NEWS FROM BERLIN
To those who drink inside: Syndikat reopens
Two and a half years after its eviction, the Neukölln neighbourhood kneipe Syndikat is back. On Friday evening, the bar at Emser Straße 131 near the Neukölln S-Bahn station will welcome patrons again. The collective is taking over the former premises of the alternative culture pub Laika. Unlike the old pub in Weisestraße, there will be a large non-smoking room. Also, it will probably “no longer be completely noisy until 9 o’clock in the morning, but maybe only until 5 o’clock”. Central, however, is still the idea of being in close exchange with the neighbourhood, “and supporting each other.” Source: taz
16-year-old attacked during election campaign in Berlin
During the Berlin election campaign, a 16-year-old was attacked and confronted with Nazi slogans while distributing information material of die Linke Party in Rummelsburg. According to sources and witness statements, the youth had distributed flyers in the immediate vicinity of a die Linke election booth on Friday, a police spokesperson said on Saturday. He then stuck a leaflet on a residential building wall after which a 56-year-old man hit him on the hand. The 56-year-old man then joined a group of people who shouted national socialist slogans. A 50-year-old man also gave the Hitler salute to police officers who had been alerted. Source: bz
Strike on Wednesday paralyses all areas of BER Airport
The trade union ver.di called on all employees to stop work this Wednesday. Around 35000 passengers were effected with every flight cancelled. The employees of the ground handling services, the airport company FBB as well as aviation security were called to an all-day work stoppage, the responsible ver.di secretary Enrico Rümker announced. The strike is prompted by parallel collective bargaining rounds for which no solution has yet emerged in any of the three sectors. The ver.di demands wage increase of 500 euros more per month, considering the area of ground services and the airport company FBB. Source: tagesschau
NEWS FROM GERMANY
Germany to send tanks to Ukraine
Germany announced yesterday that it will send its Leopard-2A6 tanks to the Ukrainian army. While Germany will send 14 and in total 90 of the German-made tanks will be sent from other EU countries, something which was impossible without the permission of the German government. Many questions still remain, such as other possible military support for the country engaged in a brutal war with Russia. Along with the Leopard tanks from Germany, the US announced also on Wednesday a commitment to send air defence systems as well as tanks. This points towards a change in strategy for the allies of Ukraine. Source: taz
Neo-Nazis initiate protests against local refugee shelters
It is not only in Saxony that extreme right-wingers are returning to the issue of refugees and their accommodation now that the Corona restrictions have expired. In Franconia (Franken) there have been rallies held in Scheßlitz and Breitengüßbach against refugees, organised by the neo-Nazi III.WEG. This thematic change from Corona to refugees is to seen by many extreme right-wing movements. Yesterday in Scheßlitz, protesters marched along the main street for the second time this year. The gathering was led by Roger Kuchenreuther, a long-time activist of the neo-Nazi III.WEG. The organisers did not hide their political background. Party flags and typical signs stating “against asylum flood” were carried. Source: endstation-rechts-bayern
Democratic demonstration and a broken nose
In Lützerath, alongside a defeat in the fight against climate change, many have left with physical injuries. As A.´s family (his family does not want to be named) travelled by car to the demonstration in Lützerath on the morning of January 14, the mood was good. In the aftermath of the protests, the initiative “Lützerath lebt” reported 145 injured demonstrators. A. is one of those 145; a six-second video on Twitter displays a policeman beating his face. He came away with a broken nose, for taking part in a democratic demonstration. All this to protect a private property of RWE. Source: taz
No return from Afghanistan
Somewhere in Afghanistan, 29-year-old Qais R. is hiding from the Taliban. 5000 kilometers away, in the security of the Frankfurt district of Bockenheim, R.’s fate is being decided. In 2021, R. was deported to Afghanistan on the second to last plane forcibly removing people from Germany to Afghanistan. Today, no one is forcibly deported to Afghanistan, the situation there is far too dangerous. But what about the people who, like Qais R., had the misfortune to be brought back shortly before the change of power? Isn’t the situation just as dangerous for them? Lawyers have brought a case to the court and a judge will announce their decision next Tuesday. Source: fr
No Wagenknecht Party
The MP Sahra Wagenknecht (die Linke) met in Berlin with influential supporters in mid-January to agree on the timetable for founding a new. The outcome was inconclusive as they do not want a split in the Left. However, it is also true that the Karl-Liebknecht-Kreis Brandenburg (KLK) was founded three and a half months ago, and already formed its own marching block at the Liebknecht-Luxemburg demonstration in Berlin, some days ago. Fellow die Linke MP Niels-Olaf Lüders says that he, at any rate, is not working towards a split. On the contrary, he co-founded the KLK to counter dissolution and to persuade disappointed members from leaving the party. Source: nd-aktuell
