Lebenslaute (motto: "classical music – political action") is an open

direct action Direct action is a term for economic and political behavior in which participants use agency—for example economic or physical power—to achieve their goals. The aim of direct action is to either obstruct a certain practice (such as a governm ...

group that combines concerts of

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

with

civil disobedience Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizenship, citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be cal ...

, mostly by open-air protest concerts in unexpected locations. ''lebenslaute'' organizes several nonviolence performances per year on both national and regional levels in Germany. In 2014, ''lebenslaute'' was awarded the renowned Peace Prize of Aachen, Germany, together with the American organization Code Pink – Women for Peace. It is awarded in the Aula Carolina in the city of

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

each year on 1 September, the date on which

International Day of Peace The International Day of Peace, also officially known as World Peace Day, is a United Nations-sanctioned holiday observed annually on 21 September. It is dedicated to world peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence, such as might ...

is celebrated in Germany, warningly commemorating the day on which

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

started

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

by invading Poland on 1 September 1939. Since 1986, ''lebenslaute'' has been turning up in places where classical concerts are least expected, with group sizes between three and over one hundred and in professional black outfit. Locations are chosen in the eye of by-laws that would prohibit any activity of this kind in this spot, so political confrontation is consciously sought. Where possible, lebenslaute gives support to and cooperates with local civil disobedience groups. Direct action is deployed in places that are threatening to people or that design and manufacture objects used for killing, with the aim to protest against the official function of such organizations and locations in principle and in practise: any government agency where people are threatened, e.g.

refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

s, any business of the arms industry, any

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

used for

deportation Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or is under sen ...

, any

nuclear power plant A nuclear power plant (NPP), also known as a nuclear power station (NPS), nuclear generating station (NGS) or atomic power station (APS) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power st ...

, any

military base A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

and any other location that may have the aim of preparing for or conducting

warfare War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of State (polity), states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or betwe ...

. Every lebenslaute activity is prepared in groups and decisions are taken accordance in

Grassroots democracy Grassroots democracy is a tendency towards designing political processes that shift as much decision-making authority as practical to the organization's lowest geographic or social level of organization. Grassroots A grassroots movement i ...

Nonviolence Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosoph ...

as a principle is followed inside the groups, too: None of the activists is asked to do more than they want to. In case of legal proceedings following suit, individuals can be sure to be shown solidarity by other group members and by the group itself in cooperation with allied organizations.Translated and rephrased fro
About us
''lebenslaute.net'', August 2014 The first political action by ''lebenslaute'' took place in 1986 when a huge classical orchestra blocked the entrance to the US military base of

Pershing II The Pershing II Weapon System was a solid-fueled two-stage medium-range ballistic missile designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the Pershing 1a Field Artillery Missile System as the United States Army's primary nuclear-capable thea ...

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typic ...

s near the town of

Mutlangen Mutlangen is a municipality in the Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg in the Ostalbkreis district and belongs to the Stuttgart Metropolitan Region. As of 31 December 2022, it has 6,886 inhabitants. Geography Mutlangen is located between t ...

in a rural area of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

, South-Western Germany.

References

External links

* * (de
List of main direct action events in the summers of 1986–2013
to be updated shortly after 31 August 2014 * (de
Photo of concert action 3 September 2012
(pdf) in front of

Heckler & Koch Heckler & Koch GmbH (HK or H&K; ) is a German firearms manufacturer that produces handguns, rifles, submachine guns, and grenade launchers. The company is located in Oberndorf am Neckar, Baden-Württemberg and also has subsidiaries in the United ...

Oberndorf am Neckar Oberndorf am Neckar (; Swabian: ''Oberndorf am Näggô'') is a town in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Neckar, north of Rottweil. It historically was and currently is a major center of th ...

, ''ohne-ruestung-leben.de'', Rundbrief Oktober 2012, page 1. * (de
List of films about direct action events 2009-2013
* J. Zeuner
"Lebenslaute-Kanon"
(pdf), a

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

composed for and sung by members of ''lebenslaute'' {{Authority control Nonviolence Civil disobedience Direct action German political music groups German classical music groups