NEWS FROM BERLIN

Oyoun closes its doors

The Berlin art and cultural centre “Oyoun” closed its premises on the last day of 2024. “We’re out now,” says Louna Sbou, Oyoun’s director. The place had been the subject of a fierce debate about freedom of art and expression, unfounded accusations of antisemitism and the role of the state in cultural funding for more than a year. The conflict is still smouldering. There was actually a deal between Oyoun and the Senate Department for Culture, with the cultural centre supposed to withdraw an appeal. But the deal is in danger of collapsing. It’s not clear exactly what will happen next, adds Sbou. Source: nd

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Non-profit status and constitution protection report

The denial of non-profit status for an organization on the presumption of being extremist can happen due to the promotion of anti-constitutional endeavours. The plaintiff in a case at the Feder Fiscal Court, an association, was an independent state organization, with a partially identical name to the name of another federal organisation. Reports on the protection of the constitution of one state contained statements on both organisations, and the appendix of some of these reports, containing extremist organisations, only listed the identical part of the name and the abbreviation. Nevertheless, the tax office (FA) denied the plaintiff the corporation tax exemption for non-profit organisations.  Source: haufe

The CSU’s migration paper

The CSU has presented a new migration paper ahead of its conference in Kloster Seeon. Under the name “Security Plan for a Law-and-Order Germany,” the sister party of the CDU demands that migrants should only be allowed to stay if they earn an “adequate” income. The plan thus goes much further than the joint CDU/CSU election programme. Subsidiary protection is also to be abolished. According to Bild, the party also plans to consistently deport people who have committed criminal offences or to detain them indefinitely. The CSU would also like to introduce the storage of IP addresses to prevent serious offences such as terrorist attacks. Source: focus

More attacks on migrants

Since the attack in Magdeburg, the violence against people with a migration background has not stopped. According to taz, Magdeburg police said that 9 cases of attacks on “people perceived as migrants” have been reported since 20 December. Five of these were assaults and four were incitement to hatred or insults. Suspects have been identified in 2 of the cases. According to those affected, there has been a threatening climate towards migrants in Magdeburg since the attack at its Christmas market. The police have increased their patrol presence. The State Secretary and Integration Commissioner of the Saxony-Anhalt state government, Susi Möbbeck (SPD), has since warned against racist violence. Source: taz

AfD national party conference in Riesa: police prepare large-scale operation

On the coming 11 and 12 January 2025, the AfD plans to hold its national party conference at the WT Energiesysteme Arena in Riesa. The party wants to set the course for the early federal election on February 23 at the meeting. Up to 10,000 demonstrators are also expected to arrive from all over Germany. The Dresden police department is preparing a large-scale operation. It will be supported by forces from several federal states. A nationwide action alliance wants to peacefully inhibit the AfD national party conference. Mass civil disobedience actions are planned, as explained by the action alliance widersetzen. Source: saechsische

555 neo-Nazis wanted on outstanding arrest warrants

The number of unexecuted arrest warrants against neo-Nazis remains high: 730 arrest warrants had not been executed as of 30 September 2024. This is according to the answers provided by the Federal Ministry of the Interior to an inquiry by Left Party MP Martina Renner. Also, 555 neo-Nazis remain at large despite outstanding arrest warrants. 136 of these right-wing extremists are wanted for violent offences, and there were even several arrest warrants for violent offences against 19 of them. The Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) claims that police searches were initiated in all cases. Source: taz

Inflation rate picks up again at the end of the year

The rise in prices in Germany slowed considerably last year. However, the statisticians report an unexpectedly strong increase for the end of the year. Consumer prices in Germany rose unexpectedly sharply in December: according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden, the inflation rate in the last month of last year was 2.6% compared to the same month of the previous year. Also, due to several one-off effects, there is still no sign of inflation easing in January: in the current month, the increased CO2 price and the more expensive Deutschlandticket are likely to push the rate up again. Source: n-tv

NEWS FROM BERLIN

BVG & ver.di argue over pay: strike on the horizon

Public transportation in Berlin could see major disruption at the start of 2025, as pay negotiations between BVG, the city’s transport association, and union ver.di start to ramp up before they have even begun. According to the Berliner Zeitung, ver.di said it was impossible to rule out strikes in the new year. On January 15 BVG and ver.di will sit down to hammer out the details of collective bargaining agreements for the 16,000 employees represented by the union. According to ver.di negotiator, Jeremy Arndt, the wage disputes are as intense as they were leading up to the strike in 2008, when walkouts lasted 6 weeks. Source: iamexpat

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Newspaper article by Musk on AfD goes on making waves

Following the publication of a guest article by billionaire Elon Musk in the newspaper “Welt am Sonntag” (WamS) with an election appeal for the right-wing populist and in some cases far-right party AfD, Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) have sharply criticised the publishing. “The fact that the Springer publishing house is offering Elon Musk an official platform to advertise for the AfD is shameful and dangerous,” affirmed SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch. The CDU and CSU candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz, also sharply criticised Musk’s election appeal for the AfD. The German Journalists‘Association (DJV) protested too against the “free pass given to Musk by the editors of Die Welt’’. Source: dw

AfD strengths contacts with Swiss right-wing extremists

Several AfD members are said to have met with members of the far-right group “Junge Tat” from Switzerland, including Roger Beckamp, member of the Bundestag, and Lena Kotré, member of the state parliament. This is the result of research by the Correctiv network. The meeting is further “proof of the AfD’s antagonism to the constitution and its close and international links to the extra-parliamentary far-right underground”, affirmed Matthias Quent, Professor of Sociology at Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences and founding director of the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society in Jena. Source: nd

2024 was too warm and too wet

The year 2024 was the warmest year since comprehensive measurements began in 1881, as the German Weather Service (DWD) realised. “What is particularly alarming is that 2024 exceeded the previous year by an extraordinary 0.3 degrees,” said Uwe Kirsche, press spokesperson for the DWD. “This is accelerated climate change.” At the same time, 2024 was too wet. According to initial evaluations by the DWD, 903 litres per square metre of precipitation fell in 2024. The average reference period from 1991 to 2020 is 791 litres. The duration of sunshine also exceeded its target from the period from 1961 to 1990, being just under 1,700 hours (target was 1,544 hours). Source: tagesschau

MPs demand consequences after Magdeburg attack

Following the deadly attack in Magdeburg, the Greens in the Bundestag called for someone to take responsibility for the alleged failure of the authorities. “I think that political responsibility must be taken at the end of such an event,” said Green Party interior expert Konstantin von Notz before a special session of the Bundestag’s Committee on Internal Affairs in Berlin. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) also answered the committee’s questions. At the meeting, which unusually took place between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the MPs wanted to uncover possible mishaps at the security authorities. Source: t-online

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