News from Berlin

Exiled Iranians call for a demonstration in Berlin

On February 7, Iranian exile groups called for a large demonstration in Berlin. The organisers have registered 20,000 participants with the police. However, far more people have attended that. The call comes from a broad spectrum of Iranian associations and exiled opposition organizations active in Germany and other European countries. They are united by their outrage at the violent suppression of the protests and their desire for regime change. The rally also demanded a reorientation of German policy toward Iran. What has already changed is the tone of the German government toward the Iranian leadership. For example, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has questioned its legitimacy. Source: tagesschau

Warning strikes on Wednesday: daycare centers, schools and government offices

Due to a warning strike called by ver.di in the public sector, Berliners faced restrictions in daycare centers, schools and district offices on February 11. Employees of the fire department, police, and senate administrations are also expected to join in and participate in a large demonstration and rally in Potsdam. In collective bargaining negotiations with the federal states, ver.di is demanding a 7% increase in monthly wages, but at least an additional €300 for lower wage groups. In recent weeks, there have already been widespread warning strikes in several federal states, including at schools. Source: berlin.de

AfD Youth Organisation establishes chapters in Berlin and Brandenburg

The new AfD youth organization, “Generation Germany,” established state chapters in Brandenburg and Berlin on February 7. State parliament member Fabian Jank was elected chairman in Brandenburg as the sole candidate, unanimously. According to the AfD, the Berlin branch is launching with approximately 70 members. Both new branches were accompanied by protests. Around 100 people gathered outside the venue in Königs Wusterhausen to protest against the AfD youth organization. In Berlin, around 130 people participated in a counter-protest, demonstrating behind the erected barriers with chants and banners bearing slogans such as “Ban the AfD now!” Source: rbb

Last Generation: a criminal organisation?

The Potsdam Regional Court has opened legal proceedings against climate activists from the now-dissolved climate group Last Generation. Five members must now face charges of being part of a criminal organization. The corresponding letter from the Potsdam Regional Court was made available to “taz”; the court could not be reached for comment. Potsdam is thus the first court to actually bring this charge before a judge. At the same time, the public prosecutor’s offices in Flensburg and Munich have also filed charges under Section 129 of the German Criminal Code. This section allows the police relatively low thresholds for extensive surveillance measures. Source: taz

Homeowners can be liable for accident damage caused by icy conditions

Homeowners must ensure that sidewalks adjacent to their house or property can be safely accessed when icy. This is regulated by the Berlin Street Cleaning Act. The so-called gritting obligation begins at 7 a.m. on weekdays and ends at 8 p.m. If freezing rain or sleet is forecast for the entire day, the homeowner must grit or salt several times. Those who don’t want to clear the snow and ice themselves can delegate this responsibility to a professional winter service or a building manager. However, homeowners must regularly check that the obligation to clear snow and ice is being reliably fulfilled; otherwise, they remain liable in the event of accidents. Source: Unfallkasse Berlin

News from Germany

UN Report: freedom of expression in Germany is “Restricted”

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Freedom of Expression, Irene Khan, has issued an alarming assessment of Germany. In her “preliminary observations” following an official visit from January 26 to February 6, 2026, she writes that freedom of expression in Germany is being undermined by several “negative developments.” Khan lists specific allegations that, in her view, reveal a pattern: restrictions and bans on peaceful protests, “arbitrary arrests and detentions,” “excessive use of force,” deportation threats, and raids on the homes of human rights defenders. She describes the societal consequences: less public participation, shrinking debates in science and art, and a general climate of mistrust and uncertainty. Source: itidal

Germany launches 2026 “microcensus”

The German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) has launched the 2026 microcensus, which will focus on housing. Over the course of the year, 1% of the German population will be surveyed as part of that microcensus. During the current year, participating households will be surveyed four times. In the first survey, they will answer general questions about the people in the household. The second survey will focus on work, the third on income and the fourth on using the internet. Destatis has sent out letters to selected participants who are obliged to take part. This is so that they represent properly the broader population. Source: iamexpat

Germany: attacks on journalists increase sharply

The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) registered a total of 818 politically motivated crimes targeting media outlets in Germany between April 1, 2024, and November 30, 2025. Among these were 89 violent offenses. Security authorities attribute approximately one-third of these crimes—a total of 244—to the political right, and 78 to the left. They see a foreign ideology behind 153 cases and a religious ideology behind 31. A further 312 offenses fall under the category of “other affiliation.” These figures come from a response by the Federal Government to a parliamentary inquiry from the Left Party, which was obtained by the newspaper “Rheinische Post.” Source: dw

Warning strikes across almost all of Germany

On Wednesday, February 11, negotiations will take place likely for the last time in the current round of wage talks, regarding the salaries of state public sector employees. A day before, unions planned to further increase pressure on employers with warning strikes across almost all of Germany – the only exception being Hesse. University hospitals, colleges, and road construction authorities are particularly affected. In some states, daycare centers and schools are also expected to be affected. The Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA) believes the strikes are going too far. “Germany urgently needs a law for fair rules during strikes,” said Managing Director Steffen Kampeter to the Bild newspaper. Source: tagesschau

News from Berlin

More climate activists convicted for paint attack on Brandenburg Gate

Around two and a half years after the paint attack on the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, four more climate activists have been fined: the Tiergarten District Court found three men and one woman guilty of property damage and resisting law enforcement officers, a court spokeswoman said on Monday. The fines range from 1,200 to 3,300 Euros. According to the indictment, the four convicted individuals were involved in the protest in September 2023 along with ten other members of the group “Letzte Generation.” During the protest, the Brandenburg Gate was sprayed with paint to draw attention to the climate crisis. The public prosecutor’s office has lodged an appeal. The verdict is not yet final. Source: rbb

Spore Initiative defies hate graffiti

Last week, the Spore Initiative building in Neukölln was the target of a deliberate attack. The word “remigration” was spray-painted in large letters on the façade—a charged term that plays a central role in current political debates and in the rhetoric of the AfD. The graffiti was met with horror by the team and the neighbourhood, but also with determined composure: “We will not be intimidated, but we are alarmed,” commented press spokesman Gurmeet Singh. Unfortunately, incidents like this are nothing new in Berlin. More than ten years ago, theatre performances were targeted by right-wing disrupters: for example, Falk Richter’s play Fear at the Schaubühne was repeatedly interrupted. Source: taz

News from Germany

Tenants are not allowed to make a profit from subletting

People who go abroad for a longer period of time often sublet their flat—often at a higher price. The Federal Court of Justice has now ruled that no profit may be made from this. The legitimate interest of a tenant in subletting is to cover housing-related expenses, stated the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) in Karlsruhe based on a case from Berlin. The purpose of subletting is not to create the opportunity to make a profit. The Federal Ministry of Justice is currently planning legal regulations for the furniture surcharge. Source: spiegel

CDU faces criticism over scrapping entitlement to part-time work

CDU politicians are calling on their party to scrap Germany’s “Rechtsanspruch auf Teilzeitarbeit,” a law which entitles full-time employees in the federal republic to reduce their hours to work part time. “Those who can work more should work more,” Gitta Connemann, who heads the business wing of the CDU, told the magazine Stern. The magazine has also seen a leaked copy of the policy paper, titled “No entitlement to lifestyle part-time.” The paper is expected to be presented at the CDU’s general conference in Stuttgart in February, where members will vote on whether it should be adopted as party policy. In 2024, 29% of the German working population worked part time. Among female employees, 49% worked part time. Source: iamexpat

Bavarian AfD would be for deportation police modelled on ICE

The AfD plans to introduce an “Asyl-, Fahndungs- und Abschiebegruppe” (“Asylum, Tracing and Deportation Group” or “AFA”), modelled on the American ICE, should it enter government in Bavaria following state elections on March 8. The Bavarian AfD also said it would make life even more inhospitable for people seeking asylum in Germany, by cutting their financial support and giving them only “bread, a bed and soap.” In the most recent “Sonntagsfrage” poll, which asks respondents who they would vote for if an election were held this Sunday, 39% of those surveyed in Bavaria said the CSU would have their vote, while 19% would vote for the AfD, 13% for the Greens and 9% for the Freie Wähler. Source: iamexpat

How bureaucratic hurdles exacerbate the shortage of skilled workers

Germany is in need for foreign skilled workers. But migrants face many hurdles if they want to work here. For instance, the number of refugees has risen sharply since 2015, but the government has not succeeded in getting most of them into work. As a result, dissatisfaction with German immigration policy has grown among the population. Besides that, there are many reasons why new employees do not want to renew their usual two-year contracts, including homesickness, family problems and difficulties with integration. According to Jörg Biebrach, Head of Nursing at the BDH Clinic in Vallendar, it is therefore very important for employers to make foreign employees feel welcome here. Source: dw

The small rebellion of ver.di

There is a hint of a general strike blowing through Germany. This week, there were temporary walkouts at schools, daycare centres, university hospitals, municipal authorities, and on trains, underground trains, trams and buses. Two major wage disputes are coinciding at the moment: one in the public sector and one in local public transport. And in both cases, ver.di plays the leading role in the dispute. That means power. As expected, Bild ran the headline on Sunday: “No strikes at an inopportune time!” Almost all regions and major cities in Germany were affected by the strike on Monday: only Lower Saxony was unaffected. Source: jw

Merz says economy his main focus after jobless numbers hit 12-year high

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) said that boosting the economy would be his focus in 2026, after data showed that unemployment has powered past the 3 million marks to a 12-year high. Labour Office figures on January 30 highlighted the lag in the jobs market from the economic stagnation of the last few years, with 177,000 more people out of work in January than in December, bringing the total to 3.08 million. The unemployment rate jumped by 0.4% to 6.6% in seasonally unadjusted terms. The picture improved slightly when accounting for seasonal trends. Nevertheless, Economy Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) said Germany must pivot toward new “growth engines”. Source: reuters

Federal Ministry of the Interior sees no moderation in new AfD youth organisation

The German government affirms the new AfD youth organisation shows no sign of moderation compared to its dissolved predecessor. In response to an interpellation by Green Party MP Marlene Schönberger, the responsible Ministry of the Interior writes that the composition of the federal executive committee of Generation Germany (GD) shows a high degree of personnel continuity with the former Young Alternative (JA), particularly at the official level. “There are known links between members of Generation Germany and other extremist organisations.” Generation Germany was founded in November 2025, following the dissolution of the Young Alternative, which had been classified as proven right-wing extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Source: faz

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Berlin becomes a stronghold of protest

The Education and Science Union (GEW) Berlin has called on employees of the state of Berlin, including employees in municipal daycare centres, state schools, district offices and state universities, to take part in a warning strike on January 29. This also applies to employees at the Pestalozzi-Fröbel-Haus, the Lette-Verein and student employees at universities. The chairman of GEW Berlin, Gökhan Akgün, criticised the conditions in Berlin’s education system. GEW’s regional chair, Felicia Kompio, also stated that Berlin would play a central role in the nationwide protest. The warning strikes are intended to increase pressure on the federal states. Source: tagesspiegel

Berlin Court of Appeal overturns acquittal for “From the river to the sea”

The Berlin Court of Appeal has overturned an acquittal by the Tiergarten District Court for the use of the pro-Palestinian slogan “From the river to the sea” and referred the case back to another division of the district court. According to the Court of Appeal, the court in Tiergarten had made several legal errors in its previous ruling. Among other things, it criticised the district court’s ruling for lacking justification and for misinterpreting the relevant criminal law provisions on the use of symbols of terrorist organisations. Source: rbb

A guide to painful holds

Berlin’s police chief Barbara Slowik Meisel has stated that “the Berlin police do not train in pain holds.” However, internal documents show the opposite: the Berlin police’s “Operational Training Manual” teaches controversial pain holds. The handbook explains to police officers how they should behave in various operational situations—and how they can inflict pain on people in a targeted manner. Frag den Staat published relevant excerpts from the textbook. Pain holds are pressure and leverage techniques that can cause extreme pain and even nerve damage. The Society for Civil Rights considers these techniques to be a serious violation of fundamental rights. Source: fragdenstaat

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Söder believes Germany should merge some federal states

At CSU’s winter meeting, Bavarian state premier Markus Söder has said Germany should merge some of its 16 federal states to make the federal system more efficient. He also said that ideally there would be fewer and larger states, and that the current federal system, in which some larger, wealthier states financially support smaller states, could not continue. “Larger entities are more successful than smaller ones,” Söder concluded. More broadly, Söder called for an end to the Berlin-Bonn Act, which was introduced during the German reunification period to move the seat of the federal government to Berlin. Source: iamexpat

Trial against the “Saxon separatists”

The trial against the ”Saxon Separatists” started on Friday in Dresden. The prosecution does not consider the name to be a coincidence, as the abbreviation “SS” is an allusion to National Socialism. According to the investigation, the “Saxon separatists” was founded in 2020 in Brandis (Saxony). Three of the defendants were still minors at the time. The group is accused of getting ready for a “Day X”, in order to eliminate the free democratic basic order in an armed struggle. For this reason, all defendants are accused of high treason. The group’s lawyer, Martin Kohlmann, also belongs to the extreme right-wing spectrum—as state chairman of the “Freie Sachsen” (Free Saxony) party. Source: dw

CDU business lobby attacks right to part-time work

Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has repeatedly complained that many people are no longer working properly and that their “work-life balance” is too important to them. And with this attitude, economic recovery cannot happen. This inspired the Mittelstands- und Wirtschaftsunion (MIT) in the CDU to submit a motion to their party conference at the end of next February. Its title: “No legal right to lifestyle part-time work.” In it, the group calls for the right to part-time employment to be restricted. The group’s proposal stipulates that part-time workers should only be eligible for social benefits such as basic income support, child allowance and housing benefit if there are “special reasons.” Source: nd

Controversial millions in funding AfD from the state coffers

The AfD often makes use of the victimisation approach, complaining, for instance, about how other parties stigmatise it. However, a look at the party’s financing provides a different picture, as the AfD benefits significantly from state party financing. From 2025 to early 2029 alone, i.e. during this legislative period of the German Bundestag, the AfD will receive a total of around half a billion euros in state funds. In the case of the AfD, that is particularly controversial once the party is being monitored as a “suspected right-wing extremist organization” and is even listed as “confirmed right-wing extremist” in three federal states. Source: dw

Welfare state in Germany is to become more citizen-oriented and digital

The federal government wants to work with the states and local authorities to comprehensively reform the welfare state in Germany. Its commission, made up of representatives from the federal government, the federal states and local authority associations, has formulated a total of 26 specific recommendations. Among other things, social benefits are to become more accessible and less complicated. For example, child benefit is to be paid automatically after birth in future. A digital portal is to be created for all social benefits, and responsibility will lie with two authorities instead of four in future. Some of the proposals can be implemented already in 2027. Source: tagesschau

“One of the most demonised people in Europe”

High-ranking Thuringian AfD politicians, including Secretary General Daniel Haseloff, invited right-wing extremist Martin Sellner to a meeting in the state parliament. “He is one of the most demonised people in Europe. I wanted to form my own opinion,” Haseloff wrote in on X. Haseloff told the German Press Agency that they had discussed Sellner’s remigration concept and that of the Thuringian AfD—Including their differences. Sellner is considered a leading figure and former head of the Identitarian Movement, which is classified as right-wing extremist by the German domestic intelligence service.  Source: bz

“Gaza equals Auschwitz” is Holocaust trivialisation

A 40-year-old man was fined for equating Israel’s warfare in Gaza with the Holocaust in a post on Instagram. He must now pay €6,000. The Tiergarten District Court found the man guilty of incitement to hatred by trivialising Nazi crimes under Section 130 (3) of the Criminal Code. The verdict is not yet final. The current case resembles that of a Gaza activist who had also been convicted by the Tiergarten Magistrates’ Court under the same of the German Criminal Code because she had held up a poster at a Gaza demonstration with the question: “Haven’t we learned anything from the Holocaust?” She was acquitted by the Regional Court in October 2025. Source: lto

NEWS FROM BERLIN

4 million kilos of potatoes for free in Berlin

A farm in Saxony, Germany, ended up stuck with a harvest of potatoes that had been ordered by a trader. Due to this year’s unusually high supply that affected the market price of potatoes, selling them was no longer profitable for the trader. The order was financially settled, but the potatoes were left in storage. A collaborative initiative between Ecosia and the Berliner Morgenpost newspaper was organized, with the potatoes being distributed for free. More about the initiative (including a map of Berlin, with places where one can go and get them) is available at https://www.4000-tonnen.de/. Source: dw

“Liberation comes from below”

On January 17, many people demonstrated in Berlin in support of the oppressed people of Iran. In contrast to the demonstration on the next day, however, many here spoke positively about the Shah’s son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the United States and Israel. On January 18, around 1,500 people in Berlin took to the streets to protest against the mullah regime, rejecting at the same time military intervention threats by the US. In the latter rally, there were slogans such as “No Turban, no Crowns”. The speeches were mainly given by women. A representative of the initiative “Socialism from Below” (SvU) affirmed that “Liberation comes from below, not from outside!” Source: nd

Al-Sharaa cancels visit to Berlin—the cancellation should have come from Merz

Ahmed al-Sharaa is not coming to Berlin. The Syrian ruler cancelled his visit, due to the tense domestic political situation and his troops’ military offensive against the Kurds in Syria. Al-Sharaa was appointed transitional president in January 2025 after the Islamist militia Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by him, overthrew long-time dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. He has no democratic legitimacy. The allegations against al-Sharaa and HTS are serious and well documented. The cancellation came from Damascus, but it should have come from Berlin. The cancellation of the visit gives the German government some breathing space, and it should use this time to rethink its policy on Syria. Source: bz

Berlin’s Justice Senator calls to Combat Extremism

Berlin’s Justice Senator, Felor Badenberg (CDU), is calling for more personnel and power for security authorities to be able to take stronger actions against extremism. In an interview with rbb24 Inforadio, she said that intelligence services need a bigger investment, with a focus on the digital sphere, necessary to “uncover networks.” As Badenberg explained, security authorities should have tools to “automatically recognize images.” From the Justice Senator’s perspective, the fight against left-wing extremism is being downplayed, because of themes it deals with such as the climate. She states that “there’s no such thing as good extremism.” Source: rbb

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Deutschlandticket should be priority

The German Rail Passenger Association (DBV) has written a press release, where it criticises the government for failing to prioritise the Deutschlandticket policy and recognise its achievements. Currently, 14 million people have a Deutschlandticket subscription. The DBV pointed out that, because annual expenditure for the ticket remains constant at 1.5 billion euros but tax revenues will rise, maintaining the ticket will only get more cost-effective. According to figures from the Federal Finance Ministry, only 0.32% of the federal budget currently goes towards funding the Deutschlandticket. “The ticket promotes the transport transition (Verkehrswende), relieves households and reduces CO2 emissions,” the DBV added, calling for the ticket to be “maintained and improved—independent of political priorities.” Source: iamexpat

SPD wants to stabilise price of basic foods in Germany

The SPD has announced a plan (the Deutschland Korb—Germany’s basket) to stabilise the consumer cost of basic foods produced in Germany. With that policy, certain products, namely basic foods like milk, bread, vegetables and meat products, but also washing powder, soap and other household goods, would be sold at stable prices. A similar policy was introduced in Greece in late 2025, when the government and supermarket chains came to an agreement that supermarkets would reduce the cost of more than 2,000 products by an average of 8%. So far, some supermarket organisations haven’t been so sympathetic to the idea. Source: iamexpat

Do German job centres discriminate against citizens from the EU?

Titled “Wir behandeln alle gleich” (“We treat everyone equally”), a recent working paper by the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM) has shed light on institutional discrimination informally exercised against EU migrant citizens claiming social security benefits at job centres within the country. For example, the researchers found that, for non-German EU citizens, knowledge of the German language and how the German social system works was “more significant” when it came to claimants being able to “assert their social rights.” Researchers eventually concluded that the current lack of support for non-native German speakers in the unemployment systems raises “moral questions”. Source: iamexpat

Public sector: ver.di wants to expand warning strikes

The trade union ver.di wants to significantly expand their warning strikes in the public sector of the federal states. In the collective bargaining round for the public sector in the federal states, employers did not present a concrete offer for wage increases. The unions reacted with disappointment after the two-day round of talks and announced an expansion of the warning strikes. Regionally affected are university hospitals, road clearance services and some employees in schools and tax offices. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for 11 to 13 February. Around 2.2 million public sector employees are affected by the collective bargaining round. Source: n.tv

NEWS FROM BERLIN

“Vulcan Group” distances itself from “Vulcan Group”

The question of responsibility for the days-long blackout in Berlin has become increasingly confusing. Following a second letter of confession from the alleged “Vulkangruppe”, another letter from an allegedly original “Vulkan” group has now appeared on the left-wing online platform Indymedia, distancing itself from the action in Lichterfelde. The letter is purportedly from the group that, in 2011, conducted an arson attack in Berlin on a cable shaft at Ostkreuz. Now, according to the letter, the targets were “Bundeswehr missions, German participation in war and arms side world.” Source: taz

Spranger wants to invest more money in disaster control

Following the suspected left-wing extremist arson attack on the power supply in Berlin, Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) has warned against further similar acts, adding that “That doesn’t mean they won’t try again.” Among other things, Spranger wants intervention rights in disaster control so that she can make the districts purchase disaster control beacons. The senator would like to see an exemption clause in the Data Protection Act so that critical infrastructure can be better protected. She is also calling on the federal government to do more, being already in talks with the Federal Minister of the Interior on this matter. Source: rbb

Senate resolution on the Housing Security Act

The draft resolution from the Senate Department for Urban Development, Construction and Housing envisages the Housing Security Act as an “omnibus bill.” Some of the measures include an approval requirement for temporary rentals in social preservation areas and a package to secure existing housing. There are significant gaps, however, such as the lack of social housing quota. Temporary rentals in areas other than within the social preservation ones also are set to remain allowed. Nevertheless, the Berlin Tenants’ Association considers the legal strengthening of the trustee model to be positive. Source: berliner mieterverein

Massive farmers’ protests on motorways in Brandenburg and Berlin

The Brandenburg Farmers’ Association and the farmers’ movement “Land schafft Verbindung MV” launched their protest against the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement last week. Drivers had to face massive traffic disruptions on the evening of January 7. According to the Autobahn GmbH’s warning, agricultural vehicles temporarily blocked slip roads on the A10, A11, A14, A19, A20 and A24 motorways. The farmers are opposed to the free trade agreement because they fear disproportionate competition from cheap imports from South America. The agreement has been in negotiations since 1999. Source: bz

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Parliament votes against new elections in Brandenburg

The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) motion to dissolve the parliament in Brandenburg failed in the Potsdam state parliament. Thirty-six members voted in favour of the motion, while 47 voted against it. This meant that the necessary two-thirds majority of 59 votes was not achieved. Previously, the AfD had failed in the state parliament with its motion to dismiss Vice-President of Parliament Jouleen Gruhn (independent, formerly BSW). Brandenburg’s Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) said he felt vindicated in his decision to break up the coalition, and he intends to go on working with a minority government for the time being. Source: rbb

Germany continues to deny asylum to Russians

Germany is offering less and less protection to Russian conscientious objectors. In the second half of 2025, only 1.07% of asylum applications were approved, according to lawyer and activist Artrom Klyga. In a Telegram post, he refers to figures that were published back in December but have since been ignored. Since the start of the war until October 2025, 6,747 Russian men have applied for asylum in Germany, 353 of whom have been approved, reported the pan-European television station Euronews. Klyga continues: “There are cases of people who were tortured in the war and made it to Germany via other countries—and were still rejected.” Source: nd

One in five people are considering emigrating from Germany

One in five people in Germany are thinking about leaving the country. This is shown by a representative study conducted by the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM), for which almost 3,000 people were surveyed over a period of one year. People with family ties to Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa were most likely (39%) to say they were considering emigrating. According to the DeZIM, experiences of discrimination also play a role: 18% of immigrants and 24% of their descendants stated that they were considering emigrating for this reason. The study shows that 2% of the respondents have concrete plans to emigrate within a year. Source: dw