News from Berlin
Coalition talks in Berlin: If you don’t toe the line, you’re out
Coalition talks to form a new government in Berlin between Die Linke, Grüne and SPD have come to an agreement on their first hurdle: antisemitism. The document lays out common support for the two-state solution, Israel’s right to exist, as well as supporting the police and Verfassungsschutz (Germany’s internal state security) in fighting antisemitism. Next on the agenda is the economy, and with it the topic of expropriation. Source: jW
Treptow-Köpenick is likely to get a Die Linke mayor
The Bezirksamt Treptow-Köpenick is set to have a Die Linke member become neighbourhood mayor after the recent elections where the party received the most votes. SPD, which came third place after the AfD, has held the mayoral seat since 1990. At the time of writing, Die Linke has not yet announced who it will propose for the role. Source: nd
News from Germany
Germany’s ex-spy chief arrested for espionage
Police have arrested August Hanning, the former chief of Germany’s foreign intelligence (BND), on charges of treasonous espionage and working for a foreign intelligence service. Hanning served from 1998 to 2005 before moving on to other government roles, although he is also accused of collecting classified documents even after he was no longer working for the spy agency. While these documents were partially collected for his use in private business affairs, Hanning is also being investigated for giving information to Azerbaijan. Source: DW
CDU Lies About Voting Patterns in Sachsen-Anhalt
Sachsen-Anhalt’s parliament voted in Tobias Rausch (AfD) as its Parliamentary President. In order to gain enough votes, the AfD had formed a deal with the BSW, who voted with them. Yet the total number of votes in support of Rausch was 4 higher than the combined number of AfD and BSW members of parliament. While CDU parliamentarians were originally told to abstain on the secret vote, in the end there were fewer abstention votes than there were CDU politicians. Source: taz
The great rollback
The new energy law proposed by Katherina Reiche (CDU), Germany’s Economy Minister, is facing sharp pushback from politicians, environmentalists and energy companies. Reiche claims the bill is necessary for lowering energy costs. Critics point out that it would cut existing measures meant to foster the growth of solar and wind energy, and actually raise energy prices. Even large energy companies like RWE, Uniper and LEAG have criticised the plans; the main exception being the firm Eon, of which Reiche is a former employee. Source: taz
Account Remains: Rote Hilfe Wins Main Proceedings
Rote Hilfe has won its court case against Sparkasse Göttingen, as the court announced the cancellation of Rote Hilfe’s account was without grounds. Rote Hilfe is a long-standing institution on the German left, providing legal and financial support in cases of state repression. Sparkasse had argued that they risked reputational risks by providing the left-wing organisation a bank account. Concerns also surrounded the USA’s listing of “Antifa Ost” as a terrorist organisation, but the court found that Rote Hilfe did not help any organisation by this name. Source: Rote Hilfe
Thuringia’s state parliament will not dissolve itself
Bjorn Höcke (AfD), a parliamentarian in Thüringen who is considered a leading figure of his party’s right wing, has once again been unsuccessful in his attempt to force a new state election in Thüringen. A two-thirds majority is necessary for this motion to be approved, and it received 34 votes in favour and 52 against. The move is considered by many to be an attempt to delegitimise the democratic system following a plagiarism scandal around the state’s Prime Minister, Mario Voigt (CDU). Source: mdr
Ex-German Chancellor Schröder attends Putin’s birthday bash
Gerhard Schröder (SPD), the former German Chancellor (1998-2005), is once again facing criticisms for his relationship to Vladimir Putin, this time after he attended the Russian President’s 74th birthday party in Moscow. Schröder was originally in the city to visit a new branch of Hyperglobus, the supermarket chain whose board he recently joined. While he has been widely condemned in Germany, some SPDers have pointed out that Schröder is one of the last Western politicians still able to work with Putin to potentially end the war. Source: DW
