News from Berlin
Provocation and opposition
The goal was provocation. It is hardly surprising, then, that the “stroll” through North Neukölln taken in early September by Berlin AfD firebrand Thorsten Weiß—accompanied by party colleagues and an FPÖ delegation—turns into a gauntlet of hostility. “All of Berlin hates the AfD,” passersby shout at Hermannplatz. However, the party is garnering support across Berlin. A political climate is favoring AfD’s success, says political scientist Aiko Wagner of the Free University. A relevant factor for such is the national trend. Also, the party is more focused on the housing crisis in the German capital, trying to turn it to their advantage. Source: taz
Almost 6 terabytes of Berlin’s confidential data released by hackers
For a country which is always worried about data privacy and protection, a whole lot of government information (5.79 TB) that should not to have seen the light of day has just been made public. The ransomware group responsible for the cyberattack, known as Rhysida, had demanded that the Senate Chancellery pay 30 Bitcoins (approximately €2 million) to avoid the data dump. When the government didn’t meet their request, which deadline was on September 4, the group announced that “All files have been uploaded for public access,” adding, “Data hunters, have fun!” “The dataset is so vast that it’s difficult to gain an overview,” wrote “Tagesspiegel”. Source: heistberlin
Memorial tree for CSD attack victims torn out
The memorial tree dedicated to the victims of the attack on the Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade in Berlin’s Tiergarten was torn out on September 6. Some days before it, the “rainbow bench”, installed following the attack, was also severely damaged. The district authorities filed a criminal complaint against persons unknown and announced plans to restore the bench. Werner Graf, leader of the Green Party parliamentary group in Berlin, also declared: “I say to all queer people in this city: You are not alone.” Graf announced: “We will replant this tree. As often as necessary.” Source: rbb24
News from Germany
AfD wins in Saxony-Anhalt: and now?
The “Alternative für Deutschland” (AfD) party was the big winner in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6, with 43.8% of vote. What happens now? Despite a landslide victory, the AfD might struggle to form a government. The party is just short of the votes it needs for an absolute majority, meaning it cannot govern alone and would need to form a coalition to govern the state parliament. Elected representatives now have 30 days to form a coalition before the new parliament must be convened on October 6, 2026. However, there is no deadline for electing a new state premier. Source: iamexpat
Criticism of Germany after citizenship fast track for IDF soldier
The case of Rom Braslavski (22), who was working as a security guard at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, while on leave from his regular duties as an IDF logistics soldier, threatens to become a diplomatic and domestic political ordeal for the German government since he was granted a fast-track naturalization in Germany. In the first episode of his video podcast, “October 8,” Braslavski voiced extreme violent fantasies regarding Palestinian detainees. This has triggered massive outrage on social media worldwide and raised pointed questions regarding Germany’s asylum and citizenship policies, with the German government being accused of double standards. Source: nex24
An Israeli soldier in new campaign: calls for Adidas boycott grow
Activists are urging a boycott of Adidas after the sports brand featured Israeli soldier Shaliv Biton in a new campaign to promote its Single Shoe service, with many highlighting that Biton took part in one of Israel’s many wars on Gaza. The Single Shoe service allows customers who need only one shoe to purchase it at half price, rather than paying the full cost of a pair. Sports journalist Leyla Hamed said Adidas should have thought more carefully in their choice of representative. “Gaza has the highest per capita rate of child amputees in the world,” she wrote on “X”. Source: newarab
Merz sinks CDU in Saxony-Anhalt
In the awaited state election on September 6 in Saxony-Anhalt, Minister-President Sven Schulze’s CDU suffered a severe defeat. The governing party has seen its vote share more than halved compared to the 2021 election, falling to around 17.5%. The AfD, on the other hand, secured approximately 44% of the vote. Led by top candidate Ulrich Siegmund, and—with greater emphasis—party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, the AfD immediately signalled a willingness to hold talks. This overture is aimed primarily at the CDU—or at individual CDU lawmakers—who might be open to cooperating with the AfD. At the federal level, the election result puts pressure primarily on Chancellor and CDU leader Friedrich Merz. Source: jungewelt
Employers warn of isolationism in Saxon-Anhalt
Following the AfD’s election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, employers warn of the economic consequences of the result. “A climate of isolationism is poison for the business location,” Steffen Kampeter, Director General of the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA), told “dpa”. Also, economist Joachim Ragnitz of the ifo Institute in Dresden fears that such a strong election result for the AfD could deter the skilled workers the country urgently needs. It could lead to an exodus of qualified personnel—or make it harder for companies to recruit staff. Furthermore, questions are now being raised about the potential stability of a government in Saxony-Anhalt. “This election result and the resulting uncertainty will likely have negative effects,” Ragnitz adds. Source: tagesschau
This group likely prevented an absolute AfD majority
Preliminary results indicate that, mathematically, the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt would have secured an absolute majority of seats in parliament had postal votes been excluded. Among voters who cast their ballots at polling stations, the party received 51.2% of the vote. In contrast, the AfD garnered only 24.3% of valid postal votes. Before the election and in recent years, AfD politicians have repeatedly—and usually without concrete evidence—cast doubt on the security and legitimacy of postal voting, urging their supporters to vote only in person. According to election researchers, this is one reason why the party’s postal voting results were weaker than its in-person results. Source: t-online
