NEWS FROM BERLIN
Blows, kicks, pepper
Just as last year, police brutally was again present at the annual demonstration in memory of Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg in Berlin on Sunday. The attack took place shortly after the start of the demonstration on Frankfurter Allee and was mainly directed against a block of communist youth organisations and the Palestine Solidarity block. Police officers kicked, punched and used pepper spray. Several people were injured and had to be treated by paramedics. Berlin Left Party MP Ferat Koçak, who was present as a parliamentary observer, affirmed that at least four people, including two minors, had to be hospitalised. Source: junge welt
BVG: ver.di demands a pay rise
The bottleneck effects on operations and the workforce are key issues for ver.di in the upcoming collective bargaining round with BVG. The union had already published its demands in October. With 16,000 employees, Europe’s largest public transport company is also Berlin’s 4th largest employer, but ranks last among all public transport companies in Germany when it comes to pay for drivers. BVG and ver.di will meet for the first round of negotiations as early as next Wednesday. BVG explained to “nd” that “on the first day of negotiations, as is usual in collective bargaining, positions will be exchanged.” However, it did not mention any offer it may have planned. Source: nd-aktuell
NEWS FROM GERMANY
Habeck on Syrian refugees: “Those who don’t work will have to leave”
For the Greens’ candidate for chancellor in the upcoming election, Robert Habeck, work is the key criterion for giving Syrian refugees a prospect to remain in Germany. “We can make good use of those who work here,” he said on Deutschlandfunk radio. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) had previously said something similar, citing education and good integration as criteria. Opposition came from the Green Youth. “Regardless of whether people from Syria work, go to school or raise children: they should be allowed to stay,” said the head of the Green youth organisation, Jette Nietzard, to the news portal “Politico”. “We must stand up for human rights at all times.” Source: Stern
Riesa: resistance despite freezing cold and police violence
The AfD federal party conference in Riesa was disrupted by 15,000 protesters. The police have come under criticism for operations undertaken while policing the protests, which often degenerated into completely disproportionate violence. For instance, a video went viral on social media showing a police dog handler setting a German shepherd on a fleeing demonstrator. The animal looked though as if it is not in the mood for assaulting. There was too an incident in which Nam Duy Nguyen, a member of parliament for the Left Party in Saxony, who was travelling with a clearly marked group of parliamentary observers, was nevertheless overrun and knocked unconscious by police officers. Source: nd-aktuell
What the new property tax could mean for tenants
According to the German Civil Code, property owners are allowed to pass on the full amount of property tax to their tenants. And, because these taxes were based on data from as far back as 1964, some updates are required, as pointed out by Wibke Werner, Managing Director of the Berlin Tenants’ Association. Considered factors include the standard land value, the plot area, the average living space and an average rent level. However, housing companies, such as Degewo, have lodged appeals against some property tax assessments, since the amount reflects potential rental income, which may not be realised in some state-owned housing associations. Source: rbb
“Junge Alternative”, from the AfD, complains about a new party´s offspring
The AfD’s former youth organisation, “Junge Alternative” (JA), is furious with its parent party. In Riesa, the party decided to create a new offshot for young party members. “Traitor lists” are said to already be circulating in the JA. Previously, the AfD stated that the “JA” was an independent association from the party. However, the AfD´s current youth organisation is legally a part of the party. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is monitoring the “JA” as a proven right-wing extremist organisation, and the AfD itself has so far only been a “suspected case” at the federal level. Source: n-tv
Number of asylum applications falling across Europe – Germany remains first
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) in Nuremberg announced that in 2024 there were 229,751 new applications in Germany. The majority from applicants came from Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey. Compared to 2023, almost 100,000 fewer people applied for asylum – a decrease of 30.2 per cent. However, within the European Union, Germany is by far the frontrunner when it comes to asylum applications. It is followed by Spain with 165,398 asylum applications, France with 158,512 and Italy with 154,824 applications. Hungary brings up the rear with only 29 new asylum applications in the whole of 2024. Source: faz
Pistorius hands over state-of-the-art wheeled howitzer to Ukraine
In its defence campaign, Ukraine has received a new weapon system from Germany: the first of 54 ultra-modern RCH 155 wheeled howitzers (an artillery weapon). The country can “count on us. Germany is ready to assume responsibility in Europe,” said Federal Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD). The system can be operated remotely, and it is to be manned by two soldiers. Meanwhile, the EU Commission is increasing its humanitarian aid for people affected by the war in Ukraine by a further 148 million euros. According to the Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, the money is intended to keep the Ukrainians warm in “this harsh winter.” Source: dw
