NEWS FROM BERLIN

VBB boss Ute Bonde is Berlin’s new transport senator

Berlin’s Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) has announced that Ute Bonde, a local transport expert, will succeed Manja Schreiner as Berlin’s transport senator. Bonde is managing director of the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association Berlin-Brandenburg. She is a CDU member from Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and will be sworn in as the new Senator for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment in the parliamentary session on May 23^rd. Transport policy is a high priority in the city. There have been debates, for example, about the introduction of a 29-euro monthly ticket for local transport or the partial conversion of the central Friedrichstraße into a pedestrian zone. Source: rbb24

“We want the fence as quickly as possible”

After months of delays and uncertainty, Mayor Kai Wegner isn’t backing down on his plans for a fence around Görlitzer Park. In a recent interview with the German Press Agency, Wegner mentioned “legal delay tactics” deployed by the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district against the plans. “The tender process for the fence is still ongoing,” he said. “That’s why we can’t give a date for the fence yet,” added Wegner. “We want the fence as quickly as possible.” However, one thing is certain: it’s definitely not happening on schedule. Source: the berliner

NEWS FROM GERMANY

All four suspects in attack on SPD politicians identified

Three days after the attack on the Saxon top candidate for the European elections, Matthias Ecke (SPD), the Saxony State Criminal Police Office (LKA) has identified all four suspected attackers. They are all young Germans aged between 17 and 18 years old. However, the suspects are at large as there are no grounds for their arrest. According to the LKA, two of the suspects are already known to the police, the AFP news agency reported. The 41-year-old politician was attacked on Friday evening as he was putting up election posters for his party. He was seriously injured and had to undergo surgery. Source: tagesschau

Bundeswehr’s meetings found online

The German military confirmed earlier reports of a vulnerability affecting the Webex software that it uses for online meetings. The organization admitted last Saturday that a flaw in the video-conferencing tool left more than 6,000 of its meetings publicly accessible online. Zeit Online reported accessing German Bundeswehr meetings by using simple search terms on the military’s Webex system, and mentioned that the military only became aware of the security errors after they approached them for comment. The military said the bug was fixed within 24 hours of being reported. Source: dw

AfD trial in Münster: Will the judgement come soon?

The AfD keeps trying to delay the trial against the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. But the court wants to come to an end. It is considered practically certain that the proceedings in Münster will also determine the threat of the party being categorised as a confirmed right-wing extremist organisation. The party had already failed with two bias motions on the first day of the trial in March. After that, it had painstakingly and sluggishly submitted motions for evidence regarding the questioning of employees of the domestic intelligence service. Source: taz

Green Party and ver.di push for 15-euro minimum wage

The trade union ver.di and the Green Party, who makes up one-third of Germany’s governing coalition, are pushing for a 15-euro per hour minimum wage to be adopted by 2026. They note the German minimum wage should be increased in order to meet the guidelines of an EU Commission directive. As it stands, the German government commission responsible for deciding annual minimum wage increases has only revealed plans to increase the wage from 12,41 to 12,81 euros per hour from January 2025. The wage increase for 2026 will be decided by the German government elected in late 2025. Source: iamexpat

Study in Germany shows correlation between racism and poverty

The German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM) in Berlin published a study entitled “Limits of Equality. Racism and the risk of poverty.” The study shows a correlation between racism and the risk of poverty. The researchers searched comprehensively for discrimination: in the education system, the labor market, the housing market, and the health sector. Other studies before the current one showed that individuals with a migration background often face discrimination when looking for a job. This increases the risk of having to live below the poverty line. Source: dw

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Berlin rents increase by an average of 18.3%

A survey by the bank Berlin Hyp and brokerage company CBRE found rents in Berlin increased by 18.3% in 2023 compared to 2022. For new rental contracts landlords in Berlin were demanding an average of 13.60 euros cold rent (excluding the cost of utilities) per square metre. Neukölln and Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg were the two neighbourhoods with the highest rent increases: over 23%. The report predicts that demand for housing in Berlin will only continue increasing in the coming years as more people move to the city. Source: iamexpat

Tesla plans to cut 400 jobs in Grünheide

The US car manufacturer Tesla wants to cut jobs worldwide. The provisional extent of the cuts at its only European plant, in Grünheide, Brandenburg, is now known. The factory is planning to cut 400 jobs, as announced by the company to rbb last Tuesday. Talks are currently underway with the works council. Tesla says it wants to avoid layoffs and has therefore launched a volunteer programme for employees who wish to leave the company. CEO Elon Musk announced two weeks ago that he wanted to cut ten per cent of the global workforce due to difficulties in selling e-cars. Source: rbb24

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Compact and Free Saxony in the wake of the AfD

Almost 300 people came to the Sonneberg train station square in Thuringia on Saturday evening, where the right-wing extremist Compact magazine had promised a “folk festival” – with “Compact and AfD at your fingertips”. Petr Bystron – the AfD’s European candidate who is currently facing allegations of corruption – and Doris von Sayn-Wittgenstein had been announced as speakers. But the connections with the magazine appear closer than the party would have wanted them to look, as the Bundestag administration is investigating a possible donation. Meanwhile, the far-right Free Saxony party seeks to pull the AfD further to the right, and sociologist Johannes Kiess believes that joint majorities of the Free Saxons and the AfD are possible in individual municipalities. Source: tagesschau

More right-wing extremist cases reported at schools

Student representatives of the eastern German federal states are complaining about increasing right-wing extremism in schools. They claim that inhibitions are being eroded and that schools are often not sufficiently prepared for right-wing extremist incidents. The state student councils from Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia therefore called for decisive countermeasures in a joint declaration at the beginning of April. Among other things, they want the subjects of politics and social studies to be strengthened in order to impart more knowledge about the threats that right-wing extremism poses to democracy. Source: rbb24

What are the benefits of a motorway speed limit in Germany?

“Free citizens demand free travel” – with this slogan, the German Automobile Club (ADAC) protested in the 70s against the West German speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour. Although it was only in force for a few months due to the oil crisis, the outrage was huge. Various attempts to introduce a general speed limit have since failed. Currently, more than half of Germans are in favour of a speed limit. Among the benefits there is the fact the slower a car drives, the less fuel it consumes. The 2021 Climate Act, however, makes no mention of a speed limit. Source: dw

Cannabis ban planned at German railway stations

Adults in Germany have been allowed to smoke cannabis since April 1, but bans remain in zones around playgrounds and schools, for example. Deutsche Bahn wants to ban the consumption of cannabis at railway stations as well. The only exception is consumption for medical reasons, which is already permitted and will remain so. Information posters will be displayed at all railway stations nationwide starting as early as next week, and Deutsche Bahn intends to prosecute offences from June. Prior to this, railway employees will ask travellers to refrain from consuming cannabis with “friendly requests and instructions.” Source: dw

Höcke: far-right politician on trial

Björn Höcke, who leads the AfD in Thuringia, is being tried for saying words associated with the SA stormtroopers, who played a key role in the Nazis’ rise to power, at a 2021 rally. At a campaign event in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in May 2021, Höcke ended a speech with the slogan “Everything for our homeland, everything for Saxony-Anhalt, everything for Germany!” Prosecutors say he was aware that the phrase was banned for being associated with the Nazi Sturmabteilung. At another rally, in 2023, Höcke said: “Everything for…”, to which the audience replied: “Germany!” Source: bbc

Self-determination: a trans rights law passed

In the past, anyone in Germany who wanted to change their gender identity in their documents had to overcome hurdles such as psychological reports with very intimate questions. In the end, the decision is made by a local court. But now, trans people as well as intersex people will be able to have their gender entry changed much more easily. The same applies to people who do not identify as either male or female. This is made possible by the new Self-Determination Act, which the German Bundestag passed last Friday. Support for the coalition’s law came from the Die Linke group. The CDU/CSU, AfD and the BSW refused to vote in favour. Source: dw

Most in favour of legalization

More than 80 per cent of the German population believe it is wrong that it is considered illegal for a pregnant woman to have an abortion after having counselling on the matter. This is the result of a representative population survey commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Women’s Affairs (BMFSFJ), according to taz. Around 75 per cent also believe that abortions should no longer be regulated in the penal code in future. The voters of all parties represented in the Bundestag clearly reject the illegality of abortions. Almost 80 per cent of respondents also think it is right that the right to abortion was included in the French constitution. Source: taz

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Anmeldung available to all: meet the Berlin activists

Anmeldung für Alle is a new campaign, aiming to make registration easier for everyone. The Berliner interviewed two of its organisers, Marcela Camps and Jason Bustos, from Ciudad Migrante. The group’s website observes that “the vicious circle of registration means exclusion from basic rights and services essential for a decent life.” The campaign has three major demands: a solution for people who cannot find an apartment with Anmeldung, but who are still living and working in the city, the decriminalisation of solidarity Anmeldung, and a solution to the housing crisis. Source: the berliner

Activists at the Amazon Tower

Accused of poor working conditions, tax evasion, and gentrification, Amazon’s occupation as the main tenant of the EDGE East Tower has been controversial from the beginning, with many acts of protest happening at the spot. When asked about their negative public perception, the company spoke about their plans to make a floor in the building available free of charge to non-profit organisations and neighbourhood initiatives. For many activists, these plans are just “social washing.” The group Amazon ist kein guter Nachbar organised a protest against Amazon’s gentrification of Friedrichshain last Saturday. Source: the berliner

NEWS FROM GERMANY

The tip of the iceberg

There are around 1,500 fascists and “Reich citizens” with gun licences in Germany. This is shown by the Federal Government’s response to a parliamentary enquiry by the Die Linke group. According to the answer published on the Bundestag website at the end of this week, 1,051 “right-wing extremists” and around 400 “Reich citizens” who deny the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany hold at least one firearms licence. The statistics do not include armed AfD members unless they belong to the far-right party’s structures categorised by the domestic intelligence service as “confirmed right-wing extremist.” Source: jW

Traffic-light coalition agrees on payment card

The traffic-light coalition has settled its dispute over payment cards for refugees: the cards are now explicitly mentioned in the law as a form of receiving social benefits in future. “Payment cards were already possible before, but we have now created a common, legally secure framework,” explained Dagmar Schmidt (SPD). The card system will also be extended to asylum seekers who do not live in shared accommodation, who will be able to receive the card instead of cash benefits. However, many NGOs criticized the new law because, among other issues, there are still many places in Germany where card payments are not accepted. Source: taz

Meat consumption in the country fell to record low in 2023

It is a trend: in 2023, people in Germany ate 0.8 percent less meat than they did in 2022. The annual figures published by the Bundesinformationszentrum Landwirtschaft (BZL) reveal that meat consumption continues to decline in Germany, despite animal products still being a significant part of German cuisine. According to the German government, “Farming generates around 8% of Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions, primarily through animal husbandry and the use of fertilisers.” Last year, it was first and foremost cows that disappeared from dinner plates across Germany, with beef and veal consumption dropping by more than 5% to 8.9 kilograms per person. Source: iamexpat

University of Cologne disinvites Nancy Fraser

The University of Cologne has disinvited the US philosopher Nancy Fraser from the “Albertus Magnus” guest professorship.  Fraser, who works at the New School for Social Research in New York, was due to hold two public lectures and a seminar in Cologne from 15 to 17 May. The events have now been cancelled. The university justifies its decision by stating that the academic signed the open letter “Philosophy for Palestine” in November. In a statement on the website of the Critical Theory in Berlin association, the move by the University of Cologne is criticised by a number of philosophers and intellectuals. Source: faz

Germany’s Döner and Asia-Imbisse experience a boom while restaurants suffer

According to a study by Hase & Igel, an AI-supported data analysis company, more people in Germany are choosing to eat out at fast-food eateries rather than restaurants. This means that not only well-established international companies such as McDonald’s or Burger King have more customers, but also places where Döner and Asian food are served. On the other hand, “Italian, Spanish and Indian restaurants perceive more losses in the mid-double digit percentage range,” said Hase & Igel Managing Director Jan Schoenmakers. According to the study, food delivery apps are also seeing a decline in customers, after their rise during the pandemic. Source: iamexpat

Germany and Nicaragua at the International Court of Justice

Nicaragua is taking Germany to the International Court of Justice on suspicion of aiding and abetting genocide in Gaza. Pending a final decision by the court in the main proceedings, Nicaragua demands the imposition of immediate measures, including an immediate stop to arms deliveries. A judgement in this regard, which is binding under international law, is expected in around two weeks. After the Central American country’s lawyers presented their arguments in detail on Monday, Germany’s representatives intended to refute the charges “accusation by accusation in detail” on Tuesday morning, as the Federal Foreign Office claimed on X on Monday. Source: jW