The fourth international conference “Challenging capitalist modernity – we want our world back” ended late on Sunday afternoon in the event rooms of the Wilhelmburg community center in Hamburg. Around 1,300 participants from all over the world ended the conference chanting the slogan “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî”.

Four days full of knowledge exchange, discussion and networking. In a total of six sessions, activists and scientists from all over the world spoke about the diverse destruction of human and natural livelihoods by capitalism and how we can counter this with resistance, art, education and democratic confederalism.

“They want to ban us because they are afraid of us and our ideas”

The conference was overshadowed by the short-term cancellation of the premises of the Hamburg University. Although the organizers had to find an alternative conference location within a week and adjust the schedule accordingly, the event was a success, not least thanks to the flexibility of the speakers and many helping hands. In all sessions, the university's decision and the criminalization by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution was heavily criticized: "They want to ban us because they are afraid of us and our ideas," said the sociologist John Holloway.

Analyses and struggles against the destructive logic of the capitalist system

The conference began on Thursday evening with some opening speeches. On Friday morning, Kurdish and Irish artists presented a joint dance performance, followed by loud applause from the audience. Spread over the weekend, a total of more than 30 international speakers spoke about their analysis and struggles against the destructive logic of the capitalist system and what kind of community organizing can push back this. The program on Saturday took place at different locations in Hamburg; the Gängeviertel, the Rote Flora and the Centro Sociale. In 23 different workshops, the participants were able to exchange ideas about Jineolojî, history and resistance, art, mythology, Armenian history and Marx and Öcalan's analyses, or network with each other in the Govend, the Kurdish dance.

We are the 99 percent!

At the end of the conference, Havin Guneser, spokeswoman for the international initiative "Freedom for Abdullah Öcalan - Peace in Kurdistan" and translator of the works of the Kurdish theorist, summarized the contents of the past few days: "Together we dreamed of a better world! We know how important it is to connect. We are the 99 percent! We are the producers of life and love!” She also gave a heartfelt greeting to Abdullah Öcalan, whose ideas continue to reach and enrich us despite his isolation. Finally, she thanked all the organizations, associations, structures, translators, speakers and individuals who made this conference possible and all the families who hosted and cared for the participants.