NEWS FROM BERLIN

Berlin police failure: 10 cases of unaddressed racism

In recent years, Department 533 of the Berlin State Criminal Police Office did not process at least ten cases of bodily harm and grievous bodily harm with a suspected racist background. They are part of 387 cases that the Commissariat for State Security did not pursue from 2018 to 2023. These cover a wide range of simple offenses to serious crimes: arson, coercion, several accusations of incitement, insults, and the use of unconstitutional license plates. The list comes from the Senate’s response to a written question from Left MPs Niklas Schrader and Ferat Koçak, according to the Tagesspiegel. Source: nd-aktuell

Labour market in Berlin almost unchanged, but in Brandenburg more unemployed

While the number of people without a job in Berlin stagnated at the end of 2023, it rose in Brandenburg – albeit seasonally. At the same time, the number of employees subject to social insurance contributions also rose in Berlin. “Berlin continues to see an increase in employment and job registrations,” said Ramona Schröder, head of the Berlin-Brandenburg regional directorate. The demand for labour also remains high. More than 19,700 vacancies were registered in Berlin last month. In Brandenburg, the number of unemployed people rose last December, with 1,650 more than in November. Nevertheless, there were a total of 44,400 vacancies in the region. Source: rbb24

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Growing concern about possible AfD election successes

With a view to the upcoming elections in eastern Germany, the former President of the Federal Constitutional Court, Andreas Voßkuhle, warned of the consequences of the AfD making a breakthrough. “The AfD as the strongest parliamentary group in one or more state parliaments would turn Germany’s political landscape upside down.” Next September, the state parliaments in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg will hold elections. In all of those states, the AfD is by far the strongest party in the polls. European elections will also be held on 9 June and local elections are expected in 9 out of 16 federal states. Source: IslamiQ

Germany’s 2024 economic outlook

The German economy may see a little growth this year, but so far everything is pointing to a lackluster year. German exports will probably not be able to boost the economy enough. Looking back, economists and industry associations have rarely been so unanimous in their views: 2023 was a year of stagnation. It will take some time until the official figures are available, but the German economy likely shrank last year. Among the reasons are rising prices and the sluggish global economy, and the reduced governmental budget for 2024. Source: dw

Germans are falling out of love with online shopping

According to a recent survey by Postbank, the coronavirus-inspired online shopping boom has reached its peak in Germany, with more people going back to physical stores. Of the 3,038 people who took part in the survey, just 26 percent said that they do half of their shopping on the internet, compared to 32 percent in 2022. Companies destroying returns is a major concern holding consumers back from “adding to basket.” “Shopping behaviour is returning to normal after the end of coronavirus restrictions,” said Thomas Brosch, Head of Digital Sales at Postbank. “For younger people, however, online shopping is here to stay.” Source: iamexpat

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Antisemitic attack on bar in Berlin-Lichtenberg

A new episode of antisemitic vandalism against the neighbourhood bar “Morgen wird besser” means that the venue has now been targeted three times this year. The bar is Jewish-owned and has repeatedly been the subject of antisemitic attacks. In 2020 an arson attack almost destroyed its entire interior. According to the Tagesspiegel, the owner said the situation left him feeling “desperate”, but also spoke of the great solidarity shown by the local neighbourhood. The Antisemitism Research and Information Centre (RIAS) reported October 2023 as having the highest number of such incidents since they started collecting data in 2015. Source: exberliner

Fewer buses in Berlin from December 10

Bad news for commuters and others who rely on public transport: the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) announced that its bus services will be reduced from December 10, as the city struggles to cope with a shortage of drivers. According to Rolf Erfurt, BVG’s operations director, the company has not yet decided which bus lines will be affected, but he promised such reductions will be evenly distributed across the city. The changes are planned to primarily affect services taking place outside of peak times, and large schools and hospitals should remain well-serviced. Erfurt said, however, that the cut was unavoidable given the tense situation on the labour market. Source: iamexpat

More than 10 criminal charges after pro-Palestinian demonstration in Mitte

Following a pro-Palestinian demonstration with around 2,000 participants in Berlin-Mitte last weekend, the police filed 13 criminal charges. The charges were for offences such as incitement to hatred or displaying signs of unconstitutional organisations, a police spokesman mentioned. The demonstration entitled “Stop the genocide in Gaza” marched through Wedding, Prenzlauer Berg and Mitte last Saturday. According to the police, isolated criminal statements were expressed. A second demonstration from Oranienplatz in Kreuzberg to Puschkinallee, entitled “Solidarity with Palestine,” took place without incident. Source: rbb24

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Court mandates that the government should take additional climate measures

Following a judgement by the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court, the Federal Government must adopt additional immediate measures to reduce greenhouse gases from transport and buildings. This was decided by the court last Thursday following legal action by Deutsche Umwelthilfe and the environmental organisation BUND. The organisations had gone to court because, in their view, the responsible ministries had not acted sufficiently when the permitted amount of greenhouse gases was exceeded in the two sectors. The German government is considering an appeal. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, headed by Robert Habeck (Greens), said in response to an enquiry: “The court has expressly allowed the appeal.” Source: focus

Rent debts: around 30,000 forced evictions in 2022

Rent debts led to the forced eviction of tens of thousands of flats last year. More than 27,319 flats were evicted in 2022, according to an answer from the federal government to an inquiry by MP Caren Lay (Left Party). In Berlin, the number of evictions rose particularly dramatically compared to the previous year. According to the federal government, there were 1,931 evictions in the capital, compared to 1,668 in 2021. Brandenburg and Bremen were also disproportionately affected, considering the number of inhabitants. Lay demanded that eviction notices for back rent payments be cancelled and that “evictions into homelessness” be prohibited. Source: nd

November train punctuality worst in years

According to the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, almost half the high-speed, long-distance trains of German rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) were delayed last month. Moreover, DB was at its least punctual in eight years in November. A Deutsche Bahn spokesman said three-quarters of long-distance trains had been delayed by at least one construction site on railway tracks. The statistics do not include trains less than six minutes late, as DB classifies those as on-time. The company told the Bild that because of the “massive backlog in renovation” work, DB “had to expand considerably its construction operations during this year.” Source: dw

New report: right-wing extremism on the rise

Right-wing extremism is closer and more noticeable in the everyday lives of many people. This is the worrying conclusion of the first annual report of the Mobile Counselling Service against Right-Wing Extremism,  presented in Berlin last Monday. Although democratic forces throughout the country are standing up to the ultra-right, their work is increasingly under threat. The three reasons for the normalization of right-wing attitudes identified in the report are the growth of the AfD’s success, the Corona protest movements, and the local spread of right-wing extremists through the purchase of real estate, especially in many places in East Germany. nd

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Thousands in Berlin protest against the war drive

Despite the cold weather, thousands of people from all over Germany gathered at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin last Saturday to demonstrate in favour of disarmament and a ceasefire in Ukraine and the Middle East. The actual number of participants lies between the police’s estimate of 10,000 participants, and that of the demo organisers, of more than 20,000 demonstrators. People who already took part in the “Uprising for Peace” demonstration exactly nine months ago in February estimated this time that there would be significantly fewer people. On the previous demonstration, some attention focused on Sahra Wagenknecht, who was still a member of the Left Party at the time. Source: nd-aktuell

Warning strike at Berlin daycare centres

Once again on Tuesday, childcare workers and teachers are striking for more money and better working conditions. The trade unions ver.di and GEW are once again calling on employees of daycare centres to go on a warning strike. The background to this is the current wage dispute in the public sector of the federal states. No agreement has been reached in two rounds of negotiations. Negotiations are taking place nationwide, with the next round scheduled for 7 and 8 December in Potsdam. The trade unions have repeatedly drawn attention to their demands with warning strikes in Berlin in recent weeks. Source: tagesspiel

The Berlin stadium and its heritage

Some call the ensemble around the stadium the best-preserved Nazi artwork to date, while others speak of a “dark heritage”. Very little being actually contextualised. Instead, below the bell tower in the Langemarckhalle, you will find Hölderlin’s sacrificial motto in stone put there by the Nazis: “Live above, O Fatherland / and do not count the dead / Not one too many has fallen for you, dear one”. Those do not seem to be the best conditions for a Berlin Olympic bid. But that is what the black-red Senate in Berlin has done. On 14 November, the CDU and SPD signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” making a bid to host the Olympics. Source: taz

NEWS FROM GERMANY

The rights of the Palestinians

The Saarland Museum cancelled an exhibition by Candice Breitz with a video installation about prostitution, planned for spring 2024. The South African-born Jewish Breitz has recently advocated for the rights of Palestinians. Together with other Jews and Israelis, she organised a rally in Berlin on 10 November under the title of the cancelled conference “We still need to talk” for a ceasefire in the Middle East, the release of the hostages and freedom of expression in Germany. “We are the descendants of Esther Bejarano,” the South African referred to the Holocaust survivor and anti-fascist who died in 2021. Source: jungewelt

Peng! Collective Protest gegen Amazon

The German artist-activists Peng! Collective greeted the shopping frenzy of Black Friday Week with a campaign aimed at Amazon. Delivery companies in Germany like Hermes and FedEx as well as Amazon use subcontractors who often subcontract even smaller companies. Some of these operations, according to Rory Linton, spokesman for German union ver.di, are so small that they only employ two or three people and only exist for a short time. “They know they can’t fulfill the contracts if they have correct health and safety and pay a decent wage, so the big companies get rid of the responsibility,” he said. Source: dw

GDL move to strike again on the railway

The train drivers’ union GDL had cancelled the collective bargaining talks with Deutsche Bahn. This was announced by GDL boss Claus Weselsky last Friday. The reason for the cancellation of the negotiations was that the employers’ side did not want to negotiate in areas important to the GDL, he said. There was “no discernible will to negotiate” on the part of the railway, so further negotiations were “pointless”. In addition to the reduction in working hours, the GDL is also demanding an increase of 555 euros per month and an inflation compensation bonus for employees. Source: rbb

Number of major insolvencies at record level

According to a study by the credit insurer Allianz Trade, there are more and more major insolvencies in the German economy. “Major insolvencies have returned this year and are on course to reach their 2020 peak,” says Allianz Trade insolvency expert Maxime Lemerle. Allianz Trade defines major insolvencies as bankruptcies of companies with an annual turnover of at least 50 million euros. Allianz Trade study still points out the construction industry recorded the most insolvencies across all company sizes to date, followed by retail and companies in the service sector. Source: tagesschau

Wissing holds car manufacturers to account

Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) believes the industry has a duty to expand electromobility. Wissing also pointed out that politicians are working intensively on more progress in e-mobility and are pushing ahead with the expansion of the charging infrastructure. “There are currently around 100,000 publicly accessible charging points in operation in Germany. That’s twice as many as two years ago,” he said. The total charging capacity available has also risen from two to 4.3 gigawatts. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wants to discuss the expansion of electromobility with the automotive industry this week at the “car summit” in the Federal Chancellery, too. Source: tagesschau

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Thousands of people demonstrate against the war in Gaza

A pro-Palestinian demonstration marched from Invalidenpark in Berlin towards the Tiergarten district last Saturday. The number of registered participants was 10,000, while the police spoke of around 4,000 demonstrators. At the start of the rally many people shouted: “Freedom for Gaza” and “Freedom for Palestine”. The protest was announced as a silent march, however – no slogans were to be shouted for 15 minutes around 4 pm out of respect for the victims in Gaza. The police also had issued conditions in advance, read out by a demonstration leader. Among other things, no flags or other objects were to be burnt. Source: rbb24

Olympia ’36: when German megalomania craves renewal

The 2036 Olympics in Berlin are being seriously discussed. But… a new Olympic bid from Berlin? The discussion has been going on for years. When the Greens and, above all, the Left Party were in government in the German capital, this was more difficult to implement. However, arguments about a “green Olympics” show the extent to which history has been forgotten. The discussion also highlights the Eurocentric worldview behind some campaigns against the Olympics or football World Cups organized in countries of the Global South. Source: telepolis

Berlin Senate agrees on Tempelhofer Feld law

After weeks of dispute, the black-red Senate in Berlin has agreed to amend the Tempelhofer Feld Act. As Senate spokeswoman Christine Richter confirmed, the “Refugee Task Force” headed by Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) was able to seal the agreement on Tuesday. Environment Senator Manja Schreiner (CDU) will now introduce a new bill, which the Senate is expected to pass in a week’s time. The number of temporary refugee accommodations on Coumbiadamm will be increased, but the use of an area to the southwest of the airport building on Tempelhofer Damm is now off the table. The CDU particularly wanted to build social meeting places for refugees there. Source: rbb24

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Höcke top AfD candidate in Thuringia

Björn Höcke will lead the Thuringian AfD into the 2024 state election campaign as its top candidate. The 51-year-old Höcke was elected first on the list with 187 votes in favour, 26 against, and two abstentions at a meeting in Pfiffelbach near Weimar. There were no opposing candidates. The entire list still has to be voted on as a package at the meeting, which will last several days. Höcke, who is the state party and parliamentary group leader in Thuringia, reiterated his goal of participating in government. The AfD wants to “pose the question of power” in the state elections. Source: junge Welt

Outrage after a Taliban speaks at German mosque

German politicians demanded answers after the head of Afghanistan’s food and drug body spoke in Cologne. Abdul Bari Omar was previously in the Netherlands for a World Health Organization (WHO) event. The event in the German city was held by an Afghan cultural association at the Chorweiler Mosque, whose umbrella organization, DITIB, sharply criticized the incident. The Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) also objected, affirming that “nobody is allowed to offer radical Islamists a stage in Germany.” “We protect many refugees from Afghanistan from the oppression of the Taliban,” she added. Source: dw

The Left Party: ready for the European election campaign

The Left Party is entering the European election campaign with party leader Martin Schirdewan and former sea rescuer Carola Rackete as its top duo. A party conference in Augsburg confirmed both with a large majority. They are running in a team with the trade unionist Özlem Demirel and the public assistance doctor Gerhard Trabert. The party’s European election programme focuses on asylum, climate protection, redistribution and disarmament. “Die Linke” is hoping for a fresh start after the break with Sahra Wagenknecht’s wing. The European elections will take place in Germany on 9 June 2024. Source: SZ

Top protestant church official resigns

Theologian Annette Kurschus, the head of Germany’s largest national protestant church federation (EKD), abruptly resigned both from her national post and as the most senior cleric for the region of Westphalia. She declared that recent reports of her knowing about alleged sexual abuse by a church employee years ago, in Siegen, were unfounded. Kurschus said the issue had nonetheless led to her decision to resign. She mentioned that the decision was a difficult one, affirming that the loss of public trust meant she could no longer help in the church’s work dealing with historical cases of sexual abuse. Source: dw