NEWS FROM BERLIN
BVG strike: no buses, no trams, and no U-Bahn for 48 hours
The fourth BVG strike of the year will halt buses, trams, and U-Bahns for 48 hours in Berlin. The dispute over wages remains unresolved, and BVG workers will walk out this Wednesday and Thursday. The strike will begin at 03:00 on Wednesday morning and will continue until 03:00 on Friday. Further talks are scheduled to take place between ver.di and the public transport provider on Friday, immediately following this action. If no agreement is reached, the union has threatened to call a vote on an open-ended strike among its members, which could paralyse the city’s transport indefinitely. Source: theberliner
Neo-Nazi demo in Berlin ends prematurely after counter-protests
A right-wing extremist demonstration with around 850 participants ended prematurely last Saturday. The march was supposed to start at 1 PM at Ostkreuz, but the start was delayed because the police had to intervene several times. In total, around 2,000 people gathered for loud protests against the neo-Nazi demonstration, organised by former Aachen AfD politician Ferhat Sentürk. According to a police spokesperson, several arrests were made because the participants in the neo-Nazi demonstration did not comply with the ban on wearing masks or displayed banned symbols. Right-wing extremist music was also played. Source: rbb
Dilapidated motorways in Berlin: things will get even worse
In the 1960s, an average of 20,000 cars travelled on the A100 Motorway, one of the busiest motorways in Germany (and the most important road in Berlin); today, there are more than 200,000 on some stretches. And now a crack has appeared in a 240-metre-long concrete bridge, which is getting bigger. This, together with its extension, turns the city motorway from Charlottenburg to Heiligensee into a major construction site. The problem is not so much that it is becoming increasingly difficult to get around Berlin by car, but rather that it has been so easy and convenient for decades. Source: BZ
NEWS FROM GERMANY
Thousands of Tesla factory workers demand immediate relief
Over 3,000 Tesla employees in Grünheide have signed a petition calling for longer breaks, better staffing, and an end to workplace harassment. The request is organised by the IG Metall union. “Despite pressure from above, Tesla workers are standing their ground. Management must act,” said IG Metall district leader Dirk Schulze. The union has previously accused Tesla of intimidating workers, particularly regarding sick leave policies. While an IG Metall survey from last autumn reported that 83% of workers often feel overworked, Tesla countered with its own internal poll, claiming that 80% of employees are satisfied in the company. Source: theberliner
Discrimination destroys trust in the state
From hateful comments to physical attacks: more than half of those who belong to an ethnic or religious minority regularly experience discrimination in Germany. As the new report by the National Discrimination and Racism Monitor (NaDiRa) shows, such experiences often go hand in hand with psychological problems and shake trust in the state and society. The 68-page report, presented in Berlin last Tuesday, provides a whole series of worrying findings. For instance, 54% of those surveyed between 2022 and 2024 who had experienced racism stated that this had happened at least once a month. Muslim and Black women and Black men are particularly affected. Source: taz
Southwest AfD loses against the Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution may continue to categorise and monitor the southwest AfD as a suspected right-wing extremist organization after the Stuttgart Administrative Court rejected a complaint by the party. The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution has been monitoring the AfD state association as a so-called suspected case since 2022. Source: t-online
Gigantic militarisation package agreed – collective bargaining round in the public sector fails
Almost at the same time as unprecedented and unlimited debt was being enshrined in the constitution to ensure the “war capability” and militarisation of our society, collective bargaining in the public sector broke down. Despite several rounds of negotiations, in which ver.di offered various compromises, the representatives of local and federal government were not prepared to make a corresponding offer. The millions of employees in the public sector do not even have an offer of 0.01% of the spending agreed in the Bundestag. The signs are clear: there is money only for tanks, bombs, drones, and so on. Source: gewerkschaftlichelinkeberlin
Right-wingers demonstrates in several cities
Several people took part in demonstrations organised by the right-wing scene across Germany during the weekend. Thousands also protested against the rallies. In Stuttgart, for example, there were 1,500 demonstrators and 2,500 counter-demonstrators. The protests took place under the slogan “Together for Germany.” In cities such as Nuremberg and Mainz, the police reported hundreds of participants and counter-demonstrators. In some cases, the police intervened against the threat of clashes. Source: taz
Rheinmetall considers takeover of VW plant
Rheinmetall is planning to take over a VW plant for tank production. Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said the Volkswagen plant in Osnabrück was “well-suited” for the manufacture of military vehicles, but not to produce ammunition. The Osnabrück plant is one of three VW plants that are to be shut down over the next 2 years due to the decline in sales in the European car market. Papperger emphasised that the decision to acquire decommissioned car factories depended on securing larger tank orders. Rheinmetall is currently benefiting greatly from the global security situation. “An era of rearmament has begun in Europe,” said Papperger. Source: telepolis
Five activists from Last Generation charged with forming a criminal organization
The Munich Public Prosecutor General’s Office has charged 5 climate activists from the former Last Generation climate group with forming a criminal organisation. The defendants include the spokesperson for the group, Carla Hinrichs. “The Munich Public Prosecutor General’s Office had already carried out house searches with guns drawn, confiscated funds, blocked the website and tapped the press telephone in connection with the same proceedings,” says the Last Generation on Platform X. The climate activists plan to defend themselves against the charges with a petition. Source: BZ
