Red flares and clouds of thick black smoke billowed in the skies Thursday night as around 400 members of the so-called anarchist group Antifa protested roughly one mile from where Dr. Jordan Peterson spoke at an event in Berlin, Germany.
The demonstration was one that members of the group had planned for weeks to shut down Peterson’s event, independent journalist Andy Ngo reports.
Written on red and white cloth, social justice slogans like “SMASH THE PATRIARCHY” or “NO SHOW FOR RACISTS SEXISTS” shield the faces of the double-masked members of North East Antifa, Berlin chapter, as Peterson prepped for the next stop on his 2022-2023 Beyond Order European Tour.
“In an angry demonstration, around 500 people marched through #Kreuzberg in front of the #Tempodrom today to protest against Jordan B. #Peterson’s performance,” North East Antifa, Berlin, said in a translated tweet. “This supplies the #AltRight in the #USA as well as misogynist internet subcultures with anti-feminist ideology.”
In einer wütenden Demonstration zogen heute ca. 500 Menschen durch #Kreuzberg vor das #Tempodrom, um gegen den Auftritt von Jordan B. #Peterson zu protestieren. Dieser beliefert die #AltRight in den #USA sowie misogyne Internet-Subkulturen mit antifeministischer Ideologie. #B2909 pic.twitter.com/ZT3C4buFV7
— North East Antifa [Berlin] (@antifanordost) September 29, 2022
Peterson spoke at the Tempodrom Thursday night, a venue in the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough of Berlin, which according to Ngo, is an area infamous for its violent far-left politics and Antifa organizing.
(1/x) In #Berlin demonstrierten heute Antifa-Gruppen unter dem Motto #keineshowfuertaeter.
Die angemeldete Demo zog mit 400Teilnehmenden zum #Tempodrom.
Dort fand eine Buchstellung des amerikanischen Altright-Influencers Jordan Peterson statt #B2909
Fotos:https://t.co/asZTMJ2tXB pic.twitter.com/QB34RruyuA— Presseservice_RN (@PresseserviceRN) September 29, 2022
On May Day, protestors nearly every year turn the event into a riot. While law enforcement attempts to control the area from anarchist-communist groups around the neighborhoods, the rioters have assaulted and injured authorities.
Heute will der pseudointellektuelle FLINTA*-Hasser Jordan Peterson in Berlin auftreten. Dagegen bildet sich ein feministischer und antifaschistischer Protest.
Wenn ihr aus Berlin seit: hin da!Hintergrund Infos über Peterson:https://t.co/TCza2Snap9 pic.twitter.com/2ItnX4iYBB
— Jay Hammes 🏳️🌈 (@Jay_Hammes) September 29, 2022
According to a German independent journalist, who appears to have been on the ground while black-clad foot soldiers protested against Peterson, one member took the floor and criticized the renowned author, clinician, and commentator for influencing a “woman-hating rape culture.”
“At the start of the demo, MdA Ferat Koçak (left) took the floor. He criticized Peterson as an influencer of a ‘woman-hating rape culture,’” @PresseserviceRN said in a tweet translated into English by The Daily Wire. “But Koçak also called for sexism in one’s own community to be questioned and for everyone to be able to lead a self-determined life.”
(3/x) Zum Start der Demo ergriff MdA Ferat Koçak (Linke) das Wort.
Er kritisierte Peterson als Beeinflusser einer "frauenhassenden Rape-Kultur".
Koçak forderte aber auch Sexismus in der eigenen Community zu hinterfragen und Allen ein selbstbestimmtes Leben zu ermöglichen. #B2909 pic.twitter.com/yiaGwK6z5I— Presseservice_RN (@PresseserviceRN) September 29, 2022
The independent journalist observed that German culture considers Peterson an opponent of political correctness and stigmatizes current identity politics as “cultural Marxism.”
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation, a German foundation that claims to stand against far-right-wing parties, racism, and anti-Semitism, openly supported the organization’s followers on Twitter to attend the protest.
“JP clearly shows: Social chauvinism and anti-feminism inevitably lead to misanthropic thinking and acting,” the foundation said in a tweet. “Therefore: support the protests against the reading of #JordanPeterson on September 29th, 2022!”
JP zeigt eindeutig auf: Sozialchauvinismus und Antifeminismus führen unweigerlich in menschenfeindliches Denken und Handeln. Deswegen: unterstützt die Proteste gegen die Lesung von #JordanPeterson am 29.09.2022! 12/12https://t.co/UOF1R2zH5G
— Amadeu Antonio Stiftung (@AmadeuAntonio) September 27, 2022
Peterson, however, refused to let the North East Antifa, Berlin protestors’ views faze him.
“We would like to thank the very thoughtful Antifa protestors, who, despite entirely misunderstanding the nature of my tour lectures, added an additional touch of drama, color, and spice to what was an entirely successful, well-attended, and positive Berlin event,” Peterson told The Daily Wire.
Peterson spoke in Amsterdam last weekend, where another small group of Antifa members protested without incident.
Dr. Peterson, who recently began a multi-year partnership with DailyWire+, also announced a limited-series podcast aimed at young men, titled “Dragons, Monsters, & Men.”