Compiled by Ana Ferreira

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Cycle path instead of motorway

Many people protested last Saturday against the expansion of the A100 motorway. The bicycle convoy went from the Neukölln slip road to the Tempelhofer Damm exit directly at Tempelhofer Feld – around 4,000 participants were estimated, almost all of them wearing FFP2 masks. Specifically, it is about the 16th construction section of the A100, which is currently under construction and supposed to lead the corridor to Treptower Park, as well as the planned 17th construction section up to Storkower Straße in Lichtenberg. The activists presented their visions of a car-free and liveable city in front of Scheuer’s Federal Ministry of Transport. Source: nd

Rent freeze for the whole country

This decision by the Federal Constitutional Court will affect the entire republic. Quite a few people in Berlin fear that the court will overturn the rent cap because Berlin has no legislative competence, since tenancy law is federal law. But it could also be that the judges will only criticise individual aspects of Berlin’s red-red-green attempt to end the rent madness in the capital. It is positive anyway the Federal Constitutional Court is announcing its decision and thus most likely putting an end to the miserable legal saga that has been going on for a year now. Source: nd

Party tram through the Görli provokes resistance

SPD, Left Party and the Greens agree that a focus on public transport is central to climate policy in Berlin. However, a proposal by the Senator Regine Günther (Greens) to expand the tram network is causing trouble. Specifically, it is about the planned routing of the M10 line, which is to be extended at one end to Beusselstraße in Moabit and at the other from Warschauer Straße via Kreuzberg to Hermannplatz in Neukölln. The extension of the tramway from Weißensee to Pankow threatens to damage the green urban idyll, for instance. Because of it, protests by the well-organised allotment gardeners can be expected. Source: nd

NEWS FROM GERMANY

AfD Out of touch with reality

The AfD, with ever more radical political objectives, is trying to retain core voters and recruit new ones. With deliberate vagueness, it is making space in which as many people as possible can find themselves, from bourgeois conservatives to reactionaries. This anything-goes is evident in decisions such as the one in favour of Germany leaving the EU, decided at the party conference in Dresden. The conservatism of the AfD is exclusively backward-looking. With its advertising campaign, the party suggests that the problems of the present can be solved by taking Germany back to earlier decades. Source: zeit

Doctor on trial because of offering abortions

The next gynaecologist is on trial: Detlef Merchel from Nottuln in Münsterland was charged with Paragraph 219a. This prohibits doctors from providing information on their websites about how they perform abortions. The trial against Merchel will take place at the Coesfeld district court at the end of May. “I have been providing information about abortions online for more than 15 years,” says the doctor. Other doctors, the general practitioner Kristina Hänel and the gynaecologist Bettina Gaber were charged under the new version of section 219a and have filed a constitutional complaint. Supporters said there would be solidarity actions for Merchel, as well. Source: taz

Kurdish activist faces several years in prison

A Kurdish HDP activist in Hesse, “Nazdar“, was to be deported to Turkey. In an interview, she speaks about being almost deported to Turkey. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees rejected her asylum application in 2017, because she belongs to the Turkish opposition party HDP. There is a suspicion the deportation did not happen because “Nazdar“ offered passive resistance and refused to board the plane. In such cases, pilots sometimes refuse to take a passenger who is to be transported against his will. The Frankfurt district court will examine whether the rejection of her asylum application is legal at all. Source: jW

Stuttgart trial opens: right-wing terror group wanted to “abolish democratic system”

The trial of eleven members and one supporter of the alleged terrorist group “Gruppe S.” began on last Tuesday at the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court (OLG). In the indictment, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office accused the defendants of having founded a terrorist organisation in Alfdorf (Rems-Murr district), Minden (North Rhine-Westphalia) and Berlin. The intention was to murder or kill and to bring about civil war-like conditions, with its first concrete targets as mosques in March 2020. However, the group was arrested one month earlier. The men are said to have arranged to meet via internet chats, and they also made use of connections to already existing neo-Nazi groups. Source: swr

Compiled by Ana Ferreira

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Refugee beaten by police then threatened with deportation

Abdul A. was twelve years old when he saw his father being shot. This is how the 19-year-old, whose name is actually different, tells it. He spoke about his escape story – and about how he was beaten up by Berlin police officers in February. Afterwards, he was dragged before a delegation from Guinea, which was supposed to confirm his origin. Travel substitute papers could be issued, deportation can be initiated. Abdul A. is a Guinean citizen. According to questions from die LINKE, the activities of such delegation members are also sweetened by financial expenses. Source: taz

NEWS FROM GERMANY

“Querdenken” demos drive infections

In May, at the largest “Querdenken” rally in Stuttgart so far, about 10,000 participants gathered. This last Saturday, the turnout does not seem to have been significantly lower. However, there is a significant difference: then, crosses on the ground marked the mandatory minimum distance to those standing next to them. This time, the city’s public order office did not find it necessary to prescribe such crosses. A study from February identified the “Querdenken” demonstrations as a significant infection driver – with bus and train traffic in particular also coming into play as a point of infection. Source: taz

Quarantine will be lifted for vaccinated people

People who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus will soon get back freedoms, according to plans by Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU). The background to this is an analysis by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), according to which the testing and quarantine obligation for those who have been fully vaccinated can be lifted quickly. If the third wave of the Corona pandemic is broken and further opening steps based on rapid tests are taken, as in the case of retail, this decision would come into effect. In addition, according to the RKI’s assessment, fully vaccinated people would also no longer have to go into quarantine. Source: dw

Corona vaccinations are slowly getting off the ground

All over Germany, those responsible are now hoping for a faster pace of vaccination. Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) has issued the slogan that by the beginning of May 20 percent of people in Germany should receive their first vaccination. The German General Practitioners’ Association´s head, Ulrich Weigeldt, expects GP practices to get significantly more vaccine doses in the near future. Experts hope that the vaccinations in the practices will above all improve the care of the vaccination candidates: Unlike the staff in the vaccination centres, family doctors know their patients. Source: dw

More human rights violations under Covid

The Corona pandemic has led to a significant increase in human rights violations worldwide with many millions affected, according to Amnesty International. Authorities had “condoned harm or even death” of vulnerable people, such as high-risk patients, migrants, minorities, women and girls. Health workers were also particularly affected. Amnesty strongly criticises the actions of rich countries in the fight against the virus and accuses the international community of not pulling together to fight the pandemic. The report denounces too the discrimination of poorer countries in the distribution of vaccines. The Covax Initiative of the World Health Organisation, which was founded to ensure equitable supply, has been undermined by industrialised countries. Source: nd

Secret Service spies on LINKE activists

About half a year before the local elections in Lower Saxony, the state’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution informed three LINKE members of their surveillance. There was indignation about the spying from various sections of die LINKE. The co-chair of die LINKE, Janine Wissler, also demanded clarification. The domestic secret service, she said, could not be controlled democratically, but could be instrumentalised to intimidate and discredit political opponents. It is worth to remind that this is not the first time that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution of Lower Saxony has been criticised. Source: nd

Compiled by Ana Ferreira

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Hard restriction of contacts, nurseries closed and curfew

Because of Covid-19, from Good Friday contact in Berlin has been limited even further. Between 9pm and 5am groups of more than 2 people are banned. Further limitations are expected after Easter. Non-food shopping and visiting hairdressers or museums is only allowed If you have a negative Corona test. Incidences of the virus in Berlin are stagnating – but at a very high level. Employers must offer Corona tests and encourage home office working, but workplaces stay open. Source: Berliner Zeitung

NEWS FROM GERMANY

A message without courage

They wore black T-shirts, each with a white letter, “Humanrights” was the message. The German football players sent a signal for human rights before the first World Cup qualifier for Qatar. It is very rare in professional football for teams to go beyond the staged association campaigns against oppression or discrimination. Nevertheless, there was quick criticism. Thousands of guest workers have died around the construction sites for the 2022 World Cup. You can’t agree with that, and in Norway there has been an increasingly loud boycott movement since this latest news. But Germany has only shown T-shirts. Source: spiegel

Merkel’s options

Tougher corona measures are expected to come. The infection figures rise, and experience shows that things change when the state comes with new restrictions. Vaccination is too slow to reverse the trend in the short term. In the third wave, the force of the factual will work again. But it would be better if something happened sooner this time. There are political ways of doing this, but they are risky. That could be by pushing the minister-presidents to agree to new measures in the next federal-state round; by Angela Merkel involving simultaneously the Bundesrat as well as the Bundestag; or by having a decision in the Bundestag, without the Bundesrat. Source: taz

Clinics in the third wave

Calls for more centralisation are not only growing in the pandemic management of the government – this is happening in the health care system, too, especially in the care of Covid 19. For instance, the AOK considers that hospital treatments other than Covid-19 might have declined during the periods of heavy infection. On the other hand, the medical profession seems to have learned since the shock of the first wave: there is improved drug treatment of patients with anti-inflammatory and now also with blood-thinning drugs. So far, the German health system has not been overburdened, but AOK says there is a strong concern about the third wave. Source: nd

Racist and anti-Semitic stereotypes spread among police officers

Anti-Semitic and racist stereotypes are widespread in Saxony-Anhalt’s police force. These are the findings of a special commission, where it is also stated there are no indications of institutional racism or anti-Semitism in the police. However, the report notes the use of terms such as “Jew” for an “enterprising person”, “Fascist Tuesday” for the targeted control of foreigners as well as other derogatory terms for foreigners and Black people. It therefore recommends greater sensitisation as well as increased teaching of diversity, cultural competence and political education already in training. The police college should create a new professorship for this purpose. Source: mdr

Comeback or April Fool?

The former president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Hans-Georg Maaßen, wants to enter the Bundestag for the CDU in September. Mark Hauptmann, who has since left the party and is under investigation in the Union’s mask affair, was elected in this constituency in the 2017 Bundestag elections. The proposal is currently being discussed among the district associations. Federal Labour Minister Hubertus Heil reacted incredulously to the news of Maaßen’s plans. Addressing CDU Secretary General Paul Ziemiak and party leader Armin Laschet, the SPD politician tweeted: “This is surely a very bad April Fool’s joke – Oder????! Source: nd

Compiled by Ana Ferreira

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Protests against eviction of left-wing scene pub

Hundreds of people demonstrate in Berlin against the eviction of the pub “Meuterei”. Police officers were injured during the protests – but the behaviour of some emergency forces was also problematic. Many demonstrators wore Corona protective masks. The eviction of the “mutiny” is seen in the leftist scene as a symbol for the displacement of alternative places in Berlin. Later, during the night, high-value cars were burned all over Berlin, according to police. A connection with the left-wing protests is being investigated. On the internet, “decentralised resistance actions” by the left-wing scene were announced throughout the city. Source: spiegel

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Germany locked down over Easter

Chancellor Merkel has agreed on new, stricter Corona measures with the heads of the federal states, Söder and Müller, as well as Vice-Chancellor Scholz. All shops will close between 1st to 5th or 6th April. Supermarkets are also partially affected by the measure. The stricter lockdown would extend the Easter holidays from three to at least five days, starting on Maundy Thursday until after Easter Monday. Referring to the “emergency brake”, Merkel said, according to participants: “We decide today that we will stick to what we decided last time.” Source: spiegel

Merkel in retreat

The German government’s Corona policy is in open crisis. Following a rebellion by parts of the CDU/CSU and forceful interventions by business associations, the Chancellor’s U-turn on the “Easter truce” seems to be turning into a general retreat or a major reorientation of the fight against the pandemic. Merkel gave a government statement to the Bundestag on Thursday largely limited to appeals and exhortations. She called on citizens to make use of free testing offers, saying testing was “the bridge to vaccination”. But harsh criticism came from the Left Party, with its co-chair, Amira Mohamed Ali, calling the crisis management a “shambles”. Source: jW

Special Forces Command awarded contracts unlawfully

The Special Forces Command (KSK) is once again facing a scandal: the elite unit of the Bundeswehr has apparently awarded contracts to companies since 2014 without adhering to the applicable procurement guidelines. According to a report, an internal review of the Bundeswehr revealed that more than 40 per cent of the contracts concluded for the KSK were unlawful. This new scandal comes at an inopportune time for the unit: Federal Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) wanted to present a report on the status of reforms at the KSK on Tuesday. The focus was to be on combating extreme right-wing tendencies. Source: nd

Right-wing extremist threat remains high in Brandenburg

The good news: Brandenburg recently recorded significantly fewer politically motivated crimes. The bad news: The right-wing extremist danger potential remains extremely high. More and more offences are shifting to the internet. According to the figures, the number of offences against politicians, district councillors and mayors in the state has fallen significantly. Last year, 136 cases were recorded, 25 fewer than in the previous year. The Brandenburg police chief, Oliver Stepien, emphasised that the greatest danger in Brandenburg comes from right-wing extremists: “Particularly in this area, perpetrators hide behind a supposed anonymity on the internet, openly engage in agitation and incite hatred,” Stepien said. Source: rbb

Compiled by Ana Ferreira

BERLIN

Director of Volksbühne resigns after accusations of sexist harassment

On Saturday, the taz published a detailed article about the Volksbühne, in which female theatre employees accused artistic director Klaus Dörr of repeated assaultive behaviour. On Monday afternoon he resigned, with immediate effect and in agreement with cultural senator Klaus Lederer. Since the beginning of the year, there had been confidential discussions with the women and also with Dörr in the cultural administration. Ten female Volksbühne employees had previously filed a complaint with Themis, the office of trust against sexual harassment and violence. The Volksbühne case was discussed at length in the cultural committee on Monday. Source: tagesspiegel

Police report criticized for structural racism

On the international day against police violence, when numerous initiatives in Berlin criticise racist police controls, the Berlin State Office of Criminal Investigation published the “Situation Report Clan Crime 2020”. What does one have to do with the other? Civil society initiatives as well as the Left Party have been criticising police actions against alleged “clan criminals” as structurally racist for a long time. The document reports 1091 criminal charges and 5631 administrative offences. How the police arrive at this assessment is unclear. Besides, to speak here of “ethnically isolated structures of Arab origin” is for the initiative an “ethnicisation of crime”. Source: nd

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Transport companies ban junge Welt posters

The spring campaign under the motto “Who is afraid of whom?” has invested more than 100,000 euros in advertising so for. Despite this, more and more obstacles were put in the way of junge Welt. The BVG in Berlin plus transport companies in Hamburg, Cologne and Leipzig refused to put up jW posters about this campaign. The reason given in those cities was usually the same: “Both client and motif do not correspond to our political neutrality.” So far, nothing has been heard of other daily newspapers being affected by such boycott measures. Source: jW

Court process against refugee

Judge Andreas Welzenbacher would have already pronounced the verdict on Tuesday. But in the case against the refugee Lazare M. the public prosecutor wanted some time to think about this case. Lazare M., who fled to Germany from Cameroon, refused to leave the counter room at the office in Dedersdorf on last November 4 2020, until he was paid the 310 euros he was entitled to for one month. However, because he did not show up for a scheduled appointment, he was supposed to receive only 103 euros. There, he was handcuffed by private security guard and stabbed with a pen. Source: nd

CSU politician allegedly collected one million euros in mask deals

There is a lot of money in the Sauter case, which further incriminates the CSU in the affair about the procurement of Corona protective masks. As if everything were not bad enough for the CSU. First there was the Swabian member of the Bundestag Georg Nüßlein, who brokered protective masks to several ministries in the federal government and in Bavaria and allegedly received a commission of 660,000 euros for this. Now, the Munich Public Prosecutor General’s Office has extended its investigations to five accused, including Alfred Sauter, on the grounds of initial suspicion of bribery and corruption of elected officials. Source: süddeutsche