NEWS FROM BERLIN
Rising rents in Berlin, 150 years ago
Complaining against rising rents is something well-known in Berlin. In 1872, the city was going through another episode of its more or less permanent housing crisis. Berlin had just become the capital of the German Empire, and the year before, 130,000 people moved to the city. Families lived with up to ten people in a single room, and unhoused Berliners set up shacks outside the city gates. Then came the Blumenstraßenkrawalle (Flower Street Riots), in Friedrichshain, where workers laid barricades across the cobblestone streets to stop police horses. What strikes most in this story is how recent it sounds. Source; ExBerliner
CSD: employee with Nazi tattoo?
Stewards with neo-Nazi tattoos were apparently hired for the Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade last Saturday. A tattoo of the Black Sun, which is considered an alternative for the banned swastika, could be seen on the forearm of a steward. Various Instagram and Twitter posts also show photos of the steward in question wearing the Black Sun on his forearm. He is said to have been on the road for a security company. He is not said to have been the only one. The Gay Advice Berlin and the association Bunte Vielfalt e. V., the operators of the two affected trucks, also expressed shock. Source: Berliner Zeitung
NEWS FROM GERMANY
Charge of “Proximity to BDS”
The journalist Emily Dische-Becker has been accused of being close to anti-Semites. But no-one has explained exactly what her guilt is supposed to consist of. She has been criticised, among other things, for a video in which she prepares documenta guides for discussions on the topic of anti-Semitism; she is criticised for organising the conference “Hijacking Memory”, which had as its theme exactly what is happening now: right-wing propaganda instrumentalizing the accusation of anti-Semitism; she is criticised for a great deal, especially when one considers that she has no institutional role whatsoever – this is someone being singled out, entirely in media troll fashion. Source: taz
The trees of Buchenwald
266,000 people from all European countries were imprisoned in Buchenwald concentration camp, and the death toll is estimated at around 56,000. Recent attacks on the memorial are an international affront. Trees planted on the site of one of the largest and most notorious Nazi camps have been sawed or broken off by neo-Nazi cowards at night, including a tree for the murdered Buchenwald children. It is not “only” trees that have been defaced by the perpetrators. And this just in the days when the construction of the camp had begun 85 years ago. These attacks are not stupid boy pranks. This is political vandalism. Source: nd
Nord Stream: Concern about gas from the East
Gas is flowing again through the most important gas pipeline to Germany. But it is just as little as before the maintenance work: only 40 percent of normal capacity. Whether it will stay that way is unclear. A statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin shows where Nord Stream 1 could be heading: due to “slow progress in maintenance”, the delivery volume could be further reduced, he said during his visit to Tehran. Since private households, social institutions and consumers of district heating are protected by law, it is mainly industry that would be affected by a supply stop. Source: dw
Flat rate should stay
The 9-Euro-Ticket needs to continue until the end of the year, says a broad-based initiative which has launched an appeal to put pressure on the federal government. In addition to extending the flat rate, the initiative “9-Euro-Ticket weiterfahren” demands more investment in the expansion of public transport as well as in more staff and better working conditions. Signatures are to be collected at stops, in regional trains and on the internet. The initiative is also planning a nationwide day of action on 27 August. The 9-Euro project ends on the following Wednesday. The appeal is supported by poverty researcher Christoph Butterwegge, and activist Carola Rackete, among others. Source: taz
