flexibility amid crisis www.thedigradio.com/podcast/minn...
Minneapolis Fight Back w/ Emilia González Avalos, Greg Nammacher, JaNaé Bates Imari
Featuring Emilia González Avalos, Greg Nammacher, and JaNaé Bates Imari on how Minneapolis achieved its fight back against ICE/Border Patrol occupation. A decade building aligned mass movements has ma...
www.thedigradio.com
January 31, 2026 at 7:59 PM
This is what democracy sounds like: three Minneapolis organizers chart the process that built an effective multiracial fight back against federal occupation. Moving beyond a brave and nimble minority to a "popular front" majority to beat back fascism and win democratic victories for all
Reposted by Sören Brandes
This post is blowing up, so for all the big name journos sharing it, some context:
This was a rally in Chicago explicitly calling for ICE to be abolished, and for a mass general strike to counter the Trump admin's continous attacks on our communities and civil liberties.
This was a rally in Chicago explicitly calling for ICE to be abolished, and for a mass general strike to counter the Trump admin's continous attacks on our communities and civil liberties.
It's near-white out conditions in Chicago as the snow comes down, and tonight's anti-ICE/CBP rally is wrapping up in front of city hall.
But not before the crowd bounces and chants, "I believe that we will win!"
But not before the crowd bounces and chants, "I believe that we will win!"
January 31, 2026 at 1:30 AM
This post is blowing up, so for all the big name journos sharing it, some context:
This was a rally in Chicago explicitly calling for ICE to be abolished, and for a mass general strike to counter the Trump admin's continous attacks on our communities and civil liberties.
This was a rally in Chicago explicitly calling for ICE to be abolished, and for a mass general strike to counter the Trump admin's continous attacks on our communities and civil liberties.
Reposted by Sören Brandes
Der auf einen Aufruf der württembergischen Bezirksleitung der KPD zurückgehende Generalstreik im Industriedorf Mössingen war deutschlandweit der einzige Versuch, die Machtübernahme Hitlers am ersten Tag nach dessen Ernennung zum Reichskanzler zum Scheitern zu bringen.
January 31, 2026 at 8:14 AM
Der auf einen Aufruf der württembergischen Bezirksleitung der KPD zurückgehende Generalstreik im Industriedorf Mössingen war deutschlandweit der einzige Versuch, die Machtübernahme Hitlers am ersten Tag nach dessen Ernennung zum Reichskanzler zum Scheitern zu bringen.
Reposted by Sören Brandes
Reposted by Sören Brandes
Anybody looking to defeat ICE needs to listen to the extremely good new @thedigradio.bsky.social episode on lessons from Minnesota's key organizers
thedigradio.com/podcast/minn...
thedigradio.com/podcast/minn...
Minneapolis Fight Back w/ Emilia González Avalos, Greg Nammacher, JaNaé Bates Imari
Featuring Emilia González Avalos, Greg Nammacher, and JaNaé Bates Imari on how Minneapolis achieved its fight back against ICE/Border Patrol occupation. A decade building aligned mass movements has ma...
thedigradio.com
January 31, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Anybody looking to defeat ICE needs to listen to the extremely good new @thedigradio.bsky.social episode on lessons from Minnesota's key organizers
thedigradio.com/podcast/minn...
thedigradio.com/podcast/minn...
Reposted by Sören Brandes
This day calls on us to do more than reflect; it calls on us to act — to confront antisemitism wherever it exists and to reject all forms of hatred and dehumanization. May the memories of all those lost be a blessing — one that guides us as we build a world where every life is sacred.
January 27, 2026 at 5:33 PM
This day calls on us to do more than reflect; it calls on us to act — to confront antisemitism wherever it exists and to reject all forms of hatred and dehumanization. May the memories of all those lost be a blessing — one that guides us as we build a world where every life is sacred.
Reposted by Sören Brandes
"The US labour movement often has been guilty of assuming that immigrant workers are unorganisable... Actually the immigrant worker organisations have been the ones leading the labour movement..." - @sarahljaffe.bsky.social
January 25, 2026 at 2:05 PM
"The US labour movement often has been guilty of assuming that immigrant workers are unorganisable... Actually the immigrant worker organisations have been the ones leading the labour movement..." - @sarahljaffe.bsky.social
Reposted by Sören Brandes
This is one of the things that I find is most shocking to people outside Minnesota who don’t realize it yet—the scale at which everyone who isn’t white has been forced into a spectrum of hiding.
Very good article drawing out the Tahrir Square comparison.
Very good article drawing out the Tahrir Square comparison.
January 26, 2026 at 4:01 AM
This is one of the things that I find is most shocking to people outside Minnesota who don’t realize it yet—the scale at which everyone who isn’t white has been forced into a spectrum of hiding.
Very good article drawing out the Tahrir Square comparison.
Very good article drawing out the Tahrir Square comparison.
Reposted by Sören Brandes
Wer meint, sowas wie ICE "kann bei uns nicht passieren", ist a) geschichtsvergessen und hat b) die Situation an den Außengrenzen & entlang der Balkanroute nicht verfolgt. Nur 1 Beispiel: 2021 prügelten vermummte Beamte der kroatischen Polizei auf Geflüchtete ein...
www.spiegel.de/ausland/kroa...
www.spiegel.de/ausland/kroa...
Kroatiens Innenminister Davor Božinović gibt Misshandlungen von Flüchtlingen durch Polizisten zu
Recherchen des SPIEGEL und weiterer Medienpartner belegen, dass kroatische Polizisten auf Flüchtlinge einprügelten. Innenminister Božinović räumt die Vorwürfe ein – will aber offenbar selbst keine Ver...
www.spiegel.de
January 26, 2026 at 6:57 AM
Wer meint, sowas wie ICE "kann bei uns nicht passieren", ist a) geschichtsvergessen und hat b) die Situation an den Außengrenzen & entlang der Balkanroute nicht verfolgt. Nur 1 Beispiel: 2021 prügelten vermummte Beamte der kroatischen Polizei auf Geflüchtete ein...
www.spiegel.de/ausland/kroa...
www.spiegel.de/ausland/kroa...
Reposted by Sören Brandes
Reposted by Sören Brandes
Mood in minneapolis right now
January 24, 2026 at 11:31 PM
Mood in minneapolis right now
Reposted by Sören Brandes
The 5-year-old arrested by ICE In Minnesota is detained at Dilley. We reported on conditions there in the below article.
Parents said the food was contaminated with mold and worms & that children were so under so much stress that they were hitting their own faces & wetting themselves.
Parents said the food was contaminated with mold and worms & that children were so under so much stress that they were hitting their own faces & wetting themselves.
Analysis by The Marshall Project of ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project found that the Trump administration’s revival of family detention has swept thousands of children into ICE custody. At least 3,800 children under 18, including 20 infants, have been booked since Trump took office.
ICE Threw Thousands of Kids in Detention, Many For Longer Than Court-Prescribed Limit
Former immigration staffers argue ICE is choosing to detain families for prolonged periods to speed deportations and compel them to leave.
www.themarshallproject.org
January 22, 2026 at 8:30 PM
The 5-year-old arrested by ICE In Minnesota is detained at Dilley. We reported on conditions there in the below article.
Parents said the food was contaminated with mold and worms & that children were so under so much stress that they were hitting their own faces & wetting themselves.
Parents said the food was contaminated with mold and worms & that children were so under so much stress that they were hitting their own faces & wetting themselves.
Reposted by Sören Brandes
Alex Pretti, the man killed by federal agents today in Minneapolis, appears to have been a registered nurse, an athlete, a son and a brother, with ties to Colorado and Wisconsin.
Here is a photo he used for several accounts.
Here is a photo he used for several accounts.
January 24, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Alex Pretti, the man killed by federal agents today in Minneapolis, appears to have been a registered nurse, an athlete, a son and a brother, with ties to Colorado and Wisconsin.
Here is a photo he used for several accounts.
Here is a photo he used for several accounts.
Reposted by Sören Brandes
Immigration is a fake problem. We have politicians on the one hand who want to use immigrants as scapegoats for our real ones and politicians on the other who are too cowardly to stand against them and tell the truth. That is the entire situation. Until that changes, people will continue to die.
January 24, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Immigration is a fake problem. We have politicians on the one hand who want to use immigrants as scapegoats for our real ones and politicians on the other who are too cowardly to stand against them and tell the truth. That is the entire situation. Until that changes, people will continue to die.
Reposted by Sören Brandes
There is nothing immigration could do that is worse than what US immigration restriction and policing is doing to us
January 24, 2026 at 4:20 PM
There is nothing immigration could do that is worse than what US immigration restriction and policing is doing to us
Reposted by Sören Brandes
I'm not one for false optimism. But what I witnessed today in Minneapolis was tremendous, both in scale and exuberance. It was a stunning answer to the federal assault on Minnesota, a show of solidarity that gives us something to hold on to during times that are unforgiving.
“Everybody Showed Up”: Stunning Crowds at Minnesota Day of Strike and Shutdown Against ICE
Extreme cold didn't stop the shutdown on Friday as some 100 faith leaders were arrested, residents stayed home from work, and an estimated 50,000 or more marched through downtown Minneapolis.
inthesetimes.com
January 24, 2026 at 12:42 AM
I'm not one for false optimism. But what I witnessed today in Minneapolis was tremendous, both in scale and exuberance. It was a stunning answer to the federal assault on Minnesota, a show of solidarity that gives us something to hold on to during times that are unforgiving.
Reposted by Sören Brandes
Under the banner “ICE Out of MN: Day of Truth and Freedom,” organizers and workers are demanding ICE leave Minnesota, for the officer who killed Renee Good to be held accountable, for no additional federal funding for ICE, and for businesses to cut ties with the federal agency
January 22, 2026 at 1:51 PM
Under the banner “ICE Out of MN: Day of Truth and Freedom,” organizers and workers are demanding ICE leave Minnesota, for the officer who killed Renee Good to be held accountable, for no additional federal funding for ICE, and for businesses to cut ties with the federal agency
Reposted by Sören Brandes
But when I asked an organizer what they wanted to see out of press coverage, they told me they wanted people to see the beautiful things they are building here, and not just the worst stories of the worst of ICE's crimes.
What people are doing here is beautiful. It's a tragic beauty, but a real one
What people are doing here is beautiful. It's a tragic beauty, but a real one
January 22, 2026 at 3:58 AM
But when I asked an organizer what they wanted to see out of press coverage, they told me they wanted people to see the beautiful things they are building here, and not just the worst stories of the worst of ICE's crimes.
What people are doing here is beautiful. It's a tragic beauty, but a real one
What people are doing here is beautiful. It's a tragic beauty, but a real one
Reposted by Sören Brandes
Another friend put it to me like this: "ICE has made the classic Nazi mistake. They've invaded a winter people in the winter."
January 22, 2026 at 3:58 AM
Another friend put it to me like this: "ICE has made the classic Nazi mistake. They've invaded a winter people in the winter."
Reposted by Sören Brandes
Many sympathetic “radical King” accounts still cling to a American fairy tale—the Great Man who had it in him. But MLK Jr came up inside a web of socialist organizers who treated racial & economic justice as inseparable & treated organizing as a teachable craft
www.laborpolitics.com/p/who-taught...
www.laborpolitics.com/p/who-taught...
How did MLK Jr. Become a Socialist?
A forgotten network of radicals helped teach King how to organize—and how to link civil rights to economic redistribution for all
www.laborpolitics.com
January 19, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Many sympathetic “radical King” accounts still cling to a American fairy tale—the Great Man who had it in him. But MLK Jr came up inside a web of socialist organizers who treated racial & economic justice as inseparable & treated organizing as a teachable craft
www.laborpolitics.com/p/who-taught...
www.laborpolitics.com/p/who-taught...
Neues von der Tarifbewegung im Duisburger Hafen: heute bei der Pressekonferenz haben die Kollegen ihre Stärke gezeigt ✊
January 19, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Neues von der Tarifbewegung im Duisburger Hafen: heute bei der Pressekonferenz haben die Kollegen ihre Stärke gezeigt ✊