NEWS FROM BERLIN

Antifa, there’s still room for improvement

At 2.30 pm, 1.5 hours after the planned start of a demonstration by the extremist group “Aktionsbündnis Berlin,” some 60 young fascists (from the 500 who registered) were still at the starting point at Ostkreuz. Just in front of them, around 30 anti-fascists, including left-wing MP Ferat Koçak (Die Linke). The police then decided to clear the road for the Nazis. One by one, the antifascists were pulled away by the police, using pain grips, and released into the neighbouring rallies – without previous warnings. However, several thousand people managed to block the right-wing extremist demonstration. The police reported stones and pyrotechnics were thrown, and parked police cars were damaged. Source: taz

Anti-fascism on the seminar programme

“Please don’t come in anymore. We have to open the second lecture theatre,” announces a loudspeaker in the overcrowded lecture theatre of the Freie Universität. But even the second lecture theatre is barely big enough for all those interested in attending the general assembly of the “Students against the Right” initiative. The anti-fascist movement at universities was formed in the spring after the so-called AfD secret meeting became known. There are groups nationwide, as in Berlin. The new initiative wants to oppose the social shift to the right and fight for non-discriminatory spaces at universities. Source: taz

Convicted of arson

Almost seven years after two arson attacks, the verdict is finally reached in the Neukölln neo-Nazi trial. The defendants are guilty. After so many years, Ferat Koçak (Die Linke) appeared in court and said in tears that the attack defines his life today. “If I had woken up a few minutes later, my parents would not have made it out of the house, they would have died, like the guest workers in Mölln or Solingen,” said Koçak, who comes from a Kurdish-Alevi family. He is forever scared for his parents. More than 70 criminal offences, including 23 arsons, are attributed to the series of attacks. Source: taz

Four arrests after attack on SPD members

Four young people were arrested following an attack by suspected right-wing extremists on SPD members in Berlin. The suspects had travelled to Berlin on Saturday to take part in demonstrations and engage in physical altercations with “leftists.” They are between 16 and 19 years old. According to the investigators, they attacked SPD members at an election campaign stand at a bus stop. The attacks could only be stopped when emergency services arrived. Meanwhile, the police have published details of the demonstration in the Friedrichshain district, which the suspects apparently wanted to attend. Police state security and the public prosecutor’s office are now investigating. Source: n-tv

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Housing makes you poor

“Anyone who only considers income, but not the fact that people have less and less money at their disposal because they have to pay high housing costs, overlooks the extent of poverty in Germany,” states a study published last week by the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband. The association took a critical look at data from the Federal Statistical Office. According to the research group, income alone no longer provides information about the standard of living. After deducting rent, service charges, interest on loans and other costs, almost 18 million people are left with a disposable income in the poverty bracket. Source: jW

Germany: major challenges ahead of snap election

On Tuesday, the governing Social Democrats (SPD) and the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) agreed to hold a new parliamentary election on coming February 23. The timing of Germany’s next election has become the subject of an embittered political debate that has dragged in the federal election administrator, the managing director of the country’s biggest ballot paper printing company and even the head of Germany’s paper industry association. Wilko Zicht, head of the nonprofit watchdog Wahlrecht, estimates that authorities will now have to do around four months’ worth of work in the span of only two months, in order to have a timely and legitimate election. Source: dw

Most young Germans see no point in politics

Most young people in Germany see no point in politics, according to a survey conducted by the Bertelsmann Foundation. They see too many hurdles and believe politicians don’t take their worries seriously. The findings come as Germany is headed toward a new general election in February. In the poll of 2,500 representative 16- to 30-year-olds, half of the respondents said there were insufficient opportunities for young people to participate in politics beyond voting in elections. Regina von Görtz, the foundation’s expert on youth and democracy, observes that “young people would be more politically active if they knew that their efforts actually had an impact.” Source: dw

NEWS FROM BERLIN

All of Berlin is “#unkürzbar”

There is uproar in Berlin in the face of budget cuts and a policy that largely ignores social interests. Following initial demonstrations against the cuts last week, protests will now increase. On Thursday, December 5, social organisations, teachers and tenants will take to the streets. For the various interest groups and areas affected by cuts, one catchphrase is gaining ground: #uncutable (#unkürzbar). The renters’ movement is also mobilising against the federal government’s housing summit and calling for a nationwide rent cap. But the frustration is also directed at the Senate – here too under the motto #unkürzbar. Source: taz

NEWS FROM GERMANY

AfD’s Bavarian chapter passes mass deportation resolution

At the AfD’s party conference in Greding, its Bavarian chapter adopted the “Bavarian Resolution for Remigration,” which would see German citizens with a migration background and non-Germans living in the federal republic deported from the country. “Groups of people with a weak ability and willingness to integrate should be returned to their home country by means of mandatory return programmes and supported in reintegrating into their society of origin and in (re)building their home country,” the resolution states. Source: iamexpat

Germany to launch bunker location app

The Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) and the German Interior Ministry plan to reintroduce public bunkers and a shelter location app amid rising global tensions. BKK’s spokesperson said that key elements of the plan had already been agreed upon in June 2024, but the project would take “some time” before any app would be launched. 579 World War Two and Cold War-era bunkers remain in Germany, and they could provide shelter for 480,000 of Germany’s population. Residents would also be asked to convert their basements and garages into shelters. According to the BKK, Germany’s high building standards mean basements would be adequate to protect residents. Source: iamexpat

Germany’s labour market needs more immigration

The German labour market will be reliant long-term on “substantial” immigration each year. Until 2040, around 288,000 foreign workers will be needed each year to ensure a sufficient supply of available labour, as an analysis commissioned by the Bertelsmann Stiftung shows. Currently, labour migration is significantly lower than it needs to be. Susanne Schultz, a migration expert at Bertelsmann, says that barriers need to be removed and the conditions for immigrants improved. She explained that, without the influx of additional immigrants, the workforce would shrink by around 10% due to demographic shifts. Source: deutschland.de

Major strikes at Volkswagen

IG Metall called on the almost 120,000 employees at Volkswagen plants to participate in warning strikes last Monday. “If necessary, this will be the toughest collective labour dispute that Volkswagen has ever seen,” says Thorsten Gröger, IG Metall negotiator. After the VW Board of Management rejected a compromise proposal from the union last week, the peace obligation ended at the weekend. Strikes are for instance taking place at the main plants in Lower Saxony – with the exception of Osnabrück, because the collective agreement for the metal and electrical industry continues to apply there. The next round of negotiations will take place on December 9. Source: nd

Germany experiences dramatic rise in measles cases

“Measles has returned to Germany,” the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) recently warned. According to its report, the number of cases of the disease, which is particularly common in young children and can be fatal, has risen dramatically in 2024. More than 600 cases have been registered so far, compared to 8 just 3 years earlier. Other vaccine-preventable diseases such as hepatitis B and whooping cough are also on the rise. According to experts, reasons for such increase range from imported viruses to increasing vaccination scepticism and activism by anti-vaccination campaigners on the internet. Source: dw

AfD considers separation from Young Alternative organisation

The Federal Executive Committee of the right-wing party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is in favour of splitting from its youth organisation. The Young Alternative (Junge Alternative, JA) has been relatively independent up to now – and is indisputably right-wing extremist. The AfD has long been considering establishing a new organisation based on the model of the Young Socialists (Jusos, from SPD), and it is no secret that the party is unhappy about JA. The Jusos model can indicate that every AfD member under the age of 36 would automatically be a member of the youth organisation. Source: taz

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Nan Goldin opens exhibition with accusations against Israel and Germany

The artist Nan Goldin at the opening of her show at “Neue Nationalgalerie” began her speech with “This will not end well”, asking for a minute’s silence for the victims in Gaza, Israel and Lebanon. In front of dozens of pro-Palestinian activists, the Jewish photographer denounced Israel’s actions and Germany’s attitude in the Middle East conflict. An attempt at a ‘counter-speech’ by the director of the Neue Nationalgalerie, Klaus Biesenbach, was shouted down by chants. “I have decided to use this exhibition as a platform to express my moral outrage at the genocide in Gaza and Lebanon,” Goldin affirmed. Source: Spiegel

Rents in Berlin have risen the most in Germany

Prices for new lettings have risen more sharply in Berlin than in any other major German city. This is according to a response from the federal government to a request from MP Caren Lay (Die Linke”). The price per square metre for a newly rented flat in Berlin has doubled in ten years: from an average of €8.10 in 2014 to €16.35 in 2023. The federal government points out that the data is not representative: Low-priced flats, for example, tend to be brokered via notices or estate agents and therefore do not appear in the statistics. Lay nevertheless criticises the fact that the rent freeze introduced in 2015 has been ineffective. Source: rbb

Berlin Senate reaches agreement in dispute over payment card for refugees

After months of wrangling, Berlin’s governing parties (CDU and SPD) have agreed on a solution to the issues surrounding payment card for refugees. The cash limit is now 50 euros per month, for adults and children. After six months, the cash limit will be automatically removed. However, it is not yet clear when the payment card will be introduced in Berlin. The payment card is valid throughout Germany and should not include any restrictions such as online purchases. The Integration Senator Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD) told rbb that the payment card is not an instrument to control migration. Source: rbb

The Berlin Senate’s savings list

The Berlin Senate wants to save three billion euros – from the around 40 billion euro’s city budget. The ruling parties, CDU and SPD, announced where they want to cut spending: primarily in transport, but other areas such as culture and environment are also subject to cuts. With this cut, the 29-euro ticket for public transport, which has only been in circulation since July, will be completely cancelled again, but probably not until 2025. The ruling coalition parties agree in principle that an improvement in revenue is also necessary to close the gap in Berlin’s budget. Source: rbb

NEWS FROM GERMANY

VW: German union demands a deal before Christmas

IG Metall and the Volkswagen (VW) workers’ council are calling for VW to strike a deal with workers before Christmas. VW is Europe’s largest car manufacturer and has threatened plant closures and layoffs in a bid to reduce labor costs. IG Metall’s chief negotiator, Thorsten Gröger, accused VW management of wasting time in discussions so far. The chairwoman of the company’s workers’ council, Daniela Cavallo, described the threat of mass layoffs and plant closures as “maximum provocation”. A mandated moratorium on industrial action during initial talks is due to expire at the end of November, meaning that warning strikes are possible starting from December 1. Source: dw

Inveterate Holocaust denier Haverbeck dies at 96

Ursula Haverbeck, a notorious Holocaust denier, has died at the age of 96. She previously served two years in prison for Holocaust denial and was appealing another prison sentence of a year and four months handed down by the court in Hamburg when her she passed away. Among her repeated claims, made on television and in courts, was that the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was not an extermination camp. German government records show that at least 1.1 million people were murdered there alone. Her comments made her a favorite with far-right extremists. Source: dw

What do Germany’s hospital reforms mean for patients?

Germany’s hospital reform will become law on January 1, 2025. Under these reforms, the government will reorganise how federal funding is distributed to hospitals to improve treatments and reduce financial pressure on clinics. The changes will be gradually implemented in Germany’s 1,700 hospitals until 2029. Clinics will not be financed based on the number of patients they treat but on the number of services offered, such as staff numbers, emergency services or specific medical equipment available on site. It is expected that the new law will also spell hospital closures, but Karl Lauterbach (SPD) affirms these closures will be in areas where hospitals are “overabundant”. Source: i am expat

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Right-wing extremist demo wants to march through Rigaer Straße

An announced right-wing extremist demonstration through Berlin-Friedrichshain has provoked left-wing counterdemonstrations. The right-wing extremist event for December 14, registered with the police for some time, is to start at Ostkreuz, passing through Rigaer Straße. According to the police, 50 to 100 participants are registered. The planned counterdemonstrations are called “Against fascism, queer-hate and misogyny – for a colourful Berlin instead of a brown one” and “Put child Nazis to bed.” The demonstrations’ routes could still be changed due to the potentially dangerous situation, as announced by Senator of the Interior Iris Spranger (SPD). Source: rbb

Thousands protest against cuts to Berlin’s cultural scene

Berlin government has to make substantial savings – and will not spare the cultural sector. This includes theatres, opera houses, libraries and clubs. Their representatives protested in Berlin on Wednesday. According to the organisers, around 3,000 people took part in the demonstration at the Brandenburg Gate. A police spokeswoman gave the figure of 1,000 demonstrators when asked by rbb. Actress Katharina Thalbach and her colleagues Lars Eidinger and Alexander Scheer also took part in the protest. The Berlin Senate wants to cut 10% from all departments, and this will also affect the cultural budget. Source: tagesschau

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Germany to hold snap federal election on February 23

Following the traffic-light (“Ampel”) coalition’s collapse, Germany’s Federal Returning Officer has announced that Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) will face a no-confidence vote on December 16, 2024. The process will run then as following: in case Scholz loses the vote, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) will dissolve parliament 11 days afterwards, on December 27. Once parliament has been dissolved an election must be held within 60 days. In that situation, February 23 has been selected as the date Germans might return to the polls. Source: iamexpat

Germany’s health-care sector: skilled labor shortage

Around 47,400 positions in Germany’s health-care sector were unable to be filled by suitably qualified applicants in 2023 and 2024. This problem has been exacerbated by the increased health demands of an aging population, with Germany’s public health agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), predicting that the percentage of people aged 65 or older will grow from the current 21% to 29% by 2030. “An aging population leads to an increasing demand for health-care services. This increases the burden on existing skilled labor,” according to the authors of the study, carried out by the Competence Centre for Securing Skilled Labour at the German Economic Institute (IW). Source: dw

More than 3 million pensioners at risk of poverty in Germany

Sahra Wagenknecht, the leader of the new left-wing BSW party, lamented a “dramatic increase in old-age poverty” in an interview with the German dpa news agency published on Saturday. The BSW had issued a formal request for information to the European Union’s statistical agency Eurostat, which found that around 3.2 million people aged 65 or over in Germany were at risk of poverty. The figure had risen slightly in 2023, to 3.245 million, from 3.157 million the previous year. In 2013, only 2.4 million were at risk of poverty. Source: dw

Already 31,000 postal complaints

The Federal Network Agency has once again received significantly more complaints about the postal service. As the Bonn-based authority explained in response to an enquiry from dpa, it received around 31,700 complaints in the first nine months of the current year, 25% more than in the same period in 2023. Even if the complaints also concern other logistics companies in the postal and parcel sector, 90% of them were made against the former state-owned Deutsche Post, now DHL. From 2025 on, letter post may become a whopping 10.48% more expensive, and a normal letter will cost ten cents more. Source: jW

Warning strike phase thwarted

Negotiations between the Industrial Union for Construction, Agriculture and the Environment (IG BAU) and the Federal Guild Association of Building Cleaners (BIV) lasted a full 16 hours in Cologne last Thursday. In the end, they agreed on a wage increase of around 11% for the approximately 700,000 employees over a period of two years. In addition, there will be an increase in trainee pay, which will rise to up to 1,300 euros depending on the year of training. Around 800 employees from all over Germany took part in the demonstration to increase the pressure on the employers’ association. Source: nd

Bundeswehr prepares companies for the event of war

The German economy might face massive restrictions in the event of defence or tensions against other states. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the Bundeswehr has started training companies based on the “Operation Plan Germany.” The first version of the strategy paper is 1,000 pages long and the details are allegedly undisclosed. Nonetheless, such a document apparently lists all buildings and infrastructure facilities that are particularly worthy of protection for military reasons. Also, in the event of an emergency, companies are advised to draw up a concrete plan of what is expected of which employees. For self-protection, it is important that the entire workforce gets a feel for security issues. Source: n-tv

NEWS FROM BERLIN

“From the river to the sea” leads to condemnation

The pro-Palestinian slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” has led to the first conviction in Berlin for using the ’emblems of a terrorist organisation’. A 42-year-old Berlin woman was sentenced to a fine of 1,300 euros at the regional court – to be paid in 130 daily instalments. The accused is said to have spread the slogan on two occasions via her publicly accessible Instagram account on the internet. The offence was committed around a year ago. The lawyer of those convicted has already announced that she intends to appeal. Source: rbb

Greens accuse Senator Chialo of “burning” money from the anti-Semitism pot

Green MP Susanna Kahlefeld has accused the Berliner Administration for Culture and Social Cohesion of misusing funds from the 10 million € fund for projects related to anti-Semitism and interreligious dialogue. Since this sum was added to the budget at short notice by the current Berlin CDU-SPD government, Kahlefeld has regularly asked how the money is being used. In the response to an information request (as of yet unpublished), some of these projects seem to show little reference to anti-Semitism. For example, half a million euros might go to ‘Kiezradar’, a digital information channel, which intends to inform citizens about important events in general, highlighting opportunities for participation. Source: rbb

Horror at Forum Köpenick: video allegedly shows man shooting into snack bar

A video from a surveillance camera, which is circulating on social media, allegedly shows a suspected shooter firing at Forum Köpenick. It shows a man with his hood pulled over his head at 10.53 am. The perpetrator calmly approaches the shop and takes a gun out of his jacket pocket. But he subsequently has problems with his weapon. Then he apparently takes out a second gun, aims and shoots through the window. He misses the snack bar employee, who is working at the cooker and throws himself on the floor when the shop window shatters. The armed perpetrator has been on the run since. Source: berliner-kurier

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Bundestag votes by a large majority in favour of motion against hatred of Jews

On 7 November 2024 the Bundestag debated a cross-party motion for decisive action against anti-Semitism in Germany. The proposal by the SPD, CDU/CSU, Alliance 90/The Greens and FDP is entitled “Never again is now – protecting, preserving and strengthening Jewish life in Germany” (20/13627). The German Bundestag observed that Jewish life and culture once again exist in Germany after the National Socialist dictatorship and despite the Shoah. Their existence is a “special declaration of trust” in the country, the MPs emphasised. The parliamentary groups also observed the increase in anti-Semitic attacks, demonstrations and criminal offences. Source: bundestag

Downfall of Germany’s governing coalition

The “traffic-light” coalition has collapsed amid divisions over economic plans. Germany’s Free Democrats (FDP) withdrew all ministers from the Scholz government, formally ending the three-party “Ampel” coalition. A minority government is not completely new to Germany, although they have been rare at the federal, rather than state, level. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) says a vote of confidence is planned for January. Among possible future alliances, each party has shown their own interest. For instance, CDU and its Bavarian sister party, CSU, ruled out joining a coalition with the SPD as a junior partner under Chancellor Scholz. Currently, these conservative parties seem to be more interested in pushing for new elections. Source: dw

AfD expels ‘Saxonian Separatist’ militants

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) says it is expelling three party members over connections to the “Saxonian Separatists.” The group follows Nazi ideology and seeks to use social collapse to seize parts of eastern Germany. The day before the announcement, police arrested eight suspects in connection with the group. Prosecutors said the militants share a deep rejection of Germany’s free and democratic constitutional order and an ideology underpinned by racist, anti-Semitic and apocalyptic beliefs. The leaders of the AfD, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, said in a statement that they supported the expulsions. Source: dw

BDI calls for ‘sovereignty’

The German industrial lobby wants to better control “raw material sovereignty”. Under a Brandt-ian motto, the Federation of German Industries (BDI) met in Berlin and its president, Siegfried Russwurm, affirmed that Germany’s dependence on critical raw materials is “higher than ever” and requires political action. His arguments were based on a study, co-produced by the association and a management consultant firm. Its main demand is a package of measures to strengthen domestic raw material extraction and processing, the strengthening of existing and new raw material co-operations and the expansion of the circular economy. They propose a three-pronged strategy: “Domestic promotion plus international alliances plus technological innovation.” Source: jungewelt