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

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Expropriation is possible; Expert Commission published

“It’s a day of hope,” says Carolin Blauth from the ‘Deutsche Wohnen & co Enteignen’ campaign, “We will not stop, until this city belongs to those who live in it”. On Wednesday, the final report was published by the expert commission on socialisation of the largest property owning companies in Berlin. The report came out in support of the 2021 referendum result, during which 60% of Berliners voted for expropriation. The pressure is now mounting on the Red-Black Berlin government to implement the demands of the referendum, and with the final report confirming that not only is expropriation legal, but practical. Source: süddeutsche

Rigaer Straße: the village square in danger

Tenants in Rigaer Straße want to save their flats from being sold off. The story of the many occupied houses in this area, first from occupied to permitted squat and then on to regular tenancies, is not yet over. The flats of the three houses at the Liebigstraße 14 complex as well as Rigaer Straße 95 and 96 are now up for sale. Before the street became part of a milieu protection area in 2021, the owner, a Hamburg company, had already divided up the houses with a view to sell. The housing community does not want to let this happen, having spoken to politicians and cooperatives in the hope of finding a buyer for the all the buildings and flats within. Source: nd-aktuell

Last Generation new direct actions

The “Last Generation” drew attention to itself last Monday with a new form of protest. It involved obstructing car traffic, but this time there was no glue involved. Members of the movement obstructed the traffic at a total of four different locations in Berlin. Unlike usual, however, the climate protesters did not install a sit-in blockade or glue themselves down, but walked slowly in front of cars with a banner. Behind them, traffic was jamming, but went on flowing. The blockade actions were reported to the police around 8 am. All four actions had ended “peacefully and without disturbances”. Source: rbb

Lawsuits against Berlin over two-year wait for German citizenship

More and more people have made up their minds on resorting to lawsuits against the state of Berlin, trying to speed up their German citizenship processes. According to Tagespiegel, people in the German capital are currently waiting as long as two years to have them ready. And the pile of open cases just keeps growing – there are currently almost 30, 000 citizenship cases on file in the city. Lawsuits under such situations are possible when applications are not promptly processed. Berlin is struggling to meet the demand. A new central office to handle claims is planned to be opened next year. Source: exberliner

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Robert Sesselmann; the first AfD district administrator

The AfD candidate Robert Sesselmann has won the district council election in the Thuringian district of Sonneberg and assumes a top municipal office for the party for the first time in Germany. The 50-year-old received 52.8 per cent of the votes in the run-off election in the district in the south of Thuringia on Sunday and thus obtained the necessary absolute majority, the election administration announced on Sunday evening. The CDU candidate Jürgen Köpper. AfD national leader Tino Chrupalla cheered the result and wrote on a social media: “This was just the beginning,” Source: spiegel

Two racist attacks a day

Whether in the classroom or at work: Muslims end up fearing racist attacks. More precisely, 898 attacks (more than two a day), were recorded in the situation report on anti-Muslim racism for 2022, presented last Monday. The report is the responsibility of five civil society organisations under the leadership of CLAIM – Alliance against Islamophobia and Muslimophobia. Women in particular experience more insults and physical attacks. In addition, Muslims experience discrimination in educational institutions from kindergartens to universities – especially by teachers. The situation picture shows only a part of the situation. The organisations assume the number of unreported cases is higher. Source: taz

Pistorius wants to station 4,000 soldiers in Lithuania

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) has announced an additional of 4,000 Bundeswehr soldiers to be sent to NATO partner country Lithuania to strengthen the Organization´s eastern flank. “Germany is prepared to permanently station a robust brigade in Lithuania,” Pistorius said in Vilnius. He had agreed with his Lithuanian counterpart Arvydas Anusauskas that the reinforcement of the brigade would follow step by step “the growth of the infrastructure”. Pistorius stressed that the compatibility of the permanent deployment with NATO’s regional and operational plans, which were still being worked on, was of central importance. Source: tagesschau.

No staff for 1,719 clinics

In a report, Health Minister Lauterbach (SPD) defended the planned hospital reform and made it clear that time was pressing. He said that there was already a lack of staff such that it is not possible to keep all hospitals running. He had also commented: “We want to write the draft law over the summer, and the States should be involved. However, the matter is an urgent one: “The hospitals are slowly getting into great economic distress.” He has also stated that “we have 1,719 hospitals, for which we do not have the staff.” The hospital reform, according to Lauterback, is “at least ten years overdue”. Source: tagesschau

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Hundreds of contract workers at Tesla have to go

In recent months, Tesla has employed more than 10,000 people in Grünheide. The plant now produces thousands of cars every week. Hundreds of temporary workers, however, must leave. The company does not see this as a problem: “the Berlin-Brandenburg factory continues to be on a successful ramp-up,” the company told DPA. During the ramp-up – that is, the period between initial commissioning and full operation – temporary workers were used, as is customary in the industry, it said. “This service will continue to be needed in the future, but to a lesser extent.” Dirk Schulze, district leader of IG-Metall, criticised the layoffs. “Every job cut is painful.” Source: rbb24

Payment of outstanding wages demanded

The trade union ver.di has demanded that a Berlin aviation security company should pay outstanding wages for the month of May. Among others, employees in Berlin and especially at airports in Baden-Wuerttemberg such as Karlsruhe/Baden and Friedrichshafen are affected, Accordingly, the amounts at stake are between 1,300 euros gross for part-time workers and 3,500 euros gross for full-time workers, plus bonuses. “This causes great hardship for the employees, as they cannot meet rent payments, outstanding bills or other payment obligations,” said ver.di representative Wolfgang Pieper. ESA Luftsicherheit GmbH, the company in question, has not responded to requests until early Tuesday evening. Source: jW

Planning for new cycle paths in Berlin has stopped

Berlin’s transport senator Manja Schreiner (CDU) announced the cancellation of already planned cycle path projects with an impact on car traffic. The Greens and the Left in the House of Representatives had requested a special session of the mobility committee on the background of the planning stop. Last Tuesday it became clear that there would be no such meeting. The CDU and SPD see no reason to support the motion. Exactly how many cycle path plans will fall victim to the new “togetherness” of the transport senator is still unclear. Source: nd-aktuell

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Label suspends collaboration with Rammstein

The record company responsible for Rammstein’s marketing and promotional activities is limiting its cooperation with the band. The reason is the accusations against Till Lindemann. Several women accuse the Rammstein frontman of severe sexual violence. Last Wednesday, the public prosecutor’s office in Berlin opened an investigation against the 60-year-old singer. The rock band’s record label is now distancing itself from the musician. It says it is convinced that a “full clarification of the allegations, also by the authorities, is absolutely necessary and must also be in the interest of the entire band”. Source: zdf

Tourist dies after attack at Neuschwanstein Castle

Near the world-famous sight, a 30-year-old man injured two young women last Wednesday. The crime took place not far from the Marienbrücke – a popular meeting place for tourists due to its good view of the castle. According to the press spokesman of the public prosecutor’s office, the trio walked together along a path. The man then attacked the younger woman. When her 22-year-old companion tried to intervene, he allegedly pushed her down a ravine. Also, an attempted sexual offence may have been committed against the 21-year-old woman. The man then pushed her down the slope as well. The attacker was arrested. Source: dw

Greifswald residents vote against accommodation for refugees

The majority in Greifswald voted against container accommodations for refugees on municipal land in a referendum last Sunday. It will now be difficult for the district to accommodate the refugees. No more municipal land may be used for this purpose in the next two years. “This is a democratic decision. It goes without saying that we accept it,” Greifswald’s mayor Stefan Fassbinder (Greens) said in the evening. “The district administrator will have a harder time accommodating refugees. The result clearly shows that the topic of immigration still needs to be discussed intensively.” Source: spiegel

Schwerin remains SPD

In the run-off election for mayor of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s state capital Schwerin, the SPD incumbent Rico Badenschier prevailed on Sunday with 67.8 per cent to 32.2 per cent of the vote against the AfD candidate Leif-Erik Holm. Other democratic parties in the city can also feel a bit like winners. With the almost united stand of the democratic parties and Sunday’s election result, all that remains for Holm is that he was the first AfD politician to make it into a run-off election and thus caused a stir that extended beyond the north-east. Source: nd-aktuell

Migration increases population in Germany

Without immigration, Germany’s population would shrink. Now because of high immigration, never has Germany had so many inhabitants. The population grew significantly by 1.3 per cent or 1.1 million people in 2022. This was announced by the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden. Accordingly, a good 84.4 million people lived in the Federal Republic at the end of 2022. The proportion of foreigners in the total population increased from 13.1 per cent to 14.6 per cent. The number of people with foreign citizenship increased significantly, while the number of German citizens decreased by 0.4 per cent. Source: dw

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Policeman allegedly drugged female colleague and offered her for rape

A Berlin police officer is being investigated for a serious sexual offence. According to the public prosecutor’s office, the officer is suspected of having drugged a female colleague with knockout drops and then offering her for rape on a dating platform. The 36-year-old is no longer on duty, according to the Berlin public prosecutor’s office. He is being investigated for rape of persons incapable of resistance. Disciplinary action has already been taken against the officer, the police added. Also, according to “Bild” and “Tagesspiegel”, the 36-year-old worked for the Mobile Task Force (MEK). This special unit is used, for example, in cases of kidnapping, blackmail or organised crime. Source: rbb

Water rationing in Berlin a possibility

Due to the ongoing drought, Berlin’s Senator for the Environment, Manja Schreiner (CDU), has said that water rationing is a possibility and wants to work out a plan. The water companies, on the other hand, currently see no need for rationing. In recent years, there has always been too little rain in Berlin and the surrounding area. To be able to produce enough clean drinking water and to have enough water in the shipping lanes all year round despite the decreasing rainfall, a ‘master plan’ for water was adopted last year. In Brandenburg, water rationing already happened in the past. In Panketal near Bernau, for example, there were hose pipe bans for domestic gardens. Source: rbb

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Every third young man finds violence against women acceptable

Violence in the partnership, excessive alcohol consumption, reservations about homosexuals: a new representative study shows that a large part of men between the ages of 18 and 35 adhere to what the authors call a partly problematic “traditional understanding of roles”. The author of the study “Spannungsfeld Männlichkeit” is the children’s aid organisation Plan International Germany. According to the study, 33 percent of the men between the ages above mentioned said they found it “acceptable” if they or other men occasionally “let their hand slip” in an argument with their partner. Source: Zeit

Rammstein frontman sexual abuse allegations

A fortnight ago, Shelby Lynn from Ireland shared on social media that she had been invited backstage after the Rammstein concert in Vilnius and given a drink. After she refused to have sex with frontman Till Lindemann, he allegedly reacted harshly. She posted a picture of her body, showing bruises with no recollection of how they came about. She believes the drink was drugged. This has triggered more and more women to come forward, painting a picture of the systematic abuse of women. After this, that the concerts are taking place at all is an indictment. It shows that no-one is willing to take responsibility. Source: taz

The Nabka (non)exhibition

An exhibition on the Nakba, put together by Flüchtlingskinder im Libanon e. V. (Refugee Children in the Lebanon) and funded by the Development organisations of the Church and the Baden-Württemberg state, has been banned from being shown at the ‘Kirchentag’ (Day of the Church) currently underway in Nuremberg. Despite being praised by both scientests and experts. The organisers were permitted to set up their stand in the “Market of possibilities” section of the congress under the express condition that the exhibition was not shown. This happens while the organisers claim that Kirchentag should be a space for discussion.  Source: taz

Triumph of the semi-fascists in Thuringia

It almost happened in the Thuringian district of Sonneberg last Sunday: the AfD candidate for the post of district administrator missed the absolute majority by just 3.3 percentage points. This time, the alliance of the other parties calling for a vote in favour of the CDU candidate may once again help him to victory, although that remains uncertain. And even so, it may well lead to, in the foreseeable future, a right-wing populists winning a mayoral or district council post. The voters themselves are primarily responsible for this. Nevertheless, the other parties share responsibility, considering reactionary rhetoric and topics such as how the asylum policy is being dealt with, or even inner conflicts. Source: nd-aktuell

Accusations against the Saxon justice system

“We are shocked and stunned at how carelessly a human life is being treated here”. So reads a statement by friends of an imprisoned anti-fascist. The imprisoned man, who suffers from epilepsy and a dissociative disorder and therefore needs specific medication, had his treatment in Leipzig Prison changed by a doctor, who “arbitrarily changed the medication, completely without reason and without knowledge of his illness”. The result: a severe seizure and admission to a clinic in Borna where he then had to be intubated. Twenty-four hours later he was back in prison where his medication was changed once again. Source: nd-aktuell

NEWS FROM BERLIN

No artwashing for repressors

In the run-up to the 24th Long Book Night in Oranienstraße, Berlin, the art association Neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst (nGbK) is cancelling its participation. The reason: this year, the Cologne real estate investor Pandion is also at the literature festival. Pandion has been operating a cultural venue in a former car dealership on Prinzessinnenstraße for several years as part of an interim use. During the book night, Pandion will present a programme with international authors. While the organisers of the book night did not comment on the decision, some rent activists from Friedrichshain expressed their agreement. Source: taz

Around 50,000 cyclists demonstrate at rally for better protection on the road

By midday on Sunday, around 50,000 cyclists had already taken part in a rally in Berlin to demonstrate for protected cycle paths and safe school roads. During the traditional bicycle star ride in the Großer Stern, participants demanded a more decisive approach by politicians to the traffic transition, a more modern road traffic law, the quicker expansion of cycling lanes, traffic-calmed areas, and 30 km/h speed zones for cars. At the rally, the bicycle club ADFC had demanded the federal government to revise the Road Traffic Act. “We will make Germany a cycling country,” says the appeal. Source: rbb24

Police investigate officer for incitement against refugees

Berlin police are investigating an employee who allegedly incited against climate activists and refugees. According to “Tagesspiegel”, the man is not a classical policeman, but a security guard in the so-called object protection of the police, where employees work guarding government buildings, embassies and synagogues. His posts on Facebook were found to be racist and sexist, he showed enthusiasm for the Wehrmacht and the AfD, agitated against refugees and climate activists and spread conspiracy theories about Ukraine. The investigation is being conducted by the so-called Central Investigation Group (EG). This group is responsible for investigating politically motivated criminality within its own apparatus. Source: Migazin

Republica: focus this year revolves around money

“What kind of digital world do we want to live in in the future and how do we achieve this goal?” This question from Markus Beckedahl, a co-founder of Republica (proper spelling: re:publica), is just one of many that will be answered at this year’s “Conference for Net Politics and Digital Culture,” which started in Berlin on Monday and is, by its own admission, the largest festival for the digital society in Europe. But the common thread of this year’s festival will be the flow of money, hence the clear motto: “Cash.” Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), one of the lecturers of this year, might talk among other topics about the so-called digital euro. Source: nd-aktuell

NEWS FROM GERMANY

AfD as strong as SPD

If there had been a federal election last weekend, the right-wing AfD would have got 18 percent of the votes. Among the possible explanations for that is the dissatisfaction of the German citizens with the federal government: two-thirds doubt the efficacy of the “Ampel” coalition. Moreover, eight out of ten respondents think the “traffic light” parties are taking too long to solve the problems at hand. This is the result of a representative survey conducted by the opinion research institute infratest-dimap. Around 1,300 Germans eligible to vote were surveyed on 30 and 31 May 2023. Source: dw

New accusations against Till Lindemann

Several women are making new accusations against Rammstein frontman Lindemann. They describe how young women are apparently recruited specifically to have sex with him. Two women also report alleged sexual acts to which they had not consented. The two women spoke anonymously to NDR and SZ and gave their statements under oath. The reporters also have further statements from witnesses as well as numerous chat transcripts which support parts of the accusations. Both Lindemann and the band left questions from NDR and SZ about concrete accusations unanswered. Source: tagesschau

Police detain Left Party MP at demo in Leipzig

During a demonstration in Leipzig last Thursday, the police temporarily detained Juliane Nagel, a member of the Saxon parliament (Left Party). The police then said it was not an arrest: Nagel had “become part of a police operation.” The MP, who is also a city councilor in Leipzig and had registered the demonstration to mark Children’s Day, said later she was watching an action in which the police established the identities of two people. “I was standing there, a police officer first insulted or called me names. Then he pushed me out of the way. Then it occurred to him that I had allegedly assaulted him.” Source: Spiegel

Antifa because of state failure

With the sentences in the Antifa East trial against Lina E. and three other anti-fascists, the state has made an example. The defendants were not only sentenced for six bodily injuries. The verdict also applies to the anti-fascist self-image of militantly limiting the scope of action of Nazis if necessary, for example, if the state fails. Possible imitators are to be deterred. But the security authorities, from the Saxon Soko Linx to the Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD), are subject to a crucial error: the state itself has long been endangered, especially in the East. But from the right. Source: taz

Celebrities against the asylum course of the Federal Government

The list ranges from Herbert Grönemeyer to Nina Hoss: more than 50 celebrities from the arts and culture in Germany have signed an open letter against the asylum policy of the Federal Government. The non-governmental organisation #LeaveNoOneBehind started the initiative. The background to the criticism: next Thursday, the EU interior ministers want to discuss the reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). In essence, the main issue is that at least part of the asylum procedures should be shifted to Europe’s external borders in future. In the case of rejection, applicants should be deported directly to their home countries. Source: Spiegel