NEWS FROM BERLIN

“I’ll never shut up”

Shelby Lynn spoke in Berlin at a meeting of “Women 100” and made it clear she would not remain silent. “I don’t understand how this is so ingrained in our society. It’s accepted, it’s no longer news when someone is sexually assaulted or raped,” she said, teary-eyed, as seen in videos shared on social media. She does not seem to be impressed by the restraining order the band’s lawyers are trying to obtain against her. “I’ll never shut up. Never.” Source: t-online

Tesla’s Gigafactory raises environmental concerns

Tesla’s plan to expand its Gigafactory in Grünheide is being overshadowed by environmental concerns. The regional water association has expressed concern that such activity might disrupt groundwater formation, including a potential impact on the public drinking water supply. The company, however, claims rainwater on the site will contribute to new groundwater formation, with the aid of built-in filtration systems. It is argued, too, that the factory’s presence will result in more water being filtered into the groundwater system, compared to the coniferous forest used to grow there. Tesla has submitted applications for environmental approval to the state of Brandenburg. Source: exberliner

Almost a billion euros in culture fund announced for Berlin

Joe Chialo (CDU), Berlin’s Senator for Culture, has announced a new culture fund for 2024 of almost a billion euros (€947 million). The fund will go toward creating 500 cultural spaces. The funding increase comes as part of an ongoing commitment by Chialo to revitalize youth interest in culture after the pandemic. Among projects which will benefit from the funding there is the renovation of the Komische Oper, as well as new cultural venues, and drama schools. The Berlin senate has recently implemented the ‘Jungendkulturkarte’, a new cultural programme, where young Berliners can receive €50 to cover entrance fees for participating nightclubs and other cultural activities. Source: djmag

NEWS FROM GERMANY

DGB boss wants corporate profits to be skimmed off

Considering inflation rates, Germany’s trade unions demand a skimming off from profits, and the dampening of energy prices. DGB’s boss, Yasmin Fahimi, points out that “corporate profits are rising to an extreme in some sectors, which is further driving inflation. Prices will be significantly increased there, beyond the cost increase.” Fahimi warned, too, about the industries that are energy-intensive and suffer from “today’s non-competitive energy prices in this country.” She therefore called for Robert Habeck’s (Greens) proposal for an industrial electricity price to be implemented. “In return, companies should be obliged to remain loyal to their location, to work under collective agreements and to invest in climate-neutral transformation,” she concluded. Source: n-tv

AfD: definitely right-wing extremist

After the AfD party conference in Magdeburg, one thing is clear: the right-wing party is moving a little further to the right-wing edge – and openly admits to it. Since the party leadership has practically only consisted of members of the right wing, the far-right members can preach their nationalist ideology without anyone really making any attempt to distance themselves from them – as was still the case in Jörg Meuthen’s time. It is necessary to repeat it: anyone who still votes for this party after Magdeburg can no longer justify it as a protest against the established parties. Source: nd-aktuell

Germany wants more women in the military

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s (SPD) Cabinet adopted a series of measures last week to boost equal opportunity in the military. Such actions aim to align procedures in the “Bundeswehr” with a recent strengthening of equal opportunity laws that apply to the government overall. Representation in this case, going by the government definition, is when the share of women exceeds 20%. Excluding supporting civilian roles, the Bundeswehr has around 180,000 troops in all fields, of which almost 24,000 are women. The Bundeswehr needs people to fill its ranks, as part of Germany’s efforts to bolster its military capabilities in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Source: dw

Less social housing again

The number of social housing units in Germany fell again last year. At the end of 2022, there were around 1.088 million apartments for people on low incomes nationwide, around 14,000 fewer than a year earlier. The “traffic light” coalition has set the goal of building 100,000 social housing units per year. But last year it was significantly less: 22,545 social housing units were newly built. Despite the new buildings, there is a negative balance, because around 36,500 fixed prices expired in 2022, as the Left Party’s housing policy expert, Caren Lay, who made the information request, has found. Source: taz

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Berlin: repeating Bundestag elections?

Berlin is preparing itself for a complete repeat of the last federal election. As state officer Stephan Bröchler said in a video published last Monday, the theme is being discussed within the districts. Last week, there was a hearing of the Federal Constitutional Court where the case for repeating the election is being heard, attended by Bröchler. He said that there were no indications as to when a judgment would be announced and in which direction this could go. The only thing that is certain is that the election must take place within 60 days of the verdict. That is 30 days fewer than when the elections to the Berlin House of Representatives were repeated almost six months ago. Source: rbb

Hundreds of retail and wholesale workers demand better wages

Several hundred employees from Berlin and Brandenburg in the wholesale and retail trades have demanded better wages at a warning strike rally in Berlin. The ver.di union called for an all-day warning strike in both sectors. “Despite the holiday season, participation is high,” said ver.di negotiator Conny Weißbach last Friday. Branches and warehouses of Kaufland, Rewe, Edeka, Ikea, HM and Karstadt Galeria Kaufhof were affected by the warning strike. The workers demanded 2.50 euros more per hour and a minimum wage of 13.50 euros per hour in retail for around 230,000 employees in both federal states. Source: rbb

Ella’s grave desecrated again

In 2021, the Iranian trans woman Ella set herself on fire on Berlin’s Alexanderplatz. Since then, her grave has repeatedly been desecrated. The Berlin state security team were called out due to another incident last Sunday: the grave was wrapped with fire brigade barrier tape and a warning symbol. The items were removed and secured as evidence. Ella’s grave in the central cemetery in Berlin-Friedrichsfelde has been the target for several transphobic hate crimes. On April 26, the police reported that several items had been placed there as vandalism. Source: welt

Wegner and Redmann distance themselves from Merz’s statements on the AfD

CDU party leader Friedrich Merz has met fierce criticism from within his own party over his statements about a possible joint action with the AfD. Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner wrote on Twitter: “The AfD only knows division. Where should there be COOPERATION?” Brandenburg’s CDU leader Jan Redmann also contradicted Merz, and the Berlin state chairman of the Junge Union Harald Burkart also made a statement rejecting any cooperation between the CDU and the AfD. After this backlash, CDU leader Friedrich Merz rowed back. “There will be no cooperation between the CDU and the AfD at the local level,” Merz tweeted. Source: rbb

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Germany plans 20 billion euros in subsidies for the microchip industry

The federal government is planning to distribute subsidies in a total of 20 billion euros to the semiconductor industry. This is intended to support the local technology sector and ensure the supply of critical components, the Bloomberg news agency reported. The subsidies are to be distributed to German and to international companies by 2027, and the money will come from the climate and transformation funds. The German federal government is currently discussing bundling up to 180 billion euros in the fund. According to the report, the details should be published in the coming week. Source: junge welt

Number of first-time asylum applications in Germany increases in 2023

According to a new report by the Federal Office for Migration, the number of asylum applications in Germany will increase sharply in 2023. Compared to the first half of 2022, there were 77.5 percent more initial applications. From January to June, 162,271 applications were made. Of these, 150,166 are initial applications. In the first half of 2022, there were 84,583. There has been the expected reaction to the report from the right focusing on and emphasising the numbers of migrants coming from racialised countires and other demographics. Police boss Heiko Teggatz described the situation as highly dramatic. Source: focus

Die Linke: a plan against a right-wing country

Martin Schirdewan, co-chairman of the Party die Linke, and Gregor Gysi, left-wing member of the Bundestag, call their new initiative a “plan for a fair country”. Higher taxes for millionaires and large companies “which had earned themselves a lot during the crisis” are intended to provide finance relief for low-income earners. This can be understood as the standard redistribution from top to bottom. The demands are not surprising but send a signal to all those who are now looking to the right because they feel left alone by the traffic light coalition governments’s failed crisis policy. Source: nd-aktuell

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Berlin Senate decides for mandatory ID in swimming pools

Large scale fights at the city’s outdoor pools are nothing new, but the problem has reached a new level with the swimming pool at Columbiabad remaining closed until further notice after many employees called in sick – apparently in protest at the level of violence they were facing at work. Last Thursday, at a visit to the outdoor pool at Prinzenbad in Kreuzberg, Berlin mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) announced plans to introduce mandatory ID checks for all guests. In the future, visitors will need to book personalised tickets and identify themselves as they enter. Video surveillance will also be introduced. Source: exberliner

Tesla wants to build the largest car factory in Germany

The American electric car manufacturer Tesla wants to produce one million vehicles per year at its plant in Grünheide in the future. Instead of the previous 5,000 cars per week, 20,000 would roll off from the assembly line. Tesla would thus have the largest plant for car production in Germany. The group also wants to inform citizens about its plans. From Wednesday (July 19) on, citizens can take part in the approval process and raise their concerns. The application documents will be online until August 18 at the webpage uvp-verbund.de. Source: rbb24

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Women make allegations against Rammstein keyboarder

The band Rammstein has been publicly criticized for weeks due to allegations sexual assault by singer Till Lindemann, which Lindemann denies. According to a media report, there are now new allegations:  two women accuse Rammstein keyboardist Christian Lorenz, known as “Flake,” of sexual assault. In one case, the woman is said to have been a minor. The incidents are said to have happened more than 20 years ago. According to NDR and “Süddeutsche Zeitung,” “Flake” rejects the allegations. Last weekend, Rammstein performed two concerts in Berlin. Around 300 people demanded a ban on the events in front of the Olympic Stadium on Saturday. Source: rbb24

Teachers who made right-wing incidents public leave the school in Burg

In April, two teachers in Burg, in the Spree-Neiße district, made right-wing extremist and racist incidents at their school public, triggering a nationwide debate. “We are addressing the public because we are confronted with right-wing extremism, sexism and homophobia in our everyday work as school staff and no longer want to keep our mouths shut.” According to the police,around 30 stickers with photos of the teachers and urging them to go to Berlin have been posted. The two teachers will leave the school. And, still in this year, both are to receive the “Prize for civil courage against anti-Semitism, right-wing radicalism and racism.” Source: rbb24

Majority for candy advertising ban

According to a survey, carried out by the organization Foodwatch, most Germans support the plans of Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) to restrict advertising for sweets aimed at children. Two-thirds of those surveyed are in favor of extensive restrictions on advertising for foods with high sugar, fat, or salt content in schools, kindergartens, as well as on television and on the Internet. Özdemir has already had his original plans watered down due to pressure from the liberals. Now the FDP must finally give up its blockade. The minister appealed to the traffic-light-alliance to discuss the law in the Bundestag as soon as possible. Source: tagesschau

Called for solidarity with Last Generation activists

The protest actions of the group “Last Generation”, carried out last week, called for a necessary U-turn in climate protection with partial blockades of roads, among other issues. They also have increasingly involved physical confrontations and attacks with vehicles against protesters. The group, often discredited as “climate gluers” in the tabloid and conservative media, now receives support from an alliance of civil society groups. “Activists are currently being criminalized in Germany and presented as a threat to public order. They are denied their basic rights to freedom of expression and assembly,” says the appeal, which can currently be found on the online platform Campact. Source: nd-aktuell

Germany is far ahead in Europe when it comes to home office

According to a study published by the Munich Ifo Institute, German employees can work from home to a particularly large extent compared to other European countries. Germany comes in second place among 17 European countries with an average of one day of home office per week. Among the countries ahead of Germany are the United Kingdom (1.5 days), Canada (1.7 days), and the USA (1.4 days). The survey also suggests there might be a further increase in working from home: according to their employees, employers in most countries are planning more home office than is currently being implemented. Source: dw

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Mohrenstrasse to be renamed: a defeat for old white men

Seven ‘culture campaigners’ face defeat at Berlin’s Administrative Court on Thursday once the court rejected their objections to the renaming of Mohrenstraße to Anton-W.-Amo-Straße. Since 2020, anti-colonialist activists have been fighting to find a new name for the street. Among the older men who went to court to save a racist street name was the well-known historian Götz Aly. Regina Römhild, professor at the Institute for European Ethnology (Humboldt University), located on “M Street”, mentions there have been many negative reactions. “I work closely with people from South Africa, and they are surprised. It’s damaging for Berlin as an international metropolis.” Source: nd-aktuell

NEWS FROM GERMANY

German inflation rate rises again

After three months of steady easing, inflation rate in Germany is on the rise again. According to Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), monthly figures have revealed inflation rates have been at 6.4 percent in June, up from 6.1 percent in May. The main explanations given for these rises is that the baseline for inflation was measured in June 2022 when the 9-euro ticket went on sale as well as the fuel discount and the energy relief package offered by the government last year. However, food prices remain the biggest driver of inflation in the country. Source: iamexpat

No objections to AfD district administrator

After a review of his “loyalty to the constitution”, the AfD politician Robert Stuhlmann can remain district administrator in the southern Thuringian district of Sonneberg. In the case of Stuhlmann, “no concrete circumstances are currently seen that are of sufficient weight and objectively suitable to trigger serious concern about his future fulfilment of the duty of loyalty to the constitution,” said the Thuringian state administration office last Monday in Weimar. The review had been started ex officio. The AfD have called the test a scandal and an attack on democracy. Source: jungewelt

Agreement on hospital reform

Last Monday, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) presented the hospital reform with agreement with almost all federal states. This was preceded by a tough and months-long struggle among the federal and state governments over content and competencies. Lauterbach promised a revolution in the industry, especially in terms of quality. The States and the federal government agreed on subjects such as funding, to be linked to quality criteria – which seems to have been agreed upon. The reform is set to come into force in January 2024, and the new financing system is not expected to take effect until 2025 at the earliest, because of amendment of state laws. Source: taz

Summer 2022: more than 60,000 heat deaths in Europe

In the hottest summer on the continent since records began, almost 8,200 people died in Germany alone because of the high temperatures. Scientists have been calling for prevention plans. The study, carried out by the French state health research institute Inserm and the Spanish institute ISGlobal, have stated, if there are no appropriate protective measures, there will be an average of 68,000 heat deaths every year from 2030 onwards. By 2040, the number of victims could rise to more than 94,000. The study also highlights that already in 2003 there were a high number of heat-related deaths. Source: dw

Germany is supplying arms to Ukraine worth 700 million euro

Germany is supporting Ukraine’s defence against the Russian invasion with additional weapons, ammunition, and military equipment worth almost 700 million euro. There are also 20,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and 5,000 rounds of smoke ammunition, as well as reconnaissance drones and anti-drone defences. In addition, Ukraine will receive a pioneer package with mine countermeasures and a medical package – including components for a field hospital. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) landed in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius this Tuesday together with Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and will officially announce the package at the start of the NATO summit. Source: pnp

Klingbeil on marital splitting: austerity proposal at an inopportune time

In and of itself, the abolition of ‘marital splitting’, that is, the promotion of the traditional division of roles in partnerships via tax law, would be progress. Feminists and leftists have been calling for it for decades. However, the timing of the abolition of the tax advantages for single-earner marriages proposed by SPD leader Lars Klingbeil, that is, during a serve cost of living crisis, has drawn criticism. Worse, Klingbei wants to prevent the abolition of parental allowance for very high-earning couples. Without a basic child allowance worthy of such a name, families with low incomes would suffer the worst consequences from the abolition of the marital splitting system. Source: nd-aktuell

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Thousands of cyclists demonstrate against Berlin bike path freeze

Last Sunday, thousands of Berliners went to the streets to protest one of the new coalition’s most debated decisions: the plan to freeze all planned new bike lanes, and to even close some of the already finished ones. Police estimated 8,000 people turned out, while organisers mention 13,000. Either way, it was obvious many were angry with the decision from Berlin’s new Transport Senator Manja Schreiner (CDU). The demonstration, in order to stress how important safe cycling is, went through two “ghost bikes” as well as memorials erected for cyclists killed in traffic accidents. Source: exberliner

“Rave the Planet” threatens to be cancelled

The techno parade “Rave the Planet” is supposed to take place next Saturday. This year’s motto is “Music is the Answer.” The organisers had registered 300,000 participants with the police in advance; last year around 200,000 people took part in the Berlin parade’s first edition. However, whether it can really take place is unclear. According to the organisers, they have not been able to find an ambulance service. The Malteser have dropped out at short notice. That organization, on the other hand, retorts that there had never been a binding agreement. Organisers of the parade ask emergency services to collaborate and find quick solutions. Source: rbb24

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Study in East Germany: Longing for “Authoritarian State”

Skepticism about the functioning of democracy remains particularly pronounced in eastern Germany. This is the conclusion of a representative study by the Else-Frenkel-Brunswik Institute of the University of Leipzig on “Authoritarian Dynamics and Dissatisfaction with Democracy”. According to the study, not even half of the respondents were satisfied with the state of the political system. Two-thirds even considered it pointless to get involved politically. Moreover, two-thirds of those surveyed shared a longing for the GDR. Around a quarter counted themselves among the losers of the transition. “In retrospect, satisfaction among respondents with their life in the GDR is high,” said co-study leader Oliver Decker. Source: tagesschau

University of Potsdam used as backdrop for right-wing extremists

A German flag hangs from the staircase of the Neues Palais in Potsdam. The photo on the Instagram channel of Anna Leisten, the Brandenburg state chairperson of the far-right youth organisation Junge Alternative (JA), is tagged with the hashtags #pridemonth and #prideinsteadpride – “a clear and disgusting mockery of Pride Month”, according to a statement by the General Students’ Committee (AStA) of the University of Potsdam. The AStA is considering pressing charges against Leisten. Last February, some queer students in the Potsdam district of Golm were verbally and physically attacked by a group of right-wingers. According to the AStA, students who were spreading right-wing slogans were identified. Source: nd-aktuell

First AfD mayor in Germany

The right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) has an elected full-time mayor for the first time. Farmer Hannes Loth won the run-off election in Raguhn-Jeßnitz in Saxony-Anhalt. Loth had already been ahead in the first round of voting in mid-June. At that time, however, none of the four candidates was able to achieve an absolute majority. The previous mayor of Raguhn-Jeßnitz, Bernd Marbach (no party affiliation), had given up his office prematurely in the spring for health reasons. For the AfD, the filling of the mayor’s office is, after the office of the district administrator in the district of Sonneberg, another prominent post in public administration. Source: dw

“1.5 million immigrants a year”

Economic expert Monika Schnitzer has proposed more immigration as a measure against the increasing shortage of skilled labour. “Germany needs 1.5 million immigrants a year if we are to have 400,000 new citizens every year, and thus maintain the labour force,” the economist told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The skilled labour immigration law passed by the Bundestag is a step in the right direction. However, more is needed: “We should not demand that foreign skilled workers know German for every job.” Also, to address the shortage of skilled workers, Germany must invest more in children too. “It is an indictment that one in four fourth graders cannot read properly,” she criticised. Source: tagesschau

Draft budget for 2024: Lindner plans for 445.7 billion euros

The draft budget for 2024 has been argued over for a long time, but now it is ready. The finance minister, Christian Lindner (FDP), wants to spend 445.7 billion euros, and the new debt is to be 16.6 billion euros. The Ministry of Finance wants to follow a strict budget course in the coming years. According to information from Der Spiegel and the dpa, there will be cuts in parental benefits, for example: in the future, only parents with an annual income of up to 150,000 euros would be entitled to it. Source: tagesschau