The re-expropriation of public houses sold to private companies years ago was demanded in a protest organized under the name “Carnival of Expropriation” in Berlin, the capital of Germany. Being dressed as politicians and real estate company representatives, demonstrators danced together to represent the cooperation of the both sides. Then, members of Deutsche Wohnen & Co. intervened and dismissed the crowd of politicians and speculators. The unusual protest in Oranienplatz Square continued with marching. About a thousand people attended the protest.

“I am a member of the Deutsche Wohnen & Co. initiative. We held a referendum about 1.5 years ago. In this referendum, we demanded that the estates of large companies that own more than 3,000 estates be re-expropriated for the public’s benefit. Most of these residences were already publicly owned. Due to the crisis arising from the reunification of the two Germanies, these council estates were sold to private enterprises. In recent years, it has been seen that these companies have not invested in modernization, but they have increased their rents exorbitantly. Now, we demand that the conditions of the referendum be fulfilled and these houses be expropriated so that people with middle and low income can live in houses with more affordable rents,” says Sieglinde Wagner, one of the organizers of the action.