NEWS FROM BERLIN
Election in Germany: the country shifts right, Berlin votes left
Germany’s most closely watched election in recent memory is over. Despite the conservative CDU winning the largest share of the vote nationwide and the far-right AfD coming in second, Berlin offered hope on an otherwise gloomy day for progressive politics. “Die Linke” politicians Ferat Kocak in Neukölln, Ines Schwerter in Lichtenberg, Pascal Meiser in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, and the veteran Gregor Gysi won direct mandates in Berlin. With this, “die Linke” is considered as the city’s strongest political force. This result is even more striking given that, ahead of the vote, Friedrich Merz (CDU) declared in his final major campaign speech, “The Left is over.” Not in Berlin. Source: the Berliner
Uproar over cancellation of Albanese at Berlin FU
Last week police were present in large numbers at the Free University of Berlin (FU). This was due to the cancellation of a lecture by Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The lecture was to be on topics including “Legaland forensic perspectives on the ongoing Gaza genocide”. However, this was cancelled following criticism. In response, the General Students’ Committee (Asta) announced resistance. The “Students for Palestine” group posted pictures and videos from the lecture hall. According to the footage, police officers were in the building. A short video shows officers asking a person to unlock a door. Source: berliner Zeitung
Berlin culture will probably have to make further savings
The austerity programme for Berlin’s culture continues. After the budget for 2025 has already been reduced by 130 million euros, another 15 million euros less will be available in 2026, according to figures from the cultural administration. In 2027, the Senate’s key figures provide for three million euros more – however, additional funds have been earmarked to compensate for possible pay rises. It is still unclear what the budget cuts will mean in detail for cultural institutions in the coming year. There is nonetheless the threat of higher ticket prices or fewer premieres. Source: rbb
NEWS FROM GERMANY
The AfD was strong in the east, but it won the election in the west
The crashing end of the traffic-light coalition caused a great deal of resentment across almost all parties and has resulted in electoral success for the AfD. It is the big winner in the east, with figures ranging from 32.5% in Brandenburg to 38.6% in Thuringia. It won in each of the eastern German states, only in Berlin did the extreme-right wing party come fourth. The rise of the AfD in the east is considerable, but it is crucial to have in sight that elections in Germany are won or lost in the West because of its much larger number of voters; the East cannot achieve such a result on its own. Source: berliner Zeitung
Immigration does not raise crime rate, according to German study
Immigrants or refugees do not have a higher tendency to commit crime and there is no correlation between the proportion of immigrants in a certain district and the local crime rate, according to new analysis of the latest German crime statistics carried out by the renowned ifo institute. The Munich-based institute correlated the latest national crime stats from 2018 to 2023 with location-specific data (a new aspect in this kind of study), to explain the overrepresentation of immigrants in crime statistics. This evidence goes against the current popular narrative. Source: dw
Rising rents can represent more support for AfD, study finds
According to a new study by the Centre for European Social Studies (MZES) at the University of Mannheim, low-income residents in German cities are more likely to support the AfD if they live in areas with fast-rising rents. The MZES found that rising average rents have the opposite effect on the political allegiances of high-income residents and landlords living in the same areas. “When rents rise, some people profit from the reevaluation processes. Others, however, perceive these developments as a socioeconomic threat. The latter are increasingly leaning towards the AfD,” study author Denis Cohen explains in a press release. Source: iamexpat
New donation scandal demands an explanation from the AfD
A few days before the general election, the AfD was apparently facing a new party donation scandal. “Der Spiegel” and the” Austrian Standard” reported on an advertising campaign worth around 2.35 million euros that former FPÖ functionary Gerhard Dingler is said to have donated to the party. It is suspected Dingler merely acted as a front man for the transaction. If the suspicion is confirmed, the AfD could face a fine for illegal party funding of three times the amount of the unauthorised donation. If this does turn out to be true, they will face a fine of around seven million euros. Source: t-online
100,000 demonstrate against the right
Over 100,000 gathered across Germany on the weekend of the general election. They demonstrated against right-wing extremism and the AfD. In Hamburg itself, up to 40,000 people gathered at two events. There were also rallies and demonstrations in Essen, Krefeld, Freiburgand Hanover, among other cities. In Berlin, around 100 neo-Nazis gathered on Friedrichstraße. Around 1,200 counter-demonstrators disrupted the march severaltimes, but the blockades were broken up by the police. According to “taz”, between 1.9 and 2.2 million people have taken to the streets in Germany in recent weeks out of concern about a shift to the right. Source: taz
