NEWS FROM BERLIN
Berlin MPs want rapid partnership with Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv is to become Berlin’s 19th twin city. All parliamentary groups spoke in favour of this at the most recent session of the state parliament. The CDU and the SPD had tabled a motion calling on the Senate to press ahead with talks already underway. For many MPs, this is not going fast enough. Jian Omar (Green Party) called for words to be followed by actions and communicated to Kai Wegner (CDU) that town twinning was not a ‘trophy colleting’. In the past, the Senate had often announced partnerships without bringing them to life. Source: tagesspiel
“Pain grip”: climate activist wins legal dispute against Berlin police
Berlin police officers unjustly used the so-called “pain grip” (schmerzgriff) on a climate activist during a sit-in blockade. This was decided by the Berlin Administrative Court. The presiding judge Wilfried Peters explained the decision, considering the behaviour of the police officersas disproportionate. The plaintiff Lars Ritter had taken part in a sit-in blockade by the “Last Generation” climate group on 20 April 2023. The court said that the police officers could have simply carried him off the road and that he was not expected to resist. The police intervention was filmed at the time and video clips were published on the internet. Source: tagesspiel
Employees of Charité subsidiary CFM go on indefinite strike on Wednesday
CFM employees no longer want to be the “piggy bank of the Charité”, going on indefinite strike from Wednesday. This was announced by trade union ver.di. The CFM (Charité Facility Management) is responsible for patient transport, cleaning, catering and technology, among other things. Ver.di demands the pay of the CFM employees to be harmonised with that of Charité staff, stating additionally that they works under significantly worse conditions. The employees of the Charité subsidiary had gone on warning strike several times in recent weeks. The indefinite strike will begin with the early shift this Wednesday. The union is expecting restrictions in patient care. Source: rbb
NEWS FROM GERMANY
Expatriation because of anti-Semitism?
The coalition negotiations between the CDU/CSU and SPD are said to have repeatedly led to heated arguments. Particularly in dealing with migration and integration issues, the negotiating partners’ positions were apparently very far apart. Dirk Wiese (SPD), himself part of the “Home Affairs, Law, Migration and Integration” working group, affirmed the SPD had managed to ensure that the possibility of dual citizenship remained in place. This topic has generated many discussions. In future, being identified as a “terrorist supporter” or “anti-Semite” might be enough to revoke a German passport. But how are these terms even defined? Source: dw
Racism in Germany: the norm, not the exception
In Germany, more than half of Black people and Muslims have experienced discrimination, according to a new study by the National Discrimination and Racism Monitor. In one of the most comprehensive data surveys on racism and discrimination in Germany, researcher surveyed almost 10,000 people across the country. The results of the latest report from March 2025 show that those who are seen by others as being immigrants or Muslims are most affected — regardless of whether they actually are or not. “Experiences of discrimination do not happen randomly,” said Aylin Mengi, co-author of the study. Source: dw
Anti-Palestinian repression in German companies: the case of Zalando
On December 5, 2024 the labour court in Berlin (Arbeitsgericht Berlin) settled the case of Mohamad S. supported by the European Legal Support Center (ELSC). Mohamad is marketing professional and was working at Zalando SE in Berlin as a Senior Media Testing manager but received a termination of his contract following his expression of solidarity with Palestine. Before his dismissal, Mohamad suffered moral harassment and was also repeatedly pressured to resign from the company. When the attempts to push him out of the company failed, he finally received a termination letter in June 2024 and decided to file a lawsuit. Furthermore, Mohamad filed an anti-discrimination complaint case. Source: ELSC
Egyptian in Göttingen has no right to naturalisation
Göttingen rejected the application for naturalisation of an Egyptian, because the Ministry of the Interior of Lower Saxony had expressed security concerns, pointing out that, according to information from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the applicant had been active for several years in communities and organisations with links to the Muslim Brotherhood. The plaintiff did not accept the decision and took the matter to court. He stated he avoided any group which opposed the basic order of the Federal Republic of Germany. The applicant travelled to Germany in 2000 to study, followed a few months later by his family. Source: hna
Lauterbach wants to equip healthcare system for “military conflicts”
Federal Health Minister KarlLauterbach (SPD) wants to better equip the German healthcare system against crises and military conflicts, according to the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”. He expects a draft bill to be presented in the summer. Lauterbach added: “We also need a turning point for the healthcare system. Especially as Germany could become a hub for the care of injured and wounded people from other countries in the event of an alliance.” The Association of Democratic Doctors stated that the organisation would oppose “further militarisation of the healthcare system with a loud no”. Source: Ärzteblatt
Cannabis could be banned in Germany again
A year after the start of the partial legalisation of cannabis in Germany, its withdrawal is apparently still an issue in the coalition negotiations between the CDU/CSU and SPD. The Bavarian CSU in particular is piling on the pressure to abolish that partial legalisation of cannabis: “We want to reverse the traffic light government’s mistake and ban cannabis again,” Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann told the newspaper “Augsburger Allgemeine”. The state of Bavaria is currently the only federal state without any legal cannabis cultivation outside of private residences. Source: mdr
