NEWS FROM BERLIN
General suspicion applies in Görli
Abdulaye Sow was falsely accused of drug dealing in Görlitzer Park in what his lawyer describes as clear racial profiling. On that day, just before going to the park, he withdrew 400 euros from an ATM – for which the newspaper ‘taz” has published the bank statement. He was then stopped by the police, who took his money and accused him of being a dealer. He was ‘shocked’ the police would accuse a man of being a dealer just because he was sitting near a drug hotspot and had money with him, even though there was no evidence of this. He has since announced that he has lodged a complaint with the police. Source: taz
Number of pupils in Berlin has risen again
Berlin’s schools record an increase in the number of pupils in the new school year. According to preliminary data from the education administration, around 404,000 pupils will be studying at general education schools after the end of the summer holidays, around 9,000 more than in the previous year. Also, the number of young people attending vocational schools has risen from 77,900, exceeding 78,000. The Senator for Education, Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU) has said that these figures are related to Berlin being ‘a hotspot for immigration’. There remains a shortage of hundreds of teachers. Günther-Wünsch is working with alternatives such as offering a long-term perspective for single-subject teachers. Source: rbb
A Russian restaurant in Berlin closes down after discrimination
Berlin is known for its diverse and lively gastronomy scene. However, many restaurants in Berlin are in crisis. Among them, a Russian gastronomic icon was forced to close recently. ‘Datscha’ was once a cult restaurant in Friedrichshain. You could eat Russian pancakes filled with quark, cream cheese and home-marinated salmon here. Co-founder Kristina Enke, a German-Ukrainian, has spoken out about the reasons for the closure, mentioning not only the increase on costs, but the prejudice experienced. There have been negative reviews on Google such as ‘Don’t eat there, the owner is Russian’. Source: Berlin-live
1. FC Union Berlin in search of suitable sponsors
The Bundesliga season begins for 1. FC Union Berlin on Saturday against 1. FSV Mainz 05. There, only the word ‘Berlin’ with the television tower in the background will be visible on the “Eisern”´s shirts. Missing critically the main sponsor. Such sponsorship deals are being considered carefully since there have been recent negative examples showing that a premature deal can be counterproductive. The most controversial sponsorship agreement this season was undoubtedly Borussia Dortmund’s deal with Rheinmetall, Germany’s largest defence contractor. Union´s president Dirk Zingler affirmed: ‘We wouldn’t have chosen Rheinmetall because Rheinmetall stands for something different than our club.’ Source: msn
NEWS FROM GERMANY
Terrorism and fascism: two sides of the same coin
After the deadly knife attack in Solingen, German politicians have reacted in typical fashion. The AfD has called for a ‘deportation offensive’, while CDU chairman Friedrich Merz insists: ‘It’s not knives that are the problem, but the people walking around with them. In most cases, these people are refugees.’ And Fabio De Masi from the ‘Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance’ joins in the chorus: ‘We have to talk about parallel societies and the large number of people who live with us without being subject to the right of asylum.’ One may ask on what basis these comments are made? What does the ‘Islamic State’, which claims responsibility for the attack, have to do with migration and asylum law? Source: nd-aktuell
Scholz vows speeding up deportations after Solingen
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said irregular migration into Germany ‘must go down’ after the attack in Solingen. ‘This was terrorism, terrorism against us all,’ Scholz said during a visit to the city last Monday. Scholz also said his government would have to do ‘everything we can to ensure that those who cannot and should not stay here in Germany are repatriated and deported.’ An already heated debate about migration has become fiercer, with suggestions from the opposition of more control on Germany´s borders, or even stopping all migration. Experts say such suggestions are not feasible and are incompatible with German and European Union law. Source: bbc
Demonstrators against AfD prevent Björn Höcke from appearing in Jena
Thuringia’s leading AfD candidate Björn Höcke had to cancel an appearance in Jena due to a counter-demonstration. The original plan was for Höcke to appear at a public discussion in a district centre in Jena-Lobeda. According to the police, the manifestation had been registered, however, fewer people were originally expected. A broad alliance had called for the protests. The police stated that 2,000 people took part in the protests. Katharina König-Preuss (Left Party), a member of the Thuringian state parliament, had estimated the number of participants at around 3,000. She also described a sometimes harsh police operation against blockaders. The police were deployed there with pepper spray and batons. Source: Zeit
Foreign labour generates billions for eastern German states
Without foreigners, gross value added in eastern Germany would shrink: that is the conclusion of a new study by the Institute of German Economy (IW). ‘Foreign employees support the East German economy,’ says study author Wido Geis-Thöne, ’which makes it all the more important that the region remains cosmopolitan.’ According to the study, they mainly came from Poland and the Czech Republic, but also from countries such as India and Vietnam. However, eastern Germany does not have the best reputation when it comes to hospitality, the IW notes. ‘The AfD is working tirelessly on migrants,’ points out the institute. Source: rbb
