NEWS FROM BERLIN

555 criminal charges against “Last Generation” last week

At the end of the “Last Generation” protest week on Friday, the Berlin police presented a preliminary balance of operations. By noon on Friday, 555 criminal charges had been filed and 320 administrative offence procedures initiated. The police also counted a total of 829 participants in the protests at 78 different locations in the capital, 202 of whom, according to the information, had glued themselves to the streets. They said that 21 ambulance operations had been hindered, and 7 emergency personnel had been injured. The climate group is calling for more decisive action against climate change and for the establishment of a social council with members drawn by lot. Source: rbb

Revolutionary May 1^st Demo cut short

The new red-black Berlin state government has welcomed reports of a quiet May 1^st. The revolutionary demonstration was forced to dissolve early at Kottbusser Tor instead of reaching the planned finish at Oranienplatz. This was due to a massive police presence at the newest Police station at Kotti. The organization ‘Rote Hilfe’ (Red Aid) have said that the police formation made it practically impossible for the demonstrators to leave. The police then began to storm into the crowd and arrest individuals. “Several people had panic attacks, it is only thanks to the level-headed reaction of the demonstration participants that there were no mass panics,” explains the Rote Hilfe. The organisers made the decision at this point to dissolve the demonstration. Source: nd-aktuell

Did the new CDU Mayor need the AfDs help?

Kai Wegner (CDU) was only elected governing mayor in the third round of voting. And now the AfD has claimed only thanks to their support. Can this be true? He needed an overall majority of 80 votes, which with the entire support of the 86 CDU and SPD members, he would have had. However, in the first two rounds, Wegner did not make it. In the third round, he got his absolute majority (even though, by this time only needing a relative majority) with 86 votes for, 70 against and 3 abstentions. There was a full turn out. As it is a secret ballet, we can not know who the 86 were. Although it is possible that it was exclusively CDU and SPD, given the results of the rounds before and the fact the AfD claims it told its members to vote for Wegner, it certainly plausible that Wegner only won with the help of the AfD. In any case, the AfD made a direct effort to spread its own spin. Source: taz

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Apology from Döpfner demanded

The Alliance against Islamophobia and Muslimophobia (CLAIM) has called on the CEO of the Axel Springer media company, Mathias Döpfner, to apologise for his racist statement concerning Muslim people. The weekly newspaper “Die Zeit” had reported on messages allegedly sent within the Springer group. The quotes listed also included derogatory comments about East Germans and criticism of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU). “Free west, fuck the intolerant Muslims and all the other Gesochs” reads one of Döpfner’s private messages. Döpfner has publicly apologised for controversial statements made in internal company news, but an apology to the equally defamed group of Muslims has so far not been forthcoming. Source: islamiq

Covid: vaccinate with and without recommendation

The Standing Commission on Vaccination (Stiko) published this week a recommendation, where the urgency of a vaccination has been reduced. According to the report, children and adolescents without previous or underlying medical conditions no longer are receommended to get a vaccination. Such withdrawal of the vaccination recommendation has triggered fierce indignation. The immunologist Carsten Watzl said at the presentation of the report however that this did not mean a ban on vaccinating children and adolescents. The Stiko currently recommends an annual vaccination booster for people over 60 years of age, people with “relevant underlying diseases”, nursing home residents and medical and nursing staff. Source: nd-aktuell

Self-determination law: emancipation comes slowly

The regulation for a simplified change of gender registration is taking shape: people who do not identify with the sex assigned to them at birth are to be able to change their registered gender and first name more easily in future under the Self-Determination Act. Instead of having to submit lengthy and expensive psychological reports in court proceedings, as was previously the case under the Transsexuals Act, it will, in the future, be possible to change one’s civil status by going to the registry office. As before, it is possible to choose between the entries male, female, diverse and no entry. Source: nd-aktuell

Tübingen’s Mayor resigns from the Greens after racist comments

Tübingen’s Mayor Boris Palmer has announced he will be taking “time-off” and has resigned from the Green party. This comes after he publicly used and endorsed the use of racist language, such as the N-word, in a conference in Frankfurt am Main. In a statement, Palmer said he would be taking time off from Mayoral office, however made no mention of resigning from his party. Later that same day, the Green party made an announcement that he will be resigning from the Party, effective immediately. Source: swr

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Warning strike last Friday: BVG was not affected

Last Friday, commuters and travelers prepared themselves for far-reaching restrictions on long-distance and regional services operated by Deutsche Bahn and other transport companies. The Railway and Transport Union (EVG) called for warning strikes lasting several hours. Between 3 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Friday, employees of all railroad companies where negotiations had taken place stopped working. The Berlin transport authority (BVG) announced that its personnel would not be taking part in that strike, though. Regional trains in Berlin and Brandenburg were anyway affected as well since Deutsche Bahn was on strike. Source: berlin.de

Police no longer want to dialogue with climate activists

From Monday on, “Last Generation” wants to make Berlin stop. Only when the federal government agrees to the group’s demands will the protests end. The number of participants has grown: according to the climate group, around 1,000 people signed up for this permanent protest. During the blockade wave last October, there were 80. The public prosecutor’s office in Berlin sees no reason to classify the “Last Generation” as a criminal organisation. On the other hand, the Neuruppin public prosecutor’s office assumes the purpose of the group is to commit offenses of “enough burden”. Source: tagesspiegel

Giffey to become senator for economic affairs

Now that the SPD has voted by a narrow majority to form a coalition with the CDU in Berlin, the group’s senators have been decided. As expected, the former governing mayor Franziska Giffey will take over the economic portfolio. Her party colleague Cansel Kiziltepe will be responsible for labour and social affairs. Iris Spranger will continue to be responsible for the interior. On the CDU side, unsurprisingly, Kai Wegner becomes mayor. Stefan Evers will take over the finance portfolio. Manja Schreiner is to be responsible for transport, Katharina Günther-Wünsch for education. Joe Chialo will be senator for culture. Source: spiegel

 NEWS FROM GERMANY

Basis against Wagenknecht’s confidant

In the Left Party in North Rhine-Westphalia, the pressure is growing around former top candidate Sahra Wagenknecht, who is considering leaving the party. With a clear majority, the Bochum district association passed a resolution last Thursday evening directed “against all threats of splitting by prominent members”. Such a resolution has a sound target: Bochum is the constituency of the close Wagenknecht confidant Sevim Dağdelen. Also, of the six members of the Bundestag elected via the NRW state list, only state party leader Kathrin Vogler has so far “clearly positioned herself against the threat of division.” Source: taz

How AfD grows within the German right

The AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) was created a decade ago, and it has managed to establish itself as a constant presence in Germany’s parliament. Now, it challenges the Christian Democrats, seeking to tear down historic barriers to the far-right. The face of the party has quite changed: whereas conservative Euroscepticism was the dominant theme in its early days, AfD today represents largely a far-right party. Nevertheless, there is a constant: from the beginning, AfD sought to unite the political spectrum to the right of the CDU and its traditional coalition partner, the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP). Source: Jacobin

“Like the citizens’ movement in the GDR”: researchers support Last Generation

Under the motto “Negotiation instead of criminalisation”, a group of German-speaking scientists advocates a better and more objective way of dealing with climate campaigners of the Last Generation. “Individual administrative offences and selective violations of the law”, according to the declaration signed by more than 1,600 researchers, are legitimate forms of protest in view of the urgent need for political action. The researchers see the Last Generation in the tradition of other great protest movements, such as “the civil rights movement in the GDR”. However, social indignation is currently directed against climate activists. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies the group as non-extremist. Source: berliner zeitung

Working hours: trusting is ok, but controlling is even better

Lately, the term “Home office” is often used. But what counts as paid work at home? Who controls it? Already before Christmas, Federal Labour Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) had promised he would present a proposal regarding it. Currently, he plans a legal obligation to record working hours electronically, referring to a corresponding draft law. Employers’ associations and trade unions could also agree on aspects such as “non-electronic” or retrospective recording of working time to be conceivable. There should also be special regulations for small companies. The influential Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) is also very critical of Heil’s draft. Source: dw

Germany: new strikes threaten rail and air traffic

After the strike and before the strike: on Wednesday, 26 April, travellers and commuters have to expect restrictions in public transport. There could also be new strikes in rail and air traffic in the coming days and weeks. The trade union ver.di plans actions in Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg. There could also be strikes at Deutsche Bahn in the next few days. The railway and transport union EVG is threatening new actions if DB does not present a better negotiation offer at the round of talks on Tuesday, 25 April. Source: adac

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Administrative Court confirms ban on pro-Palestinian demo in Berlin

The planned pro-Palestinian demonstration at Hermannplatz in Neukölln last Saturday was banned. This was the decision of the Higher Administrative Court (OVG). The judges cited similar dangers as the police and the previous administrative court, where the case had first been considered. According to their own statements, the police were nevertheless on duty: Berlin police tweeted officers remained on the ground around Hermannplatz in Neukölln. There were squad cars around the registered assembly point at Hermannplatz, and according to a spokesperson, 360 officers were on duty. However, at the originally scheduled time of the rally at 5.30 p.m., everything was calm, there was no crowd. Source: rbb

FU Berlin student representatives´ criticize MPs

Last February, Asta, the student representative´s organisation of Freie Universität (FU) Berlin, sent out warnings about a man on campus committing acts of sexual violence. Asta also recommended those affected to call in the social psychiatric service. People who belong to a marginalised group were advised not to contact the police in view of practices such as racial profiling. The Berlin police, on their turn, accused Asta of protecting perpetrators instead of victims. And, since then, Asta had to answer many parliamentary questions– the organisation can currently hardly do justice to its actual task of representing student interests. Source: tagesspiel

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Germany says goodbye to nuclear power

There has been an ongoing dispute over Germany’s nuclear power plants.  The governing coalition of the SPD, the Greens and the FDP agreed to stick to Germany’s nuclear planned phase-out, decided in 2011 by previous governments. The last nuclear power plants were previously set to close by the end of 2022. But Russia’s war against Ukraine changed everything once Russian gas supplies to Germany stopped and an energy emergency was feared. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) then pushed the phase-out date back until April 15 2023. The power plants ran for a total of 22,596 days. Source: dw

Last Generation: Imprisonment for another road blockade

Because they had blocked streets again directly after a conviction, three activists of the Last Generation now must spend several months in prison. After a nine-hour trial, the Heilbronn district court sentenced two men and one woman to prison terms of five, four and three months without the possibility of probation. According to the public prosecutor’s office and activists, the sentence is the harshest ever imposed on members of the Last Generation in Germany. Another defendant was sentenced to three months’ probation. The sentence is not yet final. One of the sentenced justified his actions: “Peaceful, civil protest is part of the history of democracy”. Source: taz

NRW Greens: Almost no word on Lützerath

Party conventions are not necessarily the events where parties review decisions from the past: looking forward is usually the order of the day. Certainly no one can blame the Greens for celebrating their success on Sunday morning when the last three German nuclear power plants went off the grid. However, another topic one might have expected to be discussed, was not to be heard. That is; the evacuation of Lützerath in January and the associated lignite mining until 2030. This was despite a long list of signatures from Green Party members before the place´s evacuation. Source: nd-aktuell

Legalisation of cannabis in Germany: some key points

The federal government has initiated the partial legalisation of cannabis. Potentially, in the near future, the purchase and possession of up to 25 grams of cannabis from the age of 18 will be exempt from punishment. The cultivation of few cannabis plants is also to be permitted at home. In addition, the federal government wants to allow the cultivation and distribution of the drug in special associations. In principle, cannabis should no longer be legally classified as a narcotic. The consumption near schools or day-care centres will not be allowed. Source: mdr

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Delays for the “social ticket”

The “social ticket” (Sozialticket) will allow Berliners to use buses and trains in tariff zones A and B for nine euros. But there are issues with the application for the ticket. As announced last Thursday, overloads in the offices and a technical defect make the ticket difficult to apply for. It is not known when the problems might be solved.  Social Senator Katja Kipping (The Left) criticised problems with the social ticket, which affect people who were already living on the edge or below the subsistence level. A possible penalty of 60 euros for missing proof during a check might quickly lead to a debt trap. Source: rbb24

Last Generation and Extinction Rebellion announce actions in Berlin

Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion and Last Generation are calling for protests in Berlin’s government district in the coming days. A protest camp is to be set up in the Invalidenpark from Wednesday until April 17, Extinction Rebellion announced. The park is located between the ministries of transport and economy and climate protection. In addition, Last Generation is calling for “peaceful civil resistance” in Berlin’s government quarter from April 19. There will also be national mobilisation.  Demonstrations and “actions of civil disobedience” are planned for a so-called “spring rebellion.” Source: BZ

Anti-Semitism at demonstration in Berlin

At a Palestinian demonstration in Kreuzberg and Neukölln, hundreds chanted “Death to Israel!” Many apparently made no secret of their hatred against Israel. Police are now investigating several cases of suspected incitement to hatred. Video footage is being analysed as well. Politicians from various parties also expressed their horror at the events. “The right to demonstrate and to defend one’s positions also has limits,” wrote for instance Dennis Radtke (CDU) on Twitter. “Why their transgression was tolerated must be clarified. In the ‘never again’ country, one can only be ashamed of this.” Source: BZ

Hospital reform

“It is the third step before the first,” says Anja Voigt of the Berlin alliance “Health not Profits,” criticising the federal government’s hospital reform proposals. Voigt does not think a shift to outpatient treatment would be wrong if it means patients who did not need inpatient care would not end up in hospitals. “But for that to happen, outpatient care would first have to be expanded before hospitals close down. The patients must go somewhere,” says the nurse. The new CDU-SPD coalition seems to see things similarly: in their coalition agreement, it is written: “We want to ensure health and emergency care close to home even after the reform.” Source: nd-aktuell

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Bicycle parking spaces with light

Bad figures have rarely been presented with such glee: according to a study by the Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrradclub (ADFC), not even half of the 179 train or S-Bahn stations in Schleswig-Holstein offer bicycle parking considered satisfactory by their users. “But for us, the glass is half full, not half empty,” says ADCF director Jan Voß about the many positive examples, such as parking spaces that have walls made of perforated sheeting, to ensure that it is bright inside, and locks that can be opened by code. Big cities fared poorly in comparison with small towns: they offer such spaces, but clearly too few in view of the large numbers of commuters. Source: taz

Jet thunder over Germany

It’s getting loud over Germany: from June 12 to 23, up to 10,000 soldiers from 24 countries are to take part in NATO’s air war exercise “Air Defender 23.” It is the largest exercise of its kind to date. The bases at Jagel/Hohn (Schleswig-Holstein), Laage (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Wunstorf (Lower Saxony), Lechfeld (Bavaria), Spangdahlem (Rhineland-Palatinate), as well as Volkel in the Netherlands and Čáslav in the Czech Republic, will be particularly utilized for this purpose. A total of around 200 aircraft are to be transferred to Europe from May onwards, half of them from the USA. Source: nd-aktuell

Strike instead of wage sacrifice

The workers of the insolvent department store chain Galeria Karstadt-Kaufhof (GKK) continue to fight for their rights. On Holy Saturday, they followed a call by the trade union ver.di for an all-day warning strike in three federal states: Baden-Württemberg, the city of Hamburg, and Hesse. The union wants to fight for the recognition of the retail sector regional collective agreements for the approximately 17,000 employees nationwide. So far, the management has refused to return to the national collective agreement, proposing instead a “flexibilisation of working time,” ver.di complained in a press release. Source: jW

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Ombudsman’s office registers more complaints about discrimination

Thanks to a special law, anyone who experiences discrimination from the authorities in Berlin can defend themselves. The complaints which arrive at the responsible ombudsman’s office under the Berlin Anti-Discrimination Act (LADG) are diverse and increasing. In 2022, there were 645 reports (2021: 613), according to head of the German Press Agency Doris Liebscher. In the first quarter of 2023, there were 205 complaints. That represents 45 per cent more than in the same period last year. Berlin is so far the only federal state that has its own anti-discrimination law. Source: rbb

Greens and Left in Berlin against compulsory religion as a subject in schools

Should a black-red government come into power, the CDU and SPD not only want to introduce religion as a compulsory subject from the 7th grade onward, but also to require that teachers of religious subjects pass a “state-exam”. So far, the religious and ideological communities provide lessons, which are offered as an optional subject in primary school. In 2009, there was even a referendum on the introduction of religion as a compulsory subject in schools. At that time, 51.4 per cent voted against it. The Greens and the Left have criticised the idea. Source: tagesspiel

Hackescher Markt: a pedestrian zone

Hackescher Markt and adjacent streets in Berlin-Mitte are to become a pedestrian only zone. This was decided by the district assembly (BVV) of Mitte on Thursday with votes in favour from the Greens, the SPD and the Left. The district office is thus called upon to redesign the area into a pedestrian zone together with the Senate Environmental Administration. The area is chronically crowded: many shops and tourists – with narrow pavements. According to the resolution, delivery traffic to all shops should remain possible. Craftsmen and care workers will also be allowed to drive into the area. Trams would continue to have priority. Source: rbb

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Interim results from study into police

A study into “everyday police work” commissioned following many accusations of racism in the force has found in interim results that police officers in Germany have issues with workload, stress and low satisfaction. The study was commissioned by the German Police University under the former Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer (CSU). Seehofer vehemently refused a study into racism focusing solely on the police. According to the study, managers and law enforcement officers were also confronted with allegations of racism. “Misanthropic positions,” it summarises, “can also be found in the police, as in the population as a whole.” However, tendencies to devalue asylum seekers are visible in almost 30 percent of the respondents. Source: tagesschau

“Scholz’s silence is incredibly loud”

Trade unions and social associations have called on Chancellor Scholz to intervene in a dispute over the basic child allowance. The Chief Executive of the Paritätischer Gesamtverband, Ulrich Schneider, criticised the argument given by Christian Lindner (FDP), regarding an increase in child benefit to 250 euros as a “classic smokescreen”. Linder claims there is not enough funds to increase the support for families, however, under the current plan, wealthier families will receive more financial aid than poorer ones in the form of tax rebates. Economist Martin Werding also cast doubts on the policy. A member of the German Council of Economic Experts, the economist said “Poor families have nothing to gain from the higher child benefit because it is fully offset against the citizen’s allowance for their children”. Source: tagesschau

Which skilled workers Germany really needs

In Germany, more than two and a half million people are looking for work – and at the same time there is a shortage of almost two million skilled workers. How does this fit together and, above all, where is the are the most pressing shortages? The Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) goes further concluding in its Skilled Workers Report 2022 that the “shortages of skilled workers are increasing.” Also, Sabine Köhne-Finster, co-author of the IW study “Fachkräftereport Dezember 2022” mentions the social sector in particular is strongly affected, with a lack of “social workers, educators”. Source: dw

Charles´ appearance in Bundestag criticised

Charles III is the first King to address the members of the German Bundestag (as a prince, he spoke to the House on Remembrance Day, in 2020). However, his visit does not evoke joy everywhere: the Left Party openly rejects it. Martin Schirdewan, leader of the Left Party, has criticised the speech of the British King in the Bundestag. “It is not appropriate for the highest democratic body to bow before a monarch,” he said. Also, left-wing MP Ates Gürpinar announced he would stay away from the King’s speech of the in the plenary hall. Source: n-tv