News from Berlin

Number of drug deaths in Berlin at a new high

In Berlin, 294 people died from the use of illegal drugs last year, as mentioned at a press conference on 7 July, held by the Federal Commissioner for Addiction and Drug Issues, Hendrik Streeck. This is a new high for the capital. According to police crime statistics, there were 271 drug-related deaths in Berlin in 2023. Nationwide the number of drug-related deaths fell slightly last year to 2,137 cases. Nevertheless, 342 deaths related to synthetic opioids were counted in Germany – more than ever before. The 14% increase in deaths among young people in the country under the age of 30 is worrying. Source: rbb

Police investigate possible syringe attacks at the Matrix

Police and fire department were deployed at the Matrix club, where several guests complained of feeling unwell, and two women claimed to have been stabbed in the arm. According to reports, nine people had to receive medical treatment in the club on 26 June. After medical treatment, it was not possible to rule out punctures. Based on the statements of witnesses, the police arrested two men aged 35 and 44 in the vicinity. However, no suspicious objects were found on them, and they were released. The investigation is ongoing, according to the police. Source: rbb

News from Germany

New minimum wage in Germany announced

The German government has announced that on January 1, 2026, the German minimum wage will increase from 12,82 euros to 13,90 euros per hour. A second increase will come on January 1, 2027, when the minimum wage will rise to 14,60 euros per hour. The statutory minimum wage applies to all workers in Germany over the age of 18. During its election campaign, the SPD called for the minimum hourly wage to increase to 15 euros. After the CDU and SPD joined forces following the election, their coalition agreement stated that the 15-euro hourly wage would be “achievable” by 2026. Source: iamexpat

Growth booster: Germany as a business location

Boosting the economy, securing jobs and creating permanently higher economic growth. According to current federal coalition, this is a high-priority goal. To accomplish this, the Federal Cabinet has adopted the “draft law for an immediate tax investment programme to strengthen Germany as a business location”. Specifically, the draft law includes the following points: a) investment booster, with accelerated depreciation of 30% per year for equipment; b) reduction in corporation tax. From 2032, the total tax burden will be under 25%, instead of the current 30 %; c) corporate e-mobility, promoting the use of electric vehicles for business purposes; and d) expansion of the research allowance. Source: bundesregierung

AfD parlimentary members are to be moderate

The AfD parliamentary group’s ‘Code of Conduct’ has been updated to reflect their political strategy: “The members are committed to a united and moderate approach in parliament in order to ensure the political ability to act and the credibility of the parliamentary group.” Party leader Tino Chrupalla has repeatedly stated in recent weeks that members of his party should moderate their tone and made open advances to political competitors. The AfD believes such strategy will open up to new groups of voters. The party is also trying to distance itself from the extremist activist Martin Sellner, probably also out of fear of the impending ban proceedings. Source: taz

Well educated and still looking for a job?

Job seekers are currently having a hard time due to companies are holding back on job advertisements owing to the tense economic situation. Both job portals such as ‘Indeed’ and ‘the Federal Employment Agency’ report that the number of jobs advertised has recently fallen significantly, with 17% fewer vacancies in June this year than in June 2024. At the same time, the number of unemployed people in Germany has risen by almost 190,000. Virginia Sondergeld, economist at Indeed, says that the situation is not completely hopeless. For instance, one can look closely at the areas in which staff are currently still being sought. Source: tagesschau

Pistorius defines criteria for compulsory military service

Federal Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) has specified his plans for voluntary military service and a transition to compulsory military service. According to “Der Spiegel”, which quotes from a draft bill, service is to become compulsory if it “urgently requires a short-term increase in the armed forces that cannot be achieved on a voluntary basis”. According to that document, the cabinet and the Bundestag are to decide on compulsory recruitment in the event of an intensification of the threat situation, for example. From 2030, Pistorius wants to be able to call up a total force of 460,000 soldiers. Source: tagesschau

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Referendum “Berlin car-free” is admissible

The regional court in Berlin announced last week that the “Berlin car-free” referendum is admissible. The MPs now have four months to pass or reject the law. If they reject it, a second signature-gathering phase will begin, in which the initiative must collect signatures from 7% of Berlin’s eligible voters within four months. If they are successful, a referendum could be held in 2026. The draft law stipulates that after a transitional period of four years, private individuals will only be allowed to make 12 trips per person per year within the S-Bahn ring. Numerous special permits for commercial traffic and special needs are planned, and taxis will still be allowed. Source: taz

Queer-hostile attack on bar in Prenzlauer Berg

Berlin police have reported several anti-queer offenses in an attack on a bar, the “Tipsy Bear,” in Prenzlauer Berg, last Saturday. According to current information, a group of seven to eight people is said to have appeared at the bar at around 1:45 am. One of the young men from the group reportedly turned towards the pub with a baseball bat in his hand, fleeing when police officers approached. The Berlin State Office of Criminal Investigation has taken over the investigation. In recent years, there have been several attacks against the bar on Eberswalder Straße. Source: queer.de

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Germany stops reunification of refugees’ families

The German Parliament has approved government plans to suspend the admission into the country of family members of individuals with subsidiary protection status for the next two years. Currently, over 300,000 people with subsidiary protection status live in Germany, the majority from Syria. The classification is for people who do not meet the specific criteria for refugee status under the Geneva Convention but who face a risk of serious harm in their country of origin. Critics, such as human rights NGO ProAsyl, have said that separation from family can place a huge psychological strain on those affected. Source: dw

Söder indicates ideas for a German “Iron Dome”

Markus Söder (CSU) told Bild am Sonntag that thousands of drones and new missile systems need to be purchased, as well as a German version of the “Iron Dome.” “Germany needs a protective shield with precision weapons,” according to Söder, who is calling for the establishment of a drone army with 100,000 drones and a missile defense shield based on the Israeli model. “To this end, we should cooperate with Ukraine and Israel and use their experience.” The CSU politician also mentioned that the Bundeswehr needs other weapons such as “2,000 Patriots and 1,000 Taurus just for Germany,” among others. Source: spiegel

Merkel criticizes asylum policy

Former Chancellor Angela Merkel has distanced herself from the practice of the CDU/CSU-led Interior Ministry of having asylum seekers turned back at the border. “If someone says ‘asylum’ here at the German border, they must first be given a procedure. Directly at the border, if you like, but a procedure,” said the Christian Democrat at a meeting with former refugees. “That’s my understanding of European law.” Merkel also warned against allowing herself to be driven by the AfD when it comes to migration policy. “I can’t always just talk about the AfD and take up their agenda,” she said. Source: tagesschau

SPD calls for AfD ban

The SPD has officially launched efforts to ban the AfD. At their party congress in Berlin last weekend, delegates voted unanimously to set up a federal working group tasked with collecting evidence of the far-right party’s unconstitutionality. “The nationalist wing dominates the party,” reads the resolution. The hurdles here are high: a party can only be banned if it is proven to actively work against the constitution, a line the SPD claims the AfD has now clearly crossed. “Of course it’s risky,” admitted Thuringia’s SPD interior minister Georg Maier, “but the risk of doing nothing is even greater.” Source: theberliner

Poland introduces controls at border with Germany

Germany has led the way, now it is Poland’s turn, which will from 7 July introduce temporary border controls with Germany and Lithuania. Normally, there are no checks on people at internal borders in the Schengen area. The German government has already ordered checks at all German borders to combat irregular migration. However, the legal assessment of rejections at the border is inconsistent. At the beginning of June, the Berlin Administrative Court ruled that three people from Somalia, who had been refused entry from Poland by the Federal Police despite having applied for asylum, could not be turned back. Source: br

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Letter of confession emerges after suspected arson attack

Following the burning of a total of 35 vans from Amazon and Telekom, a letter of confession has appeared on the internet. The confessional text states that the attack was aimed at the companies. The corporations are accused of being involved in wars: “Both companies profit immensely from global militarization and the spreading wars. That’s why it’s right to sabotage them.” No one was injured in the fires, but there was considerable damage to property. The police state security department responsible for politically motivated crimes is currently investigating the assaults. Source: rbb

CDU remains the strongest force; Die Linke increases to 19%

If elections to the Berlin House of Representatives had been held some days ago, the CDU would have come in at 25%, a loss of 2% compared to the previous poll in November 2024. Die Linke would have been the second strongest force with 19%, meaning a significant improvement of 13%. The Alliance 90/The Greens would have been the third strongest party with a 15% share of the vote despite losing 5%, and the AfD would have reached 13%, down 2% compared to November 2024. More than two thirds (68%) of respondents said they were “not very” or “not at all” satisfied with the current black-red Senate. Source: rbb

Is “From the river to the sea” a Hamas slogan? A Berlin court denies it

A student, Emil T., was accused by the public prosecutor in Berlin of shouting the slogan “From the river to these a, Palestine will be free” at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in May 2024. He was also alleged to have resisted law enforcement officers during the occupation of the Freie Universität’s theater courtyard in the same month. But last Friday he was just acquitted. “For me, it [the slogan] expresses the opinion that there should be a state in the historical mandate territory of Palestine in which everyone can live in freedom, without oppression and occupation,” he said during the trial. Source: nd

“Renate” goes up in flames

Just after 2am last Thursday morning, a fire broke out in the forecourt of Berlin’s iconic “Wilde Renate” (or simply, “Renate”) club in Friedrichshain. Residents heard explosions preceding the blaze: a dramatic video from the Berliner Morgenpost shows the flames engulfing the site. The club was not open at the time, so no one was injured. However, it appears that the venue sustained significant damage to its fenced forecourt, which is mainly used as a beer garden. Flames also reportedly spread to the entrance area. This incident comes during an already difficult time for the club, which is set to close at the end of the year. Source: theberliner

Delivery service manages to obtain victory again

Once again, the Finnish delivery service Wolt, former employees, and interested parties find themselves in the large courtroom of the Berlin Labor Court—with a victory for the delivery company. This time, a bicycle courier had not properly received her wage. As so often before, the question is: Does Wolt have to take responsibility for the misconduct of its subcontractors commissioned as fleet partners? Nicolas Roggel, Wolt’s lawyer, denies that Wolt worked with Mobile World GmbH. Instead, IMOQX GmbH, which was the plaintiff’s employer, was used as a so-called fleet partner. The courier can appeal against the ruling at the regional labor court. Source: nd

Berlin government announces new projects, security area included

At a closed meeting in Nauen (Havelland, the Berlin government coalition of CDU and SPD decided to introduce a series of legislative projects before the summer break. For example, there are plans to tighten Berlin’s police law, as CDU parliamentary group leader Dirk Stettner and SPD parliamentary group leader Raed Saleh explained in the House of Representatives. The police are to be given more powers in areas such as video surveillance at crime-ridden locations and telecommunications surveillance. The decisions received criticism from, among others, the opposition and the “Deutsche Wohnen & Co enteignen” initiative. Source: rbb

Closure of Görlitzer Park: around 900 people protested on Monday

The planned night-time closure of Görlitzer Park has been the subject of controversy for more than two years. Now preparations are starting for the construction of a fence around the park. To begin the construction, no-parking zones were designated. This will be followed by successive measures. There were protests against the project on Monday: around 900 opponents of the controversial construction in Berlin-Kreuzberg demonstrated in the evening against the start of the construction work. The situation remained peaceful, said police spokesman Martin Stralau. The police also announced that they would guard the construction site against possible protests. Source: tagesspiegel

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Regensburg CSD must be rescheduled due to threats

The Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Regensburg will not take place as originally planned. “There was a threatening letter,” said CSD organizer Alexander Irmisch to the German Press Agency. Following a discussion with the police and the city, Irmisch decided to change the plans for the event. The route of the annual parade through the old town will be shortened. There will also be a stationary event on the cathedral square. Irmisch said that it is still unclear from which end of the political spectrum the threatening letter against the Regensburg CSD came: “I can’t assign it to any camp at the moment.” Source: taz

Mask deals: Spahn wants to comment this week

Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) has announced that she will present the previously secret investigation report on the procurement of coronavirus face masks to the Budget Committee during Jens Spahn’s (CDU) tenure as Health Minister. For data protection reasons, however, passages willbe blacked out, said Warken, referring for example to personal employee data and business secrets of affected companies. Spahn, currently head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, is expected to give his opinion on the special mask report to the Bundestag’s budget committee on Wednesday. Spahn is said to have offered to do so voluntarily, according to committee circles. Source: BZ

NATO agrees on 5%

A few days before the NATO summit in The Hague, on 25 June, the 32 states in the alliance have reached an agreement on the planned new target for defense spending. A declaration envisages a target of 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035, according to diplomats. From the 5%, 3.5% of GDP is earmarked for pure defense spending and 1.5% for defense-related spending such as infrastructure measures. Currently, the NATO target for defense spending only provides for annual national spending of at least 2% of GDP. Source: tagesschau

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrations since October 2023

The Berlin police have counted 674 pro-Palestinian demonstrations and hundreds of related incidents since October 2023. A further 24 demonstrations have been banned, as the Senate and police responded to an SPD questioning. According to the police, the number of recorded violent offenses at pro-Palestinian demonstrations up to the end of May was 714, almost 600 of them in the past year. In addition, 615 propaganda offenses and incitement to hatred were recorded during the demonstrations. The Senate Interior Administration stated that the majority of demonstrators were peaceful. Source: rbb

Neo-Nazi attacks in Lichtenberg

In 2024, the police registered the highest number of right-wing extremist crimes in Berlin for 10 years: 2,791 cases, an increase of 20% compared to the previous year. The significant increase in coercion and threats is particularly striking. The number of so-called propaganda offenses also rose. These include the distribution of banned symbols in the form of stickers or graffiti. Last year, Lichtenberg was one of Berlin’s hotspots for right-wing crimes: 246 offenses were counted in the district, compared to 147 in 2022. 85 right-wing extremist crimes were already documented in the first quarter of 2025. Source: rbb

Soldiers honored at the first National Veterans Day in front of the Reichstag

National Veterans Day were celebrated for the first time in Germany on Sunday. Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU) opened the central ceremony. Around ten million Germans currently count as veterans. Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) described the Bundeswehr as an “integral part” of society. On the other hand, several counter-demonstrations were announced in the capital. At midday, “Veterans against war” met in Scheidemannstraße in front of the Reichstag, with 110 registered participants. There was also a counter-vigil in Spreebogenpark near the Reichstag. According to the police, ten arrests were also made at another demonstration in Mitte. Source: rbb

Muslims in Berlin under general suspicion

It is estimated that up to 10% of Berliners are Muslim, but it is difficult to say exactly how many. This is because those who identify as Muslim do not necessarily have to be part of an Islamic community. The organization CLAIM brings together 50 Muslim and non-Muslim civil society actors and it runs a center on anti-Muslim discrimination in Berlin. Last Wednesday, it published its current annual report, which shows that 70% more cases of discrimination were registered last year than in 2023. The office registered 644 incidents, roughly two incidents per day. Almost two-thirds of those affected were women (64%). Source: nd

Berlin activist after Gaza mission: “Israel won’t exist for much longer”

The Berlin activist Yasemin Acar, who intended to travel to the Gaza Strip together with Greta Thunberg on a ship of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, landed at Berlin’s BER airport last Thursday. She was greeted there by dozens of supporters. Acar accuses Israel of kidnapping the crew members of the sailing ship Madleen in international waters. The activist group had set sail from Sicily at the beginning of June. According to their own statements, they wanted to bring relief supplies such as baby food and medical supplies to the suffering people in the Gaza Strip. “We will come back until we stop the siege,” Acar added. Source: BZ

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Making peace? Only with weapons!

The reactions to the modest manifesto against unlimited militarization by SPD politicians show how far the internal mobilization has progressed—no matter how much the Social Democrats, who are pleading for a reversal of the “turnaround” delusion, claim that they also stand for the EU’s defense capability and military support for Ukraine. Today, even the most well-founded warning about the growing danger of a nuclear inferno associated with the stationing of US medium-range missiles in Germany is considered treason. Rheinmetall and Co. are happy about this, as are, of course, the arms investors in other parts of the world. Source: nd

Border control with Austria was unlawful

The Bavarian Administrative Court has decided that a personal check on June 11, 2022, at the German-Austrian border was unlawful. During an identity check at that time, the Federal Police came across the international law expert Stefan Salomon. He is a junior professor of European law at the University of Amsterdam. Salomon then took action against the check, represented by Christoph Tometten from the Berlin law firm Möckernkiez. The decision nevertheless does not address the general legality of internal border controls. Source: lto

“Drama in the billions”

Last Saturday, Jens Spahn, head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, made a public demand for a return to compulsory military service.  For a moment, the headline “Jens Spahn demands” displaced the numerous accusations directed at Spahn himself—about the masks affair and about Spahn’s mistakes at the beginning of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, when he was Federal Minister of Health. On Sunday, NDR, WDR and the Süddeutsche Zeitung quoted from the 170-page report by special investigator Margaretha Sudhof: driven by “political ambition,” Spahn had wanted to “master the procurement of the masks alone.” The result was “a drama costing billions.” Source: taz

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Rents in Berlin are rising sharply, with a disastrous effect

Rents in Berlin have only been going in one direction for years: upwards. More and more people are moving to the capital – the four million mark is within reach. But there is not enough living space for this influx. The result is an explosion in prices. In such scenario, it pays to have a rental contract that is several years old. According to the Berliner Zeitung, prices for new tenants per square meter in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg are now almost twice as high as the average for existing tenants. This leads to a disastrous consequence, with hardly any mobility on the market. Researchers call this the lock-in effect. Source: Berlin Live

The fence that almost nobody wants

The “Day Z”, the day when a fence will be built in Görlitzer Park, is now imminent and that is why Clara Vuillemin, cofounder of the magazine “Republik”, sat in the middle of the park in Berlin-Kreuzberg last Thursday. The 33-year-old lives around the corner. The park, “that’s my garden, my balcony,” she says. “If they close it now, they’ll just take it away from us.” Almost two years ago, Berlin’s mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) announced that he would have a fence built around the park, primarily to combat drug dealing. Source: SZ

“New Generation” blockade stopped at the Bundestag

A blockade by the New Generation Initiative was stopped by the police at the Bundestag in Berlin last Friday. A group of around 20 people tried to stick themselves in front of the entrance to the parliament’s underground parking garage at around 8.30 am, a policespokes woman said. However, the officers intervened, and 20 people were provisionally arrested. The New Generation initiative is the successor to the Last Generation climate protection group. It calls for a “non-violent, democratic revolution” and had announced a week of action for more democracy. Most recently, it tried to block access roads to a printing plant in Berlin-Spandau. Source: rnd

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Left-wing MP thrown out of Bundestag over Palestine shirt

During questions to the Federal Government in the Bundestag, Parliament President Julia Klöckner (CDU) expelled Left Party MP Cansın Köktürk from the chamber. The reason for this was a shirt with the word “Palestine” on it. Around half an hour into the questioning of Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) and Development Aid Minister Reem Alabali-Radovan (SPD), among others, Klöckner said: “We have agreed – and these are the clear rules of the House – that neither stickers nor any other form of denomination on T-shirts are allowed”. “Then I would ask you to leave the meeting,” Klöckner continued. Köktürk then left the room. Source: islamiq

Hanau survivor initiates an open letter against the Gaza war

Germany’s Middle East policy has been criticised: around 50 personalities from academia, culture, politics and society have sent an open letter to the German government. The initiator of the letter comes from Hanau. Etris Hashemi knows what pain and suffering mean, especially when innocent people are affected. The 28-year-old survived the racist attack in Hanau on February 19, 2020, seriously injured and losing his brother Said Nesar and several of his friends. The letter states that Germany has a special responsibility due to its historical guilt: “both for the observance of international law and universal human rights as well as for the fight against anti-Semitism and racism.” Source: Hessenschau

US troops to remain in Germany

During Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s (CDU) inaugural visit to Washington, US President Donald Trump confirmed that the US troops stationed in Germany should remain there. In response to a question from journalists in the Oval Office, Trump answered with a clear “yes”. According to the US European Command, around 78,000 US troops are currently stationed in Europe, of which around 37,000 are in Germany. The number varies regularly as part of rotations and exercises – especially since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Trump praised Germany’s increased defense spending as a “positive thing” in principle, but did not want to comment onspecific figures. Source: berliner Zeitung

Bavarian AfD wants ban rainbow flags

The AfD in Bavaria plans to ban the use of the rainbow and EU flags on public buildings and state institutions. As reported by Deutsche Presse-Agentur, a corresponding draft bill from the parliamentary group in the state parliament stipulates that “only the federal flag, the Bavarian state flag and the flag of the respective municipality may be hoisted or displayed”. The motion met with massive criticism from all other parliamentary groups during the first debate in parliament. “It’s amazing how a small colorful flag can inflame the minds of a few,” said Doris Rauscher (SPD). Source: Merkur

Bundeswehr: new NATO goals, old infrastructure?

Boris Pistorius (SPD) has brought up the idea of increasing the Bundeswehr’s personnel by up to 60,000 soldiers. But how should they be distributed – and where should they be housed? The institution faces enormous structural changes to meet the changing requirements. The only thing that is certain is that the money is there. Meanwhile, NATO is tightening slowly the reins. Experts speculate about what exactly NATO’s new requirements will be. According to dpa, an increase of around 30% in the size of NATO was discussed in Brussels. However, a decision will only be made at the NATO summit on June 24 and 25 in The Hague. Source: Defence Network