Tribute to Herne from Köpi

09 June 2021
Herne au Köpi

A friend and activist of anarchist punk is gone…

On Tuesday 8 June 2021 the funeral of Herne took place, first of all a friend, but also a figure of the Berlin punk scene and Köpi in particular. But with all the bands he invited to play at the squat, his kindness and commitment was known all over the world!

Since 1991, that members of Cartouche knew him, while they played in Kochise or La Fraction, he had always been there to welcome us and watch over us.
When we arrived at the Köpi, there was always our ritual of the first beer taken together. I do not know whether they told us that story at the time, but when we first met, it struck us.
It had only been 2 years since the wall had fallen and Herne, from the former East Germany, told us how he had fled this part of Germany, while he was in the Stasi’s sights, as an active activist of the punk scene: network, fanzines, K7 traffic, orga festival, etc. His trip had not been easy then and shortly after his arrival, the wall symbol of the political regime of East Germany, which threatened him and locked up in prison or in the asylum the actors and actresses of the underground, collapses…

For us, this little story symbolizes who Herne was: an activist convinced by his ideas, generosity in his heart, beer in his hand and a smile on his face.