NEWS FROM BERLIN
“Berlin4”: court halts all deportations
The state of Berlin has suffered another set back in the dispute over the intended deportation of four activists accused of criminal offences following their participation in pro-Palestinian protests at Freie Universität in October 2024. In the case of the so-called “Berlin4”, the Berlin Administrative Court has ruled in favour of those affected in the last two cases last Monday. They are from the USA and from Poland. On 10 April and 6 May, the court upheld the appeals of a man and a woman with Irish citizenship in initial summary proceedings. Source: nd-aktuell
No weapons production in Wedding
The armaments group Rheinmetall is one of the winners of the war. With the military turnaround, the value of the company’s shares has multiplied. Now Rheinmetall is reorganising production at several sites in Germany: where previously civilian goods were produced, armaments are to be manufactured in future. This includes the subsidiary Pierburg in the Berlin district of Wedding. But resistance is mounting. On Saturday, around 1,500 anti-militarists demonstrated under the slogan “No Rheinmetall in Wedding” to demand that money be spent on social issues instead of armaments. The protest was organised by the Wedding grassroots group of the Left Party as well as numerous communist and socialist groups. Source: nd-aktuell
NEWS FROM GERMANY
Germany spends one in four euros on housing costs
People in Germany spend on average one in four euros on housing, according to figures from the European statistics authority “Eurostat”, which the Federal Statistical Office had analysed in response to an enquiry from the BSW. According to the data, individuals and families spent 24.5% oftheir income on rent or other housing costs, such as home ownership, in 2024. People at risk of poverty in Germany even spent an average of 43.8% of theirincome on housing, i.e. almost every second euro. This is 5.3% higher than the EU average. Source: Zeit
Right-wing violence: “The disinhibition is clearly noticeable”
In 2024, the counselling centres Opferberatung Rheinland (OBR) and BackUp from Dortmund set an unfortunate new record: 526 cases of right-wing, racist, antisemitic or other misanthropic violence were documented – an increase of around 48% compared to the previousyear. At least 728 people were directly affected. Eight people died because of attacks last year. “Homicides are an expression of maximum escalation – they make it clear that right wing violence in NRW is life-threatening,” says Sabrina Hosono from the OBR. Fabian Reeker, also from the OBR, speaks of an “alarming peak in right-wing violence” in North Rhine-Westphalia. Source: ad-aktuell
Demonstrators in several cities call for AfD ban
Demonstrations against right-wing extremism and in favour of an AfD ban took place in more than 60 German cities on Sunday – including Berlin and in Brandenburg. The demonstrations were organised by the “Together against the right” network and the “Defend human dignity – ban the AfD now” initiative. In the nation wide announcement, the organisers called on the federal government to initiate proceedings to ban the AfD. The central rally in Berlin began at 4 pm at the Brandenburg Gate. According to the police, around 4,000 people took part. The organisers spoke of around 7,500 demonstrators. Source: rbb
Antisemitism dispute in the Left flares up again
At a party conference in Halle, on 9 and 10 May, “Die Linke” declared its solidarity with the Palestinians, demanded the release of the Israeli hostages and condemned Hamas terrorism as well as “every act of war by the Israeli army that violates international law”. Antisemitism was also discussed, with criticisms how accusations of antisemitism are instrumentalised by politicians and institutions to silence people who denounce Israeli war crimes. Most of the party conference had opposed the misuse of anti-Semitism of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), not against to its definition. Source: nd-aktuell
Be human!
Margot Friedländer died on Friday 9 May at the age of 103 in the city of her birth. On the day of her death, she should have received the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. She had been showered with honours and awards in recent years. Margot Friedländer suffered the torments of Nazism and fought for humanity, with the call: “Be human!” For today, this also means: ban the AfD! And all other right-wing extremist movements and groups that are once again coming to the surface in Germany. And a humane migration policy. Source: nd-aktuell
Non-Germans should have voting rights after 5 years’ residence, says “die Linke”
The co-leader of the Left Party (“die Linke”) Jan van Aken, has proposed a six-point plan to strengthen the country’s democratic system: 1) Introducing referendums (Volksentscheide) at the federal level; 2) Bringing the national voting age down to 16 years old; 3) Enfranchising international residents who have been living in Germany for at least 5 years; 4) Establishing citizens’ councils at the state and federal level; 5) Capping single, private donations to political parties at 10,000 euros; and 6) Expanding residents’ voting rights on specific economic matters. The last point would expand all residents’ voting rights on specific economic issues, such as when a company were planning location closures. Source: iamexpat
Police file reveals new details about Mengele
Reporters from MDR (Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk) have tracked down a police file on Nazi criminal Josef Mengele that was previously thought to be missing. The documents, which apparently come from the archives of the Argentinian Federal Police, contain explosive information about Mengele’s whereabouts after the Second World War. The documents show that Mengele wanted to enter the Federal Republic of Germany in February 1959. The file contains a corresponding application to the Argentinian authorities using his real name, which was not previously documented. The renowned contemporary historian and Nazi researcher Bogdan Musial has examined copies of the file indetail and considers them to be authentic. Source: tagesschau
