News from Berlin
Suspected Neo-Nazi arrested in Berlin
By the time the first patrol cars turned onto Max-Herrmann-Straße in Berlin-Marzahn just after 1 a.m., the armed 47-year-old had already vanished. Shortly thereafter, police officers searched nearby. On Lea-Grundig-Straße, heavily armed officers from a Berlin riot police unit cordoned off a modernized high-rise apartment building. In an apartment there, investigators found several firearms and ammunition. Officers subsequently searched other premises belonging to the man. Police stated that the 47-year-old had allegedly “planned a rampage at a nearby bar.” During the search, they uncovered further incriminating material. In the basement, officers found—among other items—a Reich flag, as well as other symbols linked to National Socialism. Source: welt
Politician Koçak suspends parliamentary duties
Following fierce criticism regarding contacts with Berlin’s organized crime scene, Ferat Koçak, a Bundestag member for Die Linke, has suspended his parliamentary duties for the time being. “Ferat Koçak has informed us that he will step back until further notice—until full transparency is established,” Sören Pellmann, co-leader of Die Linke’s parliamentary group, said in Berlin. On September 20, a leading member of the Remmo family appeared at a Die Linke election party in Neukölln. The next day, screenshots of a conversation between Koçak and a further member of the family circulated online. Die Linke in Berlin-Neukölln subsequently emphasized that there were no political or personal ties to the individual. Source: rbb
How radical is the new Berlin AfD parliamentary group?
When the new AfD parliamentary group met for the first time at the Abgeordnetenhaus on September 22, the mood was excellent. The group has grown significantly to 29 members, with 16 new faces. In an interview with rbb, parliamentary group leader Kristin Brinker praises the “diverse” team, rejecting any talk of radicalism. However, some of these “sensible” MPs have attracted negative attention in the past. For instance, Julian Adrat has claimed that “Transgenderism needs to be eradicated” on his podcast and has repeatedly run afoul of the law. David Eckert, a former chairman of the Junge Alternative in Berlin, has worked for two AfD politicians from the völkisch-nationalist “Flügel” faction. Source: rbb
Olympic bid in Berlin is officially dead
Berlin was competing to be an official choice to host a summer Olympics—in 2036, 2040 or 2044—offering a decentralised package with other areas within the country. Hamburg was forced to withdraw their bid back in June after a public referendum. Following Die Linke’s election sweep, the German capital will withdraw its candidacy as well. Elif Eralp, Die Linke’s top candidate, affirmed: “I have made it very clear that I consider the six million euros already spent on the Olympic bid, for example, to be a waste of taxpayers’ money.” Source: heistberlin
News from Germany
Merz seeks legislative ban on expropriations
Some call it expropriation, others socialization—though there are legal distinctions, the underlying concept is the same: under Die Linke’s plans for Berlin, large real estate corporations would be transferred into state ownership in exchange for compensation. This has sparked heated debate, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) announced plans to quickly introduce legislation prohibiting the expropriation of large housing companies. According to estimates, socialization would give the state control over approximately 240,000 additional housing units—more than 30%. Tenants of state-owned housing companies already pay significantly lower rents on average than those renting from private landlords. Source: tagesschau
Heidenau: AfD and CDU ban new Holocaust “stumbling stones“
Activists, politicians and representatives of Holocaust victims reacted with anger after the center-right CDU party joined forces with the AfD to ban new Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) in the eastern town of Heidenau, near Dresden. The initiators of the Heidenau ban argue that, while remembering Holocaust victims is an essential task, the placement of stones leads to “passersby walking over or even stepping onto the names of the victims,” and they are better honored at one of the city’s cemeteries instead. The creator, Gunter Demnig, now 78, rejected this argument. The artist said that remembrance must be visible where people used to live, and that Stolpersteine make history tangible for local young people. The International Auschwitz Committee also slammed the CDU’s support for the motion as scandalous. Source: dw
Don’t draft me
By the end of August, 451,400 military registration questionnaires had been sent to 18-year-olds; yet, from this pool, only 1,155 young women and men were earmarked for “deployment in the Bundeswehr,” according to the Ministry of Defense. But one thing is certain: young people in Germany do not share the government’s vision regarding military service. On September 25, tens of thousands of students across the country once again took to the streets to protest the creeping reintroduction of conscription. It was the fourth school strike against conscription. By midday, organizers reported the participation of more than 45,000 teenagers and young adults in over 100 cities—”a huge success.” Source: jungewelt
Far-right extremists on children’s TV
On September 3—shortly before the state election in Saxony-Anhalt—KiKA (a joint channel of ARD and ZDF) published an interview during the children’s program “logo”, featuring lead candidates Sven Schulze (CDU) and Ulrich Siegmund (AfD). There was no fact-checking, no critical follow-up questions, and no contextualization. In response, a student collective launched a petition on WeAct titled “KiKA: No Platform for Far-Right Extremists on logo”. The initiative has succeeded, gathering over 300,000 signatures in just a few days. Although ZDF initially defended the logo interview, the public broadcaster has since backtracked: “In retrospect, we must acknowledge that the editorial approach chosen was not appropriate.” Source: campact
