NEWS FROM BERLIN
Berlin teachers walk out for three days
Teachers, educators and social workers at Berlin schools have begun a warning strike, called by the GEW education union. Their main demands? Smaller class sizes and a collective agreement on health protection. The Berlin Senate has so far refused to negotiate, citing its obligations as part of a national wage agreement between Germany’s states. The timing of the strike drew criticism – not only from Berlin’s education senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU), who called it “irresponsible,” but also from students, given that it is exam period. The GEW defended its decision. “Each school with exams is only affected on one day,” said Berlin GEW co-lead Martina Regulin. Source: theberliner
NEWS FROM GERMANY
Death suits it well
Rheinmetall is profiting greatly from the business of death. Over the past ten years, the company’s share price has “achieved a phenomenal performance with an increase of well over 2,000%,” CEO Armin Papperger exulted at the armaments group’s Annual General Meeting last Tuesday. Beyond that, Rheinmetall is anticipating a “security policy decade with extensive investment programmes over the next ten to 15 years.” With government orders making more than six billion euros since 2022, Rheinmetall has long seen itself as “the leading industrial partner” of Germany. Some days ago, around 1,800 people protested against weapons production at the Rheinmetall site in Berlin. Source: jW
Die Linke Left must not cave in to the Zentralrat der Juden
Following Die Linke’s decision to base its definition of antisemitism on the “Jerusalem Declaration” instead of the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance), the Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland (Central Council of Jews in Germany) has sharply attacked the party. Even if it is true that those affected usually know best what discrimination is, it would be fatal if the Left were to give in to their demands. Many Jewish diaspora organisations are calling for exactly the opposite, rejecting the IHRA definition. And Palestinians are also greatly affected by this issue. What should not be discussed are the expulsion plans in Gaza, which violate international law. Source: nd
Dobrindt bans the “Kingdom of Germany”
A few days after taking office, Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt banned what is currently the largest group of so-called Reich citizens and self-governed citizens. The organisation calls itself the “Kingdom of Germany” and is said to have around 6,000 followers across the country. According to the Ministry of the Interior in Berlin, police forces searched buildings and flats used by the organisation in seven federal states. Four men were arrested, among them Peter Fitzek, who describes himself as the “King” and “Supreme Sovereign.” They will now be brought before an investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe. Source: nd
Berlin and London develop joint long-range weapon
The Bundeswehr is to become “the strongest conventional army in Europe”. That ambitious goal was set by Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) in his first statement in the Bundestag. “We must be able to defend ourselves so that we don’t have to defend ourselves,” emphasised the new head of government about the threat posed by Russia. This is to be done in coordination with European partners. Germany is now placing a particular focus on military cooperation with the UK. The so-called Trinity House Agreement, named after the place in London where it was signed by the UK and Germany, represents the first pact of its kind. Source: dw
Border controls “only feasible for a few more weeks”
According to the police union GdP, the German government’s tightened border controls cannot be maintained in the long term, amid concerns the German rules could break EU law. The CDU/CSU is satisfied with the results so far. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Markus Söder (CSU, CSU) also defended those measures last week. For the SPD’s interior affairs expert Lars Castellucci, however, the German approach harbours dangers. “With stricter border controls and uncoordinated rejections, including of asylum seekers, we run the risk that our European neighbours will abandon the common course of asylum reform in Europe and rely on national measures,” Castellucci affirmed. Source: taz
Video footage from a bar: AfD spokesperson wanted to let refugees into the country to gas them
The AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag has dismissed its former press spokesperson Christian Lüth following reports of inhumane statements about migrants in a ProSieben channel documentary. When asked “whether it would be in your (Lüth’s, editor’s note) interest for more migrants to come,” he answered: “Yes, because then the AfD will be better off. We can always shoot them all later. That’s not an issue at all. Or gas them, or whatever you like. I don’t care!” Faction leader Alexander Gauland announced he had personally informed Lüth of his dismissal, a decision that was unanimous in the executive committee of the parliamentary group. Source: tagesspiegel
