NEWS FROM BERLIN

Berlin judge and former AfD MP resigned from civil court after arrest

Among the suspects arrested in the nationwide raid against the far-right “Reichsbürgerszene” (Reich citizen movement) is Berlin judge and former AfD member of parliament Birgit Malsack-Winkemann. Due to her arrest, Malsack-Winkemann is for the time being no longer performing her duties of the Berlin Regional Court. According to a spokesperson the Judge resigned on Wednesday from Civil Chamber 19a, which is responsible for construction affairs. AfD leadership has said it knew nothing about the alleged activities of former Bundestag member in the so-called `Reichsbürgermilieu’. Source: tagesspiegel

Expropriation of real estate corporations in Berlin possible says expert commission

The expert commission for the implementation of the referendum “Expropriate Deutsche Wohnen und Co” (DWenteignen) considers the expropriation of large real estate companies to be possible. This is the conclusion of the “interim report” produced by the commission, which was set up in April. The 13 members of the committee have said the proposed law is financially feasible and the state would have the ability to implement it. In addition to the legal feasibility, the interim report also deals with the question of financial compensation for the real estate groups potentially affected. Source: tagesspiel

“Reich citizens” in Brandenburg and Berlin

In Brandenburg and Berlin the Reich citizen movement gained new followers during the Corona pandemic. Police and constitutional protection authorities estimate a total of 1,300 “Reichsbürger” and self-governors live in the region. The danger posed by this radicalised movement and its affinity for weapons had been known for a long time and had been pointed out again and again, said Berlin Senator of the Interior Iris Spranger (SPD) in the Interior Committee on last Monday. Spranger also named a whole series of groups that belong to the movement such as “Staatenlos.info”, “Gelbe Westen Berlin”, “Verfassungsgebende Versammlung” and “Vaterländischer Hilfsdienst”. Source: rbb

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Fired because of Palestine trip

The media and political hunt against public figures in Germany who stand up for Palestinian rights has claimed a new victim. The former presenter of the children’s channel (KiKa), Matondo Castlo, announced the channel has decided to no longer work with him. “So I’m out” wrote Castlo on Instagram. Since 2021, the actor and social pedagogue has entertained viewers of the channel for children and young people operated by ARD and ZDF. The 29-year-old’s “undoing” was his participation in a youth festival organised by the left-wing Palestinian People’s Party in the village of Farkha near Nablus on the West Bank in July this year. Source: jW

Who might benefit from simpler naturalisation

Compared to other European countries, Germany lags behind in naturalisation. With the proposed reform, Syrians and Turkish people living here could apply for German passports. Up to now, conditions such as having lived in the country for eight years, and being financially self-supporting, among others, are necessary for naturalisation. Also, as a rule, new Germans must renounce their previous citizenship. But the country is reconsidering some requirements, such as the latter. In particular, it means it would be possible for migrants of Turkish origin, who make up the largest share of the German population with a migration background, to obtain dual citizenship. Source: dw

Xenophobic attack in Karlsruhe

An unknown man assaulted a 14-year-old with a knife in Karlsruhe in a xenophobic attack last Saturday. According to police, the youth left a shopping mall area near Marktplatz in Karlsruhe with others at around 6.10 pm. An unknown man then approached them, threatening and xenophobically harassing them. The suspect was holding a knife and stabbed the 14-year-old with it. Afterwards, the unknown man insulted and threatened other passers-by on Karl-Friedrich-Straße. The perpetrator was able to flee. The youths informed the police, who are now looking for witnesses. Source: bnn

Letter from a “Last Generation” activist

Activist Miriam Meyer, who is currently sitting in cell 105 in Stadelheim Prison, has written an open letter to us “on the outside”, sharing with us her motivations and beliefs related to the movement. She speaks emotively of “Helplessness and a plan that could work, a lot of desperation and a little hope, an orange high-visibility waistcoat and a few tubes of superglue”. She also criticises the Germany Government: “Chancellor Scholz is currently telling the climate conference what Germany is doing for the climate while at the same time building new fossil fuel infrastructure”. For her, it is imperative to stand against this. In her words, “Not resisting is the worse alternative!” Source: letztegeneration

NEWS IN BERLIN

Second-class refugees

It is a remarkable justification Berlin’s Senator of the Interior gives for why she wants to deport about 600 refugees from Moldova before Christmas: “We need the accommodation.” says Iris Spranger (SPD). The Senate is expecting many refugees from Ukraine and “we have to accommodate them.” With this, Spranger has reignited a debate, not widely reported, held shortly after Russia’s first attack on Ukraine: are there first, second and third class refugees, recognisable by the way the state deals with them? This attitude has infuriated her coalition partners, the Left and the Greens. Source: taz

Election and Referendum on the same day?

The fight against climate catastrophe is one of the most important issues of our time. A Berlin referendum, which would see Berlin carbon neutral by 2030, should be given all the attention it can get. It must therefore take place parallel to the rerun of the parliamentary elections being held on the 12 February. If postponed to after the repeat election, proponents worry about failing to reach the 25 percent quorum required. In view of the challenge posed by the climate crisis, the Senate and the state election administration must face up to this task. Source: taz

Berlin streets with colonial names to be renamed

Adolf Lüderitz and Gustav Nachtigal are considered pioneers of German colonialism. In Berlin-Wedding, a street and a square are named after them. Years of protests are now bearing fruit: they are to be renamed. The new names no longer celebrate the perpetrators, but the resistance fighters. The former Nachtigalplatz will become Manga-Bell-Platz, named in honour of the Duala royal couple who fought against German colonial rule in Cameroon. Lüderitz Street will be named after Cornelius Fredericks, a resistance fighter against German colonial rule in Namibia. On Friday, the new street signs are to be unveiled in the presence of the Cameroonian and Namibian ambassadors. Source: migazin

NEWS IN GERMANY

Chelsea Manning: whistleblower launches autobiography in Hamburg

Chelsea Manning is one of the most famous whistleblowers: she published 750,000 confidential documents of the US military. For this act she was sentenced to 35 years in prison. After serving seven years, Barack Obama finally pardoned her. Now she has written her autobiography titled “README.txt”. In Hamburg, at the release of her book, the internet expert reflected that war has changed, as we see with the conflict in Ukraine. She went on to say “I have more access to information today as a private person than I had back then as a data specialist for the United States Army. We live in an absolute information age.” Source: ndr

19 degrees – Germany freezes at the workplace

“EnSikuMaV” is the abbreviation for a lengthy German phrase translating to: the “Ordinance on Securing the Energy Supply via Measures Effective in the Short Term”. Since 1 September, and until 28 February, the whole country has been turning down the heating to save energy. And because the energy supply is threatened by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the lack of Gazprom gas, measures such heating to a maximum room temperature of 19 degrees in offices in public buildings have become reality. But it turns out 19 degrees in offices can cause problems related to health risks in the long run and productivity. Source: dw

Immigration by points

The German government wants to attract more workers from abroad and a new concept is supposed to help: a points system is supposed to take more into account than just education. There will also be opportunities for migrants without recognised qualifications. According to the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), there were 1.8 million vacancies in the third quarter of this year. “Without more skilled workers, we will not make progress in terms of economic policy” summed up Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) on Wednesday. Source: sz

49-euro ticket likely in May

The Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) announced the 49-euro ticket, the likely successor of the 9-euro ticket, may be delayed until May 2023. Oliver Wolff, VDV´s chief, said that administrative preparations were the cause for the delay, mostly related to the reorganisation of the VDV tariff system. There are also some uncertainties about how exactly the ticket will be financed. The leader of the Railway and Transport Union (EVG), Martin Burkert, stressed that six months after the “Deutschlandticket” is launched, the federal government much calculate the cost incurred and provide additional funds to federal states if necessary. Source: iamexpat

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Nursing strike starts in Lichtenberg

Staff shortages, wage disputes and the looming election campaign: Berlin’s health service is facing turbulent months. On the last days, with the support of ver.di at the Sana hospital in Lichtenberg, nursing staff have stopped work. According to the union, the nursing staff should receive at least 150 euros more basic salary per month as well as new shift bonuses. A tough round of collective bargaining is underway not only at Sana-Klinikum. The doctors at Charité, who are members of the Marburger Bund, are also demanding a wage increase and more reliable shift work. Source: Tagesspiegel

Election to the Berlin House of Representatives must be repeated

After electoral breakdowns and massive organizational problems during the elections in Berlin on 26 September 2021, the Berlin Constitutional Court has declared the elections for the House of Representatives and the district councils invalid. They will thus have to be repeated. The Constitutional Court had already considered such a repetition of the elections to the House of Representatives at an oral hearing on 28 September this year and justified this on the grounds of serious electoral errors. According to the new state election commissioner, Stephan Bröchler, the most likely date is 12 February. Source: Spiegel

Good climate for referendum

For a long time, many doubted that the supporters for radically more climate protection in Berlin would manage to gather enough signatures for a referendum. But exactly 261,968 signatures were collected within the past four months, said Jessamine Davis, spokesperson for the initiative Klimaneustart Berlin. “This is an incredible number”, she added. Werner Graf (“die Grünen”) was also pleased with the large number of votes collected. Nevertheless, according to Graf, the Greens will not support the draft bill of the Climate Start initiative, which will be put to a vote. This stipulates that Berlin must be climate neutral by 2030. Source: taz

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Can it get worse?

On 10 November 2022, a new and still little-noticed law was discussed in the Bundestag. On the surface, it is supposed to speed up asylum procedures and legal action – in fact, it will make it even harder for refugees to sue for their rights in court. PRO ASYL demands the abolition of the disadvantageous special asylum procedure law. Among other issues, it can be that, during the hearing, which is considered to be the heart of the asylum procedure, the persons concerned often have to talk about stressful and shameful experiences, for example, if they have been raped. Source: proasyl

Hanau victims allegedly mocked

Last week, the fire alarm went off during the Hanau enquiry committee in the state parliament, and everyone left the building. The issue was that an exit was closed in the Landtag. Many from the group which left the building laughed. The episode speaks of a disrespectful incident without a minimum of sensitivity. It was an allusion to the escape door in the Arena Bar. There, Hamza Kurtovic and Said Nesar Hashemi were killed, and several people were seriously injured. After the alarm episode in the latter days, those who were there, including the CDU parliamentary group, rejected the accusations of being discourteous. Source: fr

Majority of Germans want to boycott Qatar World Cup

An online survey has revealed 65 percent of Germans support a public screening boycott of the 2022 men’s World Cup, which is about to begin in Qatar. Over the weekend in Germany, football fans attended the penultimate weekend of the nationwide Bundesliga competition to demonstrate their opposition to Qatar hosting the quadrennial competition. Most notably, Hertha BSC fans in Berlin brandished a sign reading “15.000 dead for 5.760 minutes of football. Shame on you!” Fans also had pride flags. Also, on Tuesday evening, Qatar’s World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman made blatant homophobic comments, which has made the situation even more tense. Source: iamexpat

Something is moving on the left again

Health should not be organized according to profit logic. The increased prices for food, which should be “subsidised”. And the climate movement bloc was demanding a faster switch to renewable energies. All these problems and concerns have one thing in common: they need money. It is therefore only logical that the city’s left movement, in an alliance of more than 50 groups, took to the streets on Saturday, united behind the slogan: “Redistribute. From top to bottom.” Around 7,000 took part. Source: taz

Union blocks Hartz IV reform

The CDU and CSU made it clear they would not approve the “citizen’s income” bill from the traffic light coalition (“die Ampel”) in the Bundesrat. This plan did not receive the necessary majority in the state chamber, this week. Immediately after the meeting, Federal Labour Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) declared that the federal government has nonetheless decided to appeal to the mediation committee. The CDU and CSU once again emphasized what matters to them: they demand changes at the Job Centres such as lowering the limit of €60,000 on private assets, which was raised during the corona pandemic. Source: jW