NEWS FROM GERMANY

Klöckner threatens to ban Nietzard from the Bundestag

An Instagram post with an anti-police sweater is putting Green Youth leader Jette Nietzard under increasing pressure, and an internal letter from Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU) to the Greens could continue to cause considerable political tension. Nietzard posted a photo on Instagram with a sweater bearing the inscription “ACAB” (“All Cops Are Bastards”), with the provocative caption “On my way to the Bundestag.” According to the Bild newspaper, Klöckner reacted with harsh criticism and threatened Nietzard with concrete consequences: Up to 5,000 euros in fines and, in the event of a repeat offense, even a ban from the house. Source: BZ

“Beck is the mouthpiece of the far-right government”

There is a dispute within the German-Israeli Society (DIG) over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza offensive. Former DIG President Reinhold Robbe (SPD) affirmed that the current DIG President Volker Beck (Greens) had “now become the mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist Israeli government.” “While thousands of Israelis demonstrate week after week in Tel Aviv against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s conduct of the war and for the return of the remaining hostages, DIG President Beck is trying to justify the disproportionality of the warfare, which has been confirmed by all sides,” says Robbe, who led the DIG from 2010 to 2015. Source: tagesspiegel

Racism and sexism on the rise in Germany

More than 11,000 people contacted the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency in 2024—more than ever before in Germany. “Discrimination is a growing problem in Germany. We have a massive problem with racism, we have a massive problem with sexism. And we have a massive unwillingness to give people with disabilities equal participation,” says Ferda Ataman, Independent Federal Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination. However, she also sees the increase in requests for advice as a sign of confidence in the rule of law. Among the various groups, black women and women with headscarves are particularly targeted by racist hostility. Source: dw

Asylum: Dobrindt sticks to rejections despite ruling

Despite a court ruling, Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) is sticking to his strict course on immigration to Germany. In a first case concerning two men and a woman from Somalia, the administrative court in Berlin declared the new rejection practice unlawful in summary proceedings on Monday. Dobrindt nevertheless affirmed that “we are sticking to the rejections.” The court had referred to an individual case in its summary judgment, while Dobrindt’s ministry is seeking a decision in the main proceedings. The CSU Minister explained that the judges had requested more detailed reasons for the rejection. Source: dw

Germany is third last in terms of economic growth

According to the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), Germany will be one of the slowest growing industrialized nations this year. Gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to increase by 0.4%, as the OECD confirmed in its March forecast. This puts Europe’s largest economy in the third-to-last place in the OECD’s growth forecast for 2025, together with Mexico. It is followed by Austria and Norway. In 2026, growth is expected to reach 1.2%, compared to the previous forecast of 1.1%. According to the OECD, the global economy is only expected to grow by 2.9% in both 2025 and 2026, compared to 3.3% last year. Source: taz

Germany says it has approved over €485M worth of arms exports to Israel since October 2023

From October 7, 2023, to May 13, 2025, Germany issued export licenses for arms deliveries to Israel totaling €485.1 million, according to the government’s response to a question in parliament from Die Linke. The approved exports include a broad range of military equipment including weapons systems, ammunition, radar and communication devices and parts for armored vehicles. The government observed it had provided only limited information about the nature of the exports, citing a Federal Constitutional Court ruling that restricts the disclosure of details which could reveal Israel’s current military capabilities or needs. Source: aa

NEWS FROM BERLIN

BDS “anti-constitutional” for the first time

Berlin’s domestic intelligence service has listed the BDS (“Boykott, Desinvestition und Sanktionen”), a Palestinian-led movement, as a “proven anti-constitutional endeavour” for the first time. However, this designation appeared in a 2024 report on the ‘protection of the constitution’. According to the Senate Chancellery, the reason for this is the alleged anti-constitutional ideology of BDS, which negates Israel’s “right to exist”, as well as its central role within an “anti-Israeli scene in Berlin”. BDS, a transnational political campaign, is directed against trade with Israel and co-operation in culture and science, among other things. Source: Jungewelt

Mass accommodation Tempelhofer Feld?

More places for refugees are to be created on Tempelhofer Feld. As reported by “rbb24”, this is to compensate for the loss of places at a planned refugee centre in Köpenick. The containers and hangars on the edge of Tempelhofer Feld already have space for more than 2,000 refugees. Elif Eralp, spokesperson for The Left (die Linke) in the House of Representatives, takes a critical view of this: she is concerned that further expansion will lead to situations that ‘harbour conflicts’, for example due to a lack of privacy. The Senate wants to decide on additional container accommodation in a fortnight’s time. Source: berliner Zeitung

NEWS FROM GERMANY

SPD members see arms exports as possible involvement in war crimes

The way in which Israel is fighting Hamas is now beginning to be criticised. Although some aid is being delivered to the Gaza Strip again, at the same time a major offensive is exacerbating the suffering of civilians. Therefore, influential SPD MPs are calling on the German government to stop German arms exports to Israel in view of possible war crimes in Gaza. In the party´s Berlin conference, the SPD passed an initial motion calling for a stop to all arms deliveries to Israel. So far, the German government has made an exception for Israel from the practice of not supplying weapons to conflict areas for good reasons. Source: n-tv

The good guys and the bad guys

Instead of thinking about the victims, ethnic origin is discussed first and foremost after attacks. When breaking news of an attack appears on the mobile phone screen, the victims are no longer the focus of reporting. Instead, we are preoccupied with the question: which ethnicities are those involved? It is believe that ethnic origin – “race” – says something about whether a person is “good” or ‘bad’. In last fridays knife attack in Hamburg Central Station, Muhammad Al Muhammad, a Syrian refugee, stopped an attacker, who injured 18 people, from even stabbing more people. Source: taz

More refugees are living in Germany than ever before – but new arrivals have fallen significantly

There are more refugees are living in Germany than ever before. At the end of 2024, approximately 3.45 million foreign nationals who came to the country as refugees were registered. On the other hand, far fewer refugees arrived in 2024 than in previous years: approximately 124,000 more in the country on New Year’s Eve 2024 than the year before. Furthermore, under the new coalition’s asylum policy, a lot could change for refugees in Germany. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) has said that that the family reunification rule for refugees with subsidiary protection status, which has been in effect since 2018, might end in a few weeks for at least two years. Source: welt

Right-wing extremist? Raids on police officers

According to a report, a 27-year-old police officer from the Emsland/Grafschaft Bentheim police station and a 21-year-old police trainee from Hann. Münden (Göttingen district) are accused of having shown the Hitler salute and distributed photos of foreign citizens in cells, among other things. They were suspended from duty for the time being as part of disciplinary proceedings. Investigators said they had seized mobile phones, laptops and electronic data carriers. In a joint statement, Andrea Menke, Police Vice President of the Osnabrück Police Directorate, and Carsten Rose, Director of the Lower Saxony Police Academy, spoke out clearly against right-wing extremist ideas. Source: ndr

Antisemitism Commissioner Klein calls for debate on “raison d’état”

The German government’s antisemitism commissioner, Klein, has called for a debate on the term “Staatsräson” (purpose of state) considering Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip. The term is blurred, as he mentioned to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. The Staatsräson is vague, but the sentiment is that Germany must do everything in its power to preserve the security of Israel and Jews worldwide, and is widely accepted amoung many politicians. However, now it is being questioned with some proponents saying that it must also be made clear that this is not justification for anything. Starving Palestinians and deliberately making the humanitarian situation dramatically worse has nothing to do with safeguarding Israel’s right to exist, Klein has said. Source: deutschlandfunk

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

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

NEWS FROM BERLIN

22,000 take to the streets for the 1^st of May

The May Day protests in Berlin were more peaceful than in previous years. According to the police, 22,000 people took part in the “Revolutionary May 1^st Demo,” but there were relatively few arrests and injuries. The police claim that this is the merit of their new de-escalation tactics, and received the praise of Berlin’s Minister for the Interior, Iris Spranger (SPD). The revolutionary demo was just one of many, after the previous day’s “Take Back the Night” queer-feminist protest, the DGB union protest, and the satirical “Milei, Musk and Merz to Mars” demo in Grunewald. Source: tagesspiegel

Berlin’s Senator for Culture Joe Chialo resigns

Joe Chialo (CDU) resigned after being Berlin’s Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion in Kai Wegner’s Senate since 2023. Speculation as to whether he would become Federal Minister of State for Culture, came to an end once the CDU officially announced that media entrepreneur Wolfram Weimer would take over that post. Chialo’s time in office was not without controversy, such as the conflict surrounding the “antisemitism clause” proposed after the Hamas attack on Israel. He was also sharply criticised for the Berlin Senate’s austerity measures, which have had a massive impact on the cultural sector. Source: bz

Sarah Wedl-Wilson becomes Berlin’s new Senator for Culture

Sarah Wedl-Wilson will take Joe Chialo’s place as the Senator of Culture in the capital. Berlin’s mayor, Kai Wegner (CDU), claimed that Wedl-Wilson understands the problems and enjoys the trust of cultural workers. Unlike her predecessor, Wedl-Wilson is not a member of the CDU party. Born in Great Britain in 1969, the long-time cultural manager not only has experience in cultural administration but is also considered a long-standing expert on Berlin’s cultural scene. During the announcement, when asked about the budget cuts, she just stated that “Berlin will remain a cultural metropolis.” Source: rbb

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Islamophobic MP becomes State Secretary

Christoph de Vries (CDU) has spent years dealing with migration and made a nationwide name for himself with racist statements. The Hamburg politician is now to become State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of the Interior. He announced he wants to “do everything in his power to make the asylum turnaround a reality.” The fact that de Vries is promoted outraged the Hamburg Alliance Against the Right (HBgR), among other organisations. “The CDU man represents AfD positions,” according to HBgR spokesperson Felix Krebs. At a panel discussion in 2021, de Vries presented an “integration scale,” where he ranked foreigner groups from starting downwards from those who share “the same level as the organic Germans.” Source: taz

Gérard Depardieu concert on Rügen cancelled

The French actor Gérard Depardieu had planned to perform at the Putbus theatre on the island of Rügen last Friday. However, the event was cancelled at short notice. According to the theatre, he is not allowed to leave France, where he is currently on trial for sexual assault. The director of the Putbus theatre, Peter Gestwa, affirmed that they only found out about the travel ban on Thursday afternoon. “It came as a surprise that the public prosecutor’s office turned up and wanted his passports,” he added. The event was sold out. Source: bz

The pension system and the coalition agreement

There are two aspects in the coalition agreement that might be politically and economically explosive. Firstly, the coalition could be planning to oblige the self-employed to join the statutory pension scheme, which could be a major advance – or a drop in the ocean. The major drawback of statutory pension insurance for the self-employed is that they pay their contributions alone, i.e. there is no employer who pays half of the contributions. Secondly, the pension level could be abolished as an assessment parameter, without a clear alternative outlined in the document. A major pension reform is still not in sight. Source: focus

Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies AfD as right-wing extremist

The AfD has now been classified as confirmed right-wing extremist throughout Germany by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. This previously only applied to three state associations: Thuringia, Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt. Nationwide, the AfD has been listed as a suspected right-wing extremist case since March 2021. This authorized the domestic intelligence agency to use resources such as informants, surveillance, and the analysis of public and non-public sources. The AfD itself considers the decision to be politically motivated. As Deputy Chairman Stephan Brandner told the Rheinische Post, such a decision has a damaging meaning on the image of the party. Source: dw

“AfD politicians have no place at concentration camp commemorations”

Germany is currently commemorating the end of WWII and the liberation of the concentration camps 80 years ago. Brandenburg’s memorial director, Prof. Dr. Axel Drecoll, warned of the rise of right-wing extremists at the former Sachsenhausen concentration camp. “The AfD trivializes the crimes of the National Socialists,” he said. “For them, the end of the Nazi regime is not a liberation.” Drecoll argues that coming to terms with the Nazi era and protecting fundamental rights are intertwined: “Today, we have a responsibility to defend this foundation by all means.” Source: bz

Merz elected Chancellor on second attempt

CDU leader Friedrich Merz has been elected Chancellor on his second attempt. The 69-year-old achieved the needed majority of more than 316 votes in the Bundestag. 325 members voted for him, 289 against, and one abstained. The new governing coalition of the CDU/CSU and SPD has 328 votes in parliament. Among the first to congratulate Merz was outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier subsequently received Merz at the Bellevue Palace and presented him with his certificate of appointment. This morning, Merz had fallen short of the required majority in the first round of voting – a unique event in the history of the Federal Republic. Source: tagesschau