News from Berlin
In Berlin, elections are still closed to foreigners
The German capital is growing and becoming more international. While the voting population in the upcoming election will be bigger than ever, mainly because the voting age has been lowered to 16, so is the number of the disenfranchised: around 25% of Berlin residents will have no say in the German capital’s city-state election because they lack citizenship. That’s the highest proportion of residents excluded from the election yet, and many are unhappy about it. This happens partly because of Germany’s political structure. Spain, for example, has reciprocal voting agreements with several non-EU countries that allow their citizens to vote in municipal elections. Source: dw
Investigation into Steffen Krach
The Hanover Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating Steffen Krach, the incumbent Regional President and current lead candidate for the Berlin SPD. The investigation involves a preliminary suspicion regarding three separate incidents. Two of these involve suspected acceptance of an undue advantage. It is alleged that Steffen Krach—or the Berlin SPD—twice solicited donations from a business owner based in Lower Saxony who was involved in a procurement process. The third allegation is linked to the donation from this same company, with Krach being accused of having championed the bidder. The SPD politician maintains that the allegations are unfounded. Source: ndr
News from Germany
Merz criticizes “remigration” as “ethnic cleansing”
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) sharply criticized the AfD’s migration policy in the Bundestag on September 9, affirming that so-called remigration is nothing other than ethnic cleansing based on skin color and origin.” He pointed to the risks this poses to the labor market, where many people with a migration background are employed. The Chancellor added that “we carefully distinguish between those who work in Germany, who contribute to our prosperity, and who are welcome here, and those who do not have permanent residency and must leave our country.” The government makes this distinction carefully, “in contrast” with the AfD. Source: taz
Right-wing symbols at mosque and music theater
The symbols are unambiguous: they include, for instance, the numerical code “1161,” which stands for “anti-anti-fascist action,” frequently used by radical right-wing or far-right actors. Anti-Islamic graffiti also appeared on the mosque on Kesselstraße. Over the weekend in Gelsenkirchen, far-right symbols appeared not only on the mosque, but on the music theater, and about a dozen building facades and bus stops. By early Monday morning, September 7, the graffiti had already been painted over with colorful paint by other unidentified persons. Investigators from the State Security division suspect the same group may be responsible for both locations, as the symbols bear a strong resemblance to one another. Source: wdr
When the rich sheikh comes, the poor must make way
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) met Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, on September 10. Before the meeting, tents of the homeless had to be cleared away in the German capital. First came the police and city cleaning crews, then the bulldozers and street sweepers arrived in front of Steinmeier’s new official residence. The security measures surrounding the visit extend far beyond the actual site. For instance, Wolfram Rischtl, owner of the Paris-Moscow restaurant, was not allowed to let guests onto the terrace or permit employees to smoke outside during the visit. Source: bz
One in five Euros is going to Defense
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) holds a unique position during the budget debates in the Bundestag: the core budget allocates €109.7 billion for defense—an increase of 33% over the previous year. This means one in every five euros of the federal budget in 2027 will go toward defense. An additional €30 billion will come from a special fund, financed by borrowing. “We need to close huge gaps that have opened up over the last 30 years,” Pistorius had previously affirmed on the ARD-Morgenmagazin. Yet this record budget raises questions: will the money be used effectively? And what remains for other state responsibilities? Source: tagesschau
AfD wants to use defense equipment for “remigration”
The AfD in Saxony-Anhalt does not fundamentally oppose the potential establishment of the Israeli defense company Elbit Systems in Sangerhausen. AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund justified this stance by citing the need for “tools” for a future “remigration and deportation offensive.” Elbit Systems manufactures products including drones, howitzers, and rocket launchers. The planned facility has already met with protests in the city. Mayor Torsten Schweiger (CDU) said that neither drones, grenades, nor ammunition are to undergo final assembly there. No final decision about the factory establishment has yet been reached. Source: islamiq
CDU comes out on top in Lower Saxony polls
The conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has remained the strongest force at district level in the northwestern state of Lower Saxony following local elections, preliminary results released on September 14 show. The elections on September 13 received an unusual degree of attention, as they were seen as a gauge of support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) following the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt last week. The CDU came first with 27.2%, and the Social Democrats (SPD), who lead a coalition government at state level, were in second place, with 24.6% of the vote. The AfD followed with 15.9%, more than tripling its 2021 result. Source: dw
Senior German official appeared as a speaker at Trump’s anti-antifa conference
Representatives from more than sixty nations gathered in Washington in July for the conference “The Resurgence of Political Terrorism.” They heard the US State Secretary Marco Rubio’s comparisons of contemporary Antifa to the RAF, among others. Later, they followed a panel discussion on the “threat posed by left-wing extremist terror.” Seated on the panel was a high-ranking official from the German Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI): Christian Klos, Head of the Public Security Department. Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) was informed of the appearance in advance, as revealed by documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act (IFG) requests. Until now, it was only known that a German official was present at the conference. Source: fragdenstaat
BSW begins talks with AfD
After the election in Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD had invited all parties, but the CDU, SPD, Greens, and Die Linke rejected the offer to discuss government formation. The BSW, however, intends to discuss with the AfD topics such as energy supply, education, and peace policy. The BSW’s Saxony-Anhalt state executive committee unanimously decided to accept the AfD’s offer, as announced by the party. The CDU holds 15 seats in the new state parliament. The SPD, The Left, and the Greens each hold 8 seats, while the BSW has 5 representatives. The AfD won 39 of the 83 total seats, leaving it 3 seats short of an absolute majority. Source: tagesschau
