The Oranienplatz movement began when dozens of refugees came together to fight for freedom of movement in defiance of the state's attempt to isolate them in lagers. They marched together for 600 km from Würzburg to Berlin and occupied Oranienplatz. Over the next two years, they laid bare the hypocrisy of the EU's commitment to freedom, equality, and human rights. Their struggle resonated across divisions of race and citizenship status and brought thousands to Oranienplatz who saw the connection between their own struggles for self-determination and the refugees' struggle for freedom. The occupation directly confronted the racist, colonial, capitalist social order, and it grew more powerful with each day. In response to the threat posed by the OPlatz movement, the Green Party resorted to various tactics to disrupt it, including harmful rumors and negotiations with a select group of people behind the backs of the rest of the movement, which resulted in its fracturing and the forced eviction of OPlatz. The egregious actions of the Green Party are nothing new. Throughout the history of social movements, there have been many instances of states creating fractures or exploiting existing ones to weaken resistance. 

The fact that these tactics continue to be effective is an indication that we need to take more time to share our knowledge about past struggles where such tactics were employed. In an effort to address this issue, we have organised a weekend of discussions on identifying and countering the tactics that the state uses to divide social movements. We aim to create a space for exchange to increase our collective understanding of them and how we can build movements that are resilient to them.

Today we will discuss divisive tactics, including the spreading of harmful rumors, negotiations, and rhetoric about legitimacy. The discussion will open with input on how these tactics were used by the state against the OPlatz movement to damage trust, foment conflict, silence and isolate people. Afterward, in break-out groups and in an open assembly, we want to reflect on our own experiences in social movements where we encountered such tactics as well as on historic examples.