News From Berlin
Weimer removes left-wing bookstores from the prize list
Wolfram Weimer (independent), the Minister of State for Culture, is once again intervening politically in cultural affairs. Having already acted in the context of the debate surrounding Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle, he is now intervened in the German Bookstore Prize. He has excluded three bookstores already shortlisted by the jury from the award ceremony: the Berlin bookstore “Schwankende Weltkugel” (Shaky Globe), the Bremen “Golden Shop,” and the Göttingen “Rote Straße” (Red Street). Weimer justified his decision with “findings relevant to the protection of the constitution,” without specifying what these were. Those affected intend to take legal action. The prize ceremony has been cancelled following the backslash. Source: spiegel
“From the River to the Sea” – with the blessing of the police
Anyone on Berlin’s streets who shouts a single phrase of the pro-Palestinian slogan “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” risks arrest, charges, and criminal proceedings. However, when a Christian association with the opposite agenda proclaims that “God in the Bible grants the land of Canaan ‘from the river to the sea’ exclusively and irrevocably to the Jewish people,” this apparently poses no problem. On the contrary: Berlin’s chief of police, Barbara Slowik Meisel, even participated as a guest of honor at the “Israel Day Berlin-Brandenburg 2026” organised by the association “Christians on the Side of Israel”— the very organization that questions the right of Palestinians to exist in Israel and Palestine. Source: taz
Tricia Tuttle remains director of the Berlinale – but with conditions
The potential dismissal of Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle last week has immediately mobilized the film industry, and she will remain director of the Berlin International Film Festival. However, there will be certain conditions in the future. This is the outcome of a meeting of the festival’s supervisory board, the Federal Government’s Cultural Events in Berlin (KBB), as Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer (no party) announced on March 4. Plans include an “advisory forum” and the development of a code of conduct for all cultural events funded by the German state, Weimer explained. Source: dw
A Berlin factory and the controversy over militarisation in Germany
A factory in Wedding is in the midst of a controversial transformation. Starting this summer, most of its employees will be tasked with manufacturing grenades for large-caliber ammunition—without any actual explosives being present on site, as the owner, Pierburg, a subsidiary of the industrial conglomerate Rheinmetall, emphasises. Activists from the “Berlin Alliance Against Arms Production” (BBgW), a group of around 30 organizations fighting against militarisation of German industry, have tried to talk to the employees, without much success. In a statement to DW, Rheinmetall said converting the factory to weapons production was a response to economic developments “characterised by shrinking sales in the automotive sector, coupled with a huge increase in demand in the military sector.” Source: dw
News From Germany
“The long-term is disastrous”
In an interview, “nd” reports that, despite a settlement has been in place for two weeks in the public sector wage dispute in the German states, there are still issues. For example, the raise of 5.8% which employees are to receive in three stages over 27 months will not be enough to cover inflation. There is also the belief that the long contract term of 27 months is a disastrous flaw, as it’s only slightly shorter than the term demanded by the collective bargaining association of the federal states. In this case, a demand for a twelve-month contract term should be a central objective, to enhance the mobilisation of the employees. Source: nd-aktuell
AfD achieves around 19% in Baden-Württemberg: a poisoned success for the “fighting dwarf”
The Greens won in Baden-Württemberg and the AfD doubled its result there: Around 19%, the third-strongest party. For many in the AfD, this now feels nevertheless like a defeat. After all, its politicians know the AfD is far from a majority government in the southwest, and no one wants to form a coalition with them. Its candidate, Markus Frohnmaier, managed the feat of spending election week not in Baden-Württemberg, but in Washington, D.C., where he networked with the MAGA movement. Nevertheless, the AfD is likely to emerge from election night with a boost once the result shows how stable its electorate has become. Source: tagesspiel
Asylum policy and family separation
The Bundestag decided in June 2025 the special protection of the family, as emphasized in Article 6 of the “Basic Law” (Grundgesezt) would not apply to refugees, or would apply even less than before. For those who came to Germany as minors from war zones, this means that they will be separated from their relatives for longer. Last week, Jan Köstering (Left Party) asked the federal government about the consequences of that measure. Daniela Ludwig (CSU), from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, stated this measure had “significantly reduced” the number of people entering the German social welfare system: according to ministry figures, only 150 visas for family reunification with beneficiaries of subsidiary protection have been issued since August 2025. Source: nd-aktuell
Germany is looking for a female president
In one year, Germany’s head of state will be re-elected. Many would like to see a woman at the helm for the first time. But who? Chanceler Friedrich Merz (CDU) plans to announce a name in September. The Green Party suggested former Chancellor Angela Merkel as a candidate, but she immediately dismissed that proposal. Other names such as Julia Klöckner (CDU), Ilse Aigner (CSU), and Karin Prien (CDU) are also frequently mentioned, each of them with gains and eventual political constraints. Even the name of a writer, Juli Zeh, is being considered since she already has administrative experience as a volunteer constitutional judge in her state. Source: dw
