Western feminism is exclusionary, self-centred, and self-congratulatory. It is morally bankrupt and fails to address the intersecting forms of oppression faced by marginalised women
The International Women’s Day march in Erfurt, Germany, saw Western feminists patting themselves on the back for their stance against fascism, racism, and right-wing extremism. Yet, amidst this self-congratulation, they shamelessly sought to silence the voices of students – most of whom were persons of colour – seeking to shed light on the suffering of women in Gaza. Their narrow focus on elevating only the plight of privileged white women, while simultaneously silencing the voices of marginalised and oppressed groups, unveils a distressing absence of consistency and genuine commitment to equality.
Our independent gathering of students was policed by guards of the “Feministisches Kampftagsbündnis Erfurt” as soon as we arrived. We joined as individuals coming in peace genuinely wanting to join our causes and unite with feminists to raise the voices of Palestinian women. We didn’t bring any national flags, fully respecting the “no flags policy”. However, we encountered repression when we were prohibited from wearing Keffiyehs, despite their legality in Germany. Moreover, as soon as the demonstration speeches began, we were approached by the guards to leave our signs out “because they mention Gaza”. Our signs intentionally only sought to highlight the suffering of Palestinian women who are in the fifth month of living under collective punishment, forced starvation and non-stop bombardment with no access to medical care. All our signs related to Gaza were forbidden, including:
- Live from Gaza: C-Sections without anaesthesia
- 30,000 dead – 70% women + children
- 300% more miscarriages
- No menstrual hygiene for 5 months
Furthermore, their staggering levels of ignorance were not only embarrassing but also deeply troubling. We were forced into the uncomfortable position of having to educate the organisers, especially the guards tasked with monitoring us, on the inherently feminist nature of the Palestinian women’s suffering. They shifted blame onto us, asserting that our concerns didn’t align with the organisers’ agenda of, “showing the diversity of feminist perspectives and demands and directing [their] criticism towards the patriarchy”. However, their actions implied a troubling bias: they appeared willing to recognise international women’s suffering only if it stemmed from Western disapproved states – especially from Arab or Muslim ones. This bias became evident in their suggestive remarks, such as questioning why we weren’t highlighting issues faced by “Iranian women”, “Afghan women” or “Ukrainian women” – implying that these were the causes more worthy of support in the eyes of Western feminists. Thus, they came to the conclusion that the suffering of Palestinian women and children can’t be mentioned in their “intersectional feminist march”. Their diversity apparently doesn’t include women suffering under Western patriarchal power structures of militarised violence, killing women with US and German weapons in Gaza.
Essentially, the organisers’ sole justifications for excluding us from the march boiled down to “All lives matter” and resorting to “Whataboutism”. Since when do we have to refer to all other international conflicts when talking about one? Can’t we talk about one thing at a time? If the organisers cannot tolerate the mere presentation of facts, then the brand of feminism they espouse is nothing more than imperialist white feminism.
What these feminists conveniently overlook are the harsh realities: the primary patriarchal structures responsible for the death and oppression of women in the SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) region over the past two decades are militarised systems that deny them their fundamental right to exist. Moreover, the ethnocentrism and deindividuation (feeling of diminished personal responsibility) characterised by German feminists, as to “what does that have to do with us in Germany” is truly something, considering that our government is the second biggest supplier of weapons to Israel that are currently being used to kill Palestinian women and their children, and possibly being used to commit grave human rights violations.
We were told that we can’t talk about Palestinian women alone because that would constitute an “one-sided perspective on the conflict”. They wanted us to also refer to the suffering of Palestinian and Israeli women deriving from the terrorist organisation Hamas. We stand in solidarity with Israeli women as much as we do with Palestinian women, and the organisers are welcome to join forces with us to highlight their suffering – instead of pushing us out of the march. It is entirely acceptable to denounce the breaches of international law perpetrated by the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) against Palestinians, particularly women and children, without explicitly referencing Hamas. Put simply: Criticising Joe Biden for supplying weapons to Israel that result in the deaths of Palestinian women and children does not imply support for his counterpart, Donald Trump.
One of our comrades experienced profound mental distress upon our dismissal and was reduced to tears. Faced with the stark reality that Women’s Day and feminism in Germany are exclusive white causes, unwilling to acknowledge the suffering of women of colour like her, she expressed:
“They claim they are intersectional and that they were marching to create an inclusive safe space for ALL, but they managed to create a very unsafe and exclusive space for us. After arguing with the so-called “feminist organisers”, I felt silenced, excluded, and discriminated against. It was clear to me that women like myself don’t seem to be worthy enough of life or representation. How come the people who are supposedly against racism were being actively racist with their selective activism?”
Surprisingly, the police were more understanding than these feminists and upheld our fundamental right to protest with the condition of maintaining a short distance from the group and following the march behind the last police car. It is a slap in the face of German feminism that as people of colour (PoC), including a Jewish person among us, we felt much safer with police intervention after being bullied by the organisers – whose only goal seemed to be intimidating and policing us. Their actions were not only discriminatory but also racist in essence considering their refusal to speak in English and continuing to argue in German. We resisted and marched right behind them all the way despite having to feel as pariahs and sticking out like sore thumbs in a majority white, German parade, and city. We also thank everyone, who left the march to join forces with us after witnessing this incident.
Many of the march organisers proudly align themselves with the “Weltoffenes Thüringen” initiative, a symbol of solidarity against right-wing extremism in Thuringia. However, following this incident, we view these affiliations as mere hollow slogans, lacking genuine commitment. True openness in Thuringia cannot be measured solely by standing under such labels or by having “inclusion and diversity” organisational hiring policies; it must extend to welcoming diverse voices into political arenas and meaningfully engaging with diverse and intersectional perspectives. How many of those who expelled us from the march can claim to have lived in conflict zones? Among us, nearly all. Yet, despite our first-hand experiences and academic expertise—many of us studying precisely these issues—our voices are silenced and censored. It’s a stark betrayal of the very principles they claim to uphold.
To the organisers of this feminist march, who proved to be nothing short of racist bullies for throwing us out, we implore you to take a long, hard look at your children’s innocent faces. Ask yourselves, how can you turn a blind eye to the agonising pain of the mothers in Gaza? Mothers who have witnessed the loss of 12,300 innocent children, with over a thousand more left maimed, and countless others succumbing to malnutrition, dehydration, and forced starvation with 18 children dead of starvation as of now. Can you comprehend the sheer helplessness of Palestinian mothers who struggle to access basic medical care for their suffering children? What are you going to tell your own children when they grow up and ask you, what were you doing when children in Gaza were being killed en masse?
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