The Spiral Times: A life in Solidarity | BB & Doris

This month, BB sits down for a tea with her beloved comrade Doris, a veteran German organizer who has been part of the solidarity movement for freedom and justice in Palestine for many decades.

Her story stretches down the years with moral courage and political clarity as its constant. We start at her childhood in the long shadow of german fascism playing amongst bombed out buildings, coming of age in '68 in West Germany, working at the '72 Munich Olympics, developing her analysis as a politically active Marxist under the chill of Cold War repression, then using meditation skills learnt on Indian ashrams in the 80s to help stay focussed during confrontations with IOF soldiers on countless visits to the Occupied West Bank in the 90's: first alone and then as a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement.

Since before its official launch in 2005, Doris has been a central figure in the call to the movement to apply sanctions to Israel and is active as the movement's representative in Berlin. We discuss the psychological impact of repression, resistance, staying active during retirement and celebrating every win, in a wide-ranging chat packed with generous insights and challenges especially for those coming more recently to the question of strategy. The wisdom of intergenerational organising is a special gift: settle in with Doris over a tea and tunes from her youth and offer your ear to this humble, huge-hearted and frequently hilarious woman: a trusted elder who shows no signs of slowing down.