Friday 5, April
Activists continue vandalism of Amazon Tower
While The Amazon Tower in Friedrichshain isn’t yet occupied, this hasn’t stopped protesters from vandalising and damaging the building, as reported by Berliner Morgenpost.
Vandalism in the form of graffiti and paint splashes has been a relatively common occurrence at the Amazon Tower, and easy enough to clean. Most recently, the windows and part of the building’s facade were sprayed with paint in mid-March. But now, unknown individuals have caused more serious damage to the windows of the building, with three small holes (possibly from an air pistol or slingshot) pierced into the glass. Permanent damage to property, as opposed to smears of washable paint, represents a more serious level of vandalism for the company to deal with.
Accused of poor working conditions, tax avoidance and increasing gentrification, Amazon’s occupation as the main tenant of the EDGE East Tower has always been controversial. When asked about their negative public perception, the company responded with information about their plans to make a floor in the building available free of charge to non-profit organisations and neighbourhood initiatives.
For many activists, including the ‘Amazon is kein guter Nachbar’ alliance, these plans are just “social washing”. The activist group has made 14 public demands on Amazon, which range from paying fair wages to workplace democracy and de-carbonisation. The group is organising a protest against Amazon’s gentrification of Friedrichshain on Saturday afternoon.
