NEWS FROM BERLIN
Pankow’s fight against right-wing spaces
Around 100 people gathered on Fröbelstraße in Prenzlauer Berg before the start of the Pankow district council meeting last Wednesday. The issue: supporters of the militant neo-Nazi party Der Dritte Weg and its youth organisation, the National Revolutionary Youth (NRJ), have been meeting regularly at the Rennbahnstraße sports complex in the Weißensee district. The demonstrators demanded that the district terminate the usage contract immediately, which caused broad discussions among the present politicians. Among them, Denise Bittner (CDU) condemned the “muscular ammunitioning” of the neo-Nazis in public spaces, but emphasised the absolute necessity of a legal basis for the contract’s termination. Source: taz
Protest at Lieferando in Berlin: “I demand respect”
Last Friday, many Lieferando’s workers went to a branch of the Burgermeister fast food chain in Eberswalder Straße, where a courier had allegedly been attacked by employees and ended up in hospital several weeks prior. There were signs reading “No tolerance for violence” and “I demand respect.” Burgermeister denied this account to several media outlets; the police confirmed the incident to newspaper Tagesspiegel. However, the course of events is still being investigated, as both sides have filed charges of assault. The Lieferando Workers Collective (LWC) and the protesters believe Lieferando has a duty to better protect its employees from violence. Source: nd
NEWS FROM GERMANY
More than 1,000 people demonstrate against the defence industry
More than 1,000 people marched through Kiel for the final rally of the protest camp against war and militarisation. The camp and the demonstration were initiated by the “Disarm Rheinmetall” alliance. According to police, the march had to be stopped repeatedly as demonstrators displayed prohibited symbols, set off pyrotechnics or threw buckets of paint. Five people were provisionally arrested. “There were repeated arbitrary police violence at the demonstration and indiscriminate arrests,” wrote the “Disarm Rheinmetall” alliance. The ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), The German Armed Forces and the naval base command in Kiel also stated that they would remain vigilant and monitor the overall situation. Source: ndr
Many in Germany are considering moving away due to the rise of the AfD
Many people with a migration background in Germany are considering moving away from their federal state – or even emigrating – due to the political rise of the AfD. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM). According to the survey, almost one in four people with a migration background are at least hypothetically considering leaving Germany. Besides that, more than a third (33.8%) of respondents with a migrant background think of moving to another federal state if the AfD is in government in their own. Source: zeit
Shots fired at the Israeli consulate in Munich
A large-scale police operation startled the Bavarian capital last Thursday. A man fired several shots in the centre of Munich, where the Israeli Consulate General and Nazi Documentation Centre are located. Police returned fire and killed the attacker. According to taz, the shooter was an 18-year-old Austrian, Emra I., who had recently been categorised by Austrian authorities as an extremist. Eyewitnesses and the police reported that the man initially fired several shots using an older bolt-action rifle with a bayonet, which could be seen on videos circulating on social media channels. The police reported there are no other suspects. Source: taz
VW CEO wants a “hit car”
The causes of the crisis at Volkswagen (VW) are still unclear. The VW Group CEO explained that he believes the reasons are fewer vehicles being bought in Europe and new competitors from Asia pushing their way into the market. Nevertheless, it seems the situation for the brand is “alarming.” The costs for the proposed solution, a “hit car,” are once again unevenly distributed: since last week, there has been talk of job cuts and plant closures. Janine Wissler, leader of Die Linke, reminded in this case about the 4.5 billion euros that VW distributed to its shareholders in the last financial year. Source: jW
New labour record despite slump
People in employment worked a total of 14.7 billion hours from April to June – a new record. “Never before has so much work been done in Germany – in the middle of an economic downturn,” said researcher Enzo Weber from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB). The much-vaunted employment record was possible despite the ageing of society because of the higher participation of women and migrants in the labor market. Employment subject to social insurance contributions has risen in the service sector, particularly in areas such as education, care for the elderly, and healthcare. In the construction sector and in industry, on the other hand, employment declined. Source: nd
‘We’re in over our heads’
Around 300,000 asylum applications are being processed across Germany at the moment. CSU leader Markus Söder is calling for a significant reduction in their number in Germany. Migration is “over our heads,” he said, suggesting turning people back at the border as an instrument to reduce migration. The CSU leader also recommends a long-term change to asylum law. “We need to turn a subjective right into a fundamental institutional right.” FDP leader Christian Linder believes it necessary to control the number of asylum applications, but he is convinced that the country should also remain diverse and tolerant. Source: tagesschau
Price increases in food products
Consumers must dig much deeper into their pockets than a few years ago when shopping. Some products have become particularly expensive. There are numerous reasons for this, such as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine, climate change and rising costs of raw materials, energy and labour. Foods for which mystery shoppers have registered the biggest price increases since July 2020 are olive oil (+112.6%), sugar (+83.3%), and wheat flour (+61.5%), to name a few. According to the Federal Statistical Office, only one food item is 2% cheaper today than it was then: citrus fruits. Source: berliner zeitung
