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News from Berlin and Germany, 26th November 2025

Weekly news round-up from Berlin and Germany

The Left Berlin
26/11/2025

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Bundeswehr trained in Berlin U-Bahn

The guards battalion of the Federal Department of Defence used the U-Bahn station Jungfernheide for a training exercise between November 17 and 21, as announced by the Bundeswehr. The special battalion is responsible for protecting the government buildings in an emergency. Exercises took place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night from last week between 1am and 4am. No live ammunition was used during the training exercise. Further training took place at the so-called “Fighting City” training ground for police in the district of Ruhleben, where soldiers were trained in searching buildings, how to detain enemy forces and defend infrastructure. Source: iamexpat

Black-red Olympic project in Berlin falters

According to a representative survey commissioned by the “Tagesspiegel”, 67% of those surveyed reject a bid for 2036, 2040, or 2044. For the state government, which sees the Olympics as an opportunity for infrastructure, sports, and urban development, this is a clear dampener on the mood. The “NOlympia” alliance has already announced a referendum, which is scheduled to start on January 1, 2026. That is because a possible vote by Berliners would probably not take place until 2027 at the earliest. It would be too late to influence the decision of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB). Source: berliner Zeitung

Wage dispute at Berlin’s Brammibal’s Doughnuts

A wage dispute has arisen between vegan doughnut bakery Brammibal’s and the Food, Beverages, and Catering Union (NGG). The NGG accuses Brammibal’s of responding to wage demands with benefit cuts and the introduction of a fast food collective agreement. “This legally prevents further strikes, while most employees will continue to earn barely above minimum wage in the future,” the NGG said. Source: berliner Zeitung

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Over a million people in Germany are now homeless

On November 17, the Federal Working Group on Homelessness Assistance (BAG W) published new projections for homelessness in Germany in 2024. According to the working group, 1,029,000 people were affected over the course of last year. The number has exceeded the million mark for the first time. It also represents an increase of 11% compared to the previous year. The new figures also show how high the proportion of refugees affected by homelessness is: around 80% did not have German citizenship in 2024, while 20% were German citizens. Sahra Mirow (“die Linke”), observes that “homelessness is not an individual failure, but an expression of anti-social policies.” Source: taz

“Airline prices won’t drop a single cent as a result”

German cities are expected to become more competitive in international air travel. That, at least, is the goal of the German government with its planned reduction of the air traffic tax (starting July 2026), which was only increased in 2024. The reduction in the air traffic tax is now expected to relieve the industry of around 350 million euros annually. Mobility researcher Weert Canzler from the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) criticizes the reduction of the air passenger duty as a “fatal signal.” “The federal government is sending the message they don’t care about climate protection.” Source: rbb

German Interior Minister: “My migration course is tough”

Germany’s Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) said in an interview with Deutsche Welle he had not overpromised when he announced stricter migration policies. “My course is very tough, and that’s exactly how it’s been perceived,” he affirmed, adding still that “from day one, we took the decisions needed to make sure that border controls are tightened.” Dobrindt considers yet the 60% drop in the number of initial asylum applications in Germany to be “clear evidence that illegal migration is declining significantly.” Meanwhile, critics call the term “illegal migration” dehumanizing and misleading. Source: dw

2026: German economy expected to grow

According to the European Commission’s autumn forecast, Germany’s gross domestic product (GDP) will grow by 1.2% in 2026. The German government also predicts 1.4% growth in 2027. “A substantial part of growth in the coming years will be a result of higher state financing, in particular from the special funds for infrastructural investments and increased investment in defence,” Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) said in a government statement in October. While the German economy is on the mend, GDP growth rates forecast for the federal republic in 2026 are still below the average estimate for the political bloc, of 1.4% for next year. Source: iamexpat

Guests leave the hall during Merz’s speech

In protest against the CDU Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s “cityscape” remarks, around 30 people left the hall before he held a speech on integration. At the event, athletes who are committed to the topic of sport and social cohesion were honored with the Talisman Award. They wore stickers with the inscription “We are the cityscape” and only returned to their seats after the approximately 20-minute speech. “Germany is a country of immigration,” the Chancellor emphasized. At the same time, Merz also made it clear that immigration must be managed and controlled. Source: taz

How to tear down the firewall

“The Firewall Only Benefits the AfD”—under this title, political scientist Philipp Manow elaborated on the idea of a minority government in “Stern” that seeks shifting majorities—including with the help of the AfD. Jürgen Kaube followed up in the FAZ, and Claudius Seidl in the Süddeutsche Zeitung. All three believe the firewall must be removed. Within the CDU, one who advocates for opening to the AfD is the historian Andreas Rödder. He believes that easing the firewall might force the AfD to decide whether it wants to move into a democratic state or not. What is true is that the CDU has so far found no way to contain the AfD. Source: taz

Federal Constitutional Court sets limits on deportations

With the assistance of the non-profit organization Society for Civil Rights and the human rights organization Pro Asyl, a Guinean man appealed to Germany’s highest court in Karlsruhe, and the court there has now assessed the case differently than the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg. The plaintiff’s asylum application in Germany had been rejected, and he was scheduled for deportation in 2019. Police arrived then at the accommodation in Berlin where he shared a room with another man. Without a warrant, the police then forced the door open. The Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe ruled that this action violated the Guinean man’s fundamental right to the inviolability of his home. Source: dw

Deportation at any cost

How the German government justifies and executes an inhumane asylum acceptance policy

Milla Mallikas
22/11/2025

A crowd of protestors are holding up a anti deportation signs including a large banner that says "Stop All Deportations"

On 15 October, “We’ll Come United” activist Yerro Gaye was deported to Gambia. His deportation is a prime example of the German government’s inhumane deportation practices.

Gaye had been living in Germany since 2019 and had built a life here with his partner, friends, and political activities for the rights of migrants and refugees. He had worked for Hermes for two years before the immigration authorities revoked his work permit.

Gaye wanted to marry his French partner. But the authorities blocked the marriage at the registry office—even though he had submitted all the documents for the wedding.

On 30 September, the police then surprised him during a routine appointment at the immigration office in Haldensleben. They arrested him without warning and detained him for two weeks in a deportation prison in Dresden.

Deportation enforced despite protests

Numerous activists, lawyers, and some politicians tried to prevent Gaye’s deportation. Yet, the authorities questioned his engagement and claimed to have no knowledge of it, despite evidence to the contrary. The court also agreed with the authorities.

“The actions of the authorities clearly show that they did not investigate the case carefully, but rather enforced a preconceived position,” said Gaye’s lawyer. Saxony’s Minister of the Interior ignored an application for a “Härtefall”—a hardship relief. Also Gaye’s decision to leave the country voluntarily was not granted.

On 7 October, around 80 people protested in Haldensleben against Gaye’s detention. The local police harassed the rally with arbitrary restrictions and eventually used batons and pepper spray against peaceful protesters, injuring six people.

Death in the Mediterranean

Yerro had reached Europe via the most dangerous border in the world—the Mediterranean Sea. He was rescued by sea rescue services. According to the UN, 3,530 people have drowned or are missing in the Mediterranean Sea in 2024 alone.

The number of unreported cases is much higher—as is the number of people who never even reach the Mediterranean but die on the way there in the Sahara, as the EU has been blocking safe transport routes for years.Even after managing to cross the Mediterranean Sea, European authorities falsely charge and detain people for years for smuggling, like the three teenage boys of “El Hiblu 3” in Malta or many young Sudanese in Greece.

It is our right to live together and pursue our careers. I don’t deserve to go through this just because I am a migrant or black. I promise you that I will remain strong and never let myself be intimidated. My only crime is that I am a migrant.

Yerro Gaye

Deportation is common practice

Unfortunately, Gaye’s story is not an isolated case. The inhumane practice of deportation has been going on in Germany for a very long time. And no one is spared, not even people who have lived here for many years and built their lives here, often with children.

However, the authorities are currently making a special effort to deport as many people as possible. The Mediendienst Integration reported a 20 percent increase in deportations compared to 2024.

Only 1 – 2 % of asylum-seekers are granted asylum

Time and again, refugee councils and human rights organisations report brutal, often night-time attacks by the police, with deportations to unsafe and unknown destinations: Georgia, Iran or Iraq, Turkey, and various countries in Africa.

People are being deported even though these countries often persecute, imprison, torture and even murder minorities and politically active individuals. Political asylum in Germany is a years-long, gruelling and costly battle against the authorities, usually unsuccessful.

According to Mediendienst Integration, only 1 – 2% of asylum seekers actually receive asylum under Article 16a of the Basic Law. “Human dignity is inviolable”—Article 1 of the German Basic Law—does not apply to all people in Germany.

Deportation at any cost

The right to asylum, like other fundamental rights, was enshrined in the Basic Law after the experience of German fascist terror. However, the federal government has already shown on several occasions that it does not shy away from using illegal means to enforce its inhumane, racist policies. Policies that only help fascism.

The list is long: the black-red coalition knowingly violates EU freedom of movement law by maintaining border controls within the Schengen area. It has abolished support for sea rescue operations, family reunification and faster naturalisation. It knowingly supports deaths in the Mediterranean and at other EU external borders with the help of Frontex, the EU border surveillance agency.

Government cooperates with dictators

Germany and the EU are cooperating with dictatorial regimes to keep refugees out. These include countries such as Tunisia and Libya. Germany also concluded the “Turkey deal” back in 2016. Under this deal, the authorities can deport people who have been in Turkey during their flight—which is very often the case for Syrians, Iranians, and Afghans, among others—without thoroughly reviewing their asylum applications. There are repeated reports of abuse and pogroms against refugees in Turkey.

Now the German government is also pushing for a joint agreement with other EU states to enable the deportation of people to “safe third countries”. The model for this is the British “Rwanda deal.” The Netherlands, among others, has drawn up plans to deport people to Uganda.

Systematic criminalisation of refugees

In addition, the black-red coalition is attempting to expand the list of countries considered “safe countries of origin.” Asylum applications from these countries can be rejected across the board.

Because the Bundesrat has rejected the classification of Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco as “safe countries of origin,” the federal government is now trying to overturn the requirement for the states to approve such regulations.

Violation of human rights

In 2026, the legislative reforms of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) will come into force. These were drafted during the “traffic light” coalition government with the then Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock of the Green Party. They virtually abolish the individual right to asylum and even provide for the detention of children.

However, this is not enough for the current federal government: based on the GEAS reforms, the CDU/CSU and SPD now want to convert some accommodations into “special facilities”—effectively prisons. According to the government’s plans, refugees will not be allowed to leave the premises if another EU country is responsible for their asylum procedure under the “Dublin Regulation.”

Just recently, the UN Social Committee reprimanded Germany for the first time because refugees in the “Dublin procedure” have been deprived of accommodation, food, and health care. This new procedure violates social human rights, reports Pro Asyl.

Although the German government has denied basic human rights for refugees and many migrants, there are at least still some non-governmental institutions offering help—if one has the financial means and enough mental strength to seek it. Yet, experienced lawyers, counselling agencies, and NGOs are highly overloaded and even scams have been reported. People seeking protection then need to rely on the support and energy of activists who often fiercely try to fight this inhumane system. Yet, even supporting refugees and migrants is already criminalized in many European countries like Poland and it is rumoured that there are plans to implement similar repression in Germany.

Altogether there are no real safe passages to reach protection and asylum in the EU—not even for people escaping genocides like in Gaza, Sudan, or the DRC. Germany is often celebrated as a country that would have learned from its horrific genocidal past yet, the recent developments, experiences of the people who have been re-traumatized by the system, and those who have perished or disappeared tell another story.

News from Berlin and Germany, 19th November 2025

Weekly news round-up from Berlin and Germany

The Left Berlin
19/11/2025

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Die Linke launches its election campaign with Elif Eralp

Die Linke Berlin has selected Elif Eralp as its lead candidate for the Berlin elections in 2026. The 44-year-old has been deputy chair of the Berlin Die Linke since May 2025, as well as a member of the Berlin House of Representatives since 2021. There, the lawyer is deputy parliamentary group chair and spokesperson for migration and anti-discrimination. In her speech on November 15, Eralp emphasized her ambition to become Governing Mayor of Berlin and presented housing and rental policy as the most important campaign issue. Source: rbb

Liebknecht-Luxemburg commemoration may not take place in 2026

The traditional commemoration of the assassination of labor leaders Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht in 1919 may not take place in 2026, due to construction works. For 107 years, apart from the Nazi era, thousands of people have gathered at the cemetery in Lichtenberg on the second Sunday in January to commemorate those leaders who were murdered. The Lichtenberg district office has now informed the alliance of various left-wing groups, which has been preparing and registering silent commemorations and demonstrations for many years, that no permit might be granted for the large-scale event planned for January 11, 2026. Source: bz

NEWS FROM GERMANY

German rent calculator finds more than 140,000 cases of exploitation in 1 year

Around 146,700 tenants who have used Die Linke’s rent calculator in the past year found out that they were paying illegally high rent. The party is set to propose a Rent Law in the Bundestag. To mark the date, Die Linke has released figures about how many people have used the calculator and what results they found. In the first year, 220,000 tenants across Germany used the Mietwucher and around two-thirds found they were being overcharged. Moreover, among the tenants who found they were paying too much, half found that they were paying 50% over the maximum local comparative rent set by the rent index (Mietspiegel). Source: iamexpat

How many people belong to a trade union in Germany?

Trade union membership across Europe is on the decline, and this holds true for Germany as well. According to a new study from the German Economic Institute (IW), 20.2% of employees in Germany were members of a trade union in 2016, compared to 16,6 % in 2023. On the other side, while the number of union members has declined over that period, the number of people employed in Germany has risen. According to the IW, the decline can be explained, among other aspects, due to the low mobilisation of employees in small businesses, “atypical” modes of employment (such as part-time work), and employees with a migration background. Source: iamexpat

Military service in Germany: all young men must undergo medical examination

According to AFP information, an agreement was reached during consultations between the Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and representatives of the coalition parliamentary groups. The new model will require all 18-year-old men to undergo a medical examination. If there are not enough volunteers among those examined, a lottery will decide who must perform military service. Pistorius’ original model was initially based on voluntary service. Union MPs called for automatic conscription if the planned model failed to meet NATO’s recruitment targets. More recently, a proposal for a lottery to determine who must undergo medical examination has caused a stir. Source: bz

Fridays for Future demands more pressure for climate protection

Fridays for Future is criticising the German government and the EU for their climate policy. Protests happened on November 14 in over 60 cities nationwide, accompanied by actions at the UN Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belém, Brazil. The movement has called on the German government to exert more international pressure for climate protection. Climate activist Luisa Neubauer criticised the agreement between the CDU, CSU, and SPD to lower the air passenger tax in an interview with RBB and Deutschlandfunk radio. Neubauer spoke of “fossil fuel tax breaks” for airlines. Source: mdr

German government agrees on record debt for 2026

The German parliament’s budget committee has signed off on the budget presented by Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD). The exploding cost of Germany’s welfare system is supposedly putting pressure on the coffers — along with the billions of euros for rearming the Bundeswehr. The new borrowing of some 180 billion euros is the second highest in the country’s history, beaten only during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be put to a final vote in the Bundestag. Government representatives, nevertheless, clearly looked pleased on November 14, even if, on the day before, the Council of Economic Experts had accused the German government of spending too little money on investment. Source: dw

NS auction in Neuss canceled

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) welcomed the cancellation of the planned auction of Holocaust documents in Neuss. The Felzmann auction house wanted to auction letters from concentration camp inmates, a Jewish star, and Gestapo papers on November 18. Following protests by the International Auschwitz Committee, the auction was canceled. Wadephul said he expects the matter to be clarified. He added that it must be ensured that the crimes of the Shoah are not used for commercial gain in the future. The auction house has not yet made a public statement. Source: wdr

Antifascist, in solidarity with Palestine, stop the AfD youth group

Statement by the Palestine Action Alliance, Leipzig

The Left Berlin
15/11/2025

At the end of November, the AfD is founding a new youth organisation.

In doing this, the AfD wants to tie militant Neo-Nazis and their networks closer to the party. The fascists in the AfD are following a strategy of insurrection. They want a leadership of terror in the tradition of the Nazis. The mass deportation of millions of people is only possible with massive violence and terror—against Muslims, against people with a migration background, against queer people, and against all people who do not fit in their world view. That means all of us.

We know that anti-Muslim racism is part of the DNA of the AfD. This is made possible by the racism in the middle of society. Since the start of the genocide in Gaza, state violence against Muslim people has grown immensely.

The AfD is markedly pro-Israel, supports its genocidal government, and dreams of ethnic cleansing of migrants in Germany in the way that Israel carries it out against Palestinians. It is not hard to imagine that if the AfD were to take power, Palestinians and Muslim people would be the first victims of their rule of terror. This makes it even more important that the Palestine movement involves itself massively in the fight against Fascism.

For the end of November, the Widersetzen (resistance) alliance is organising massive protests against the formation of the AfD youth organisation. The Palestine movement is part of this, as consistent anti-fascism is anti-racist.

Two years of genocide have shown what the people in power are capable of. But the last two years have also shown that people striving for justice and will not be silent.

It was the Palestine movement which, despite state repression and massive police violence, was on the streets protesting against the massacre of people in Gaza. It was the Palestine movement, which, despite media sanctions and smear campaigns, stayed on the streets and demanded an end to genocide, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing. It was the Palestine movement which initiated the largest anti-war movement in recent decades. And it is the Palestine movement which has the power to make an important contribution towards strengthening the fight against Fascism and to blockade the AfD, including their youth organisation.

Part of this resistance contains factions whose positions on Palestine we reject. We are convinced that this has got to change. We can achieve this at best by working together with such factions to resist fascism, and as part of this to confidently fight for our positions.

Free Palestine! Stop the AfD Youth!

This statement is supported by the following organisations:

Chemnitz4Palestine
Free Palestine Bonn
Gaza Komitee Köln
Erfurt Unsilenced
Thawra Hamburg
Jena für Palästina
Palästina Spricht München
Gaza Komitee Berlin
The Left Berlin
Students for Palestine Freiburg
Palästina Solidarität Köln
Free Palestine Dresden
Palästinaaktionsbündnis Leipzig

This statement was originally written in German. Translation: Phil Butland

News from Berlin and Germany, 12th November 2025

Weekly news round-up from Berlin and Germany

The Left Berlin
12/11/2025

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Largest refugee shelter in Berlin to be closed by 2026

A refugee distribution center, known as HUB, has been set up on part of the former Berlin Tegel Airport. Currently, only 1,500 places in that central refugee shelter are occupied with people from Ukraine, according to “DW”. The state wants to clear the site on the former airport grounds in the coming months anyway, and it wants to build a new neighborhood there in the future. Meanwhile, Berlin’s government emphasizes the advantages of smaller-scale and decentralized accommodation. “Decentralized accommodation means distributing the burden among many participants and creating good neighborly relations,” affirmed Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD), Berlin Senator for Labor, Social Affairs, Equality, and Integration. Source: welt

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Warken announces average additional contribution for health insurance funds

Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) has announced that she will set the average additional contribution covering expenses for health insurance funds at 2.9%. “Our task is to work together withthe health insurance funds and other experts in the so-called estimation group to determine how high the average additional contribution covering expenses isexpected to be,” Warken told the “Rheinische Post” newspaper. The health minister also expressed the possibility of introducing a new patient fee if citizens do not adhere to the proposed primary care system. “We are planning to introduce a primary care system in which people will not be able to go directly to a specialist without referal,“ she added. Source: n-tv

Not only criminals deported to Syria

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s (CDU) trip to Damascus has sparked a debate about the repatriation of Syrians. CDU Secretary General Linnemann has another opinion, though. He has spoken out in favor of the return of Syrian refugees, even those who are not criminals or dangerous individuals. Given the end of the civil war in the country, he affirmed on the ARD program “Bericht aus Berlin” that there is “no longer any reason for asylum in Germany.” Linnemann added that talks with the Syrian interim president would take place in the coming weeks, with the aim of creating a legal basis for repatriation. Source: n-tv

Germans broadly support democracy, oppose far right

The German study “Mitte Studie” (“Center Study”), conducted annually since 2006 by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, aims to serve as an early warning system for anti-democratic developments. For this report, 2,000 people were interviewed. The sample represents a cross-section of German society in terms of voting behavior, education, income, and origin. There, almost 80% of respondents said they are staunchly committed to democracy, up 6% from four years ago. Support for overt right-wing extremism in Germany is on the decline: only 3% of respondents have a firmly right-wing extremist world view. However, the study also shows that right-wing extremism tends to be more prevalent among youth. Source: dw

Magdeburg: trial for suspect of deadly market attack begins

A trial begun on November 10 for aman accused of carrying out an attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg last December. There, six people were killed and more than 300 others wounded. The suspect, Taleb A., is also charged with attempted murder in relation to another 338 people. Taleb A. has been in custody since the day of the crime. If he is found guilty, he faces life imprisonment for murder. At the time of the attack, officials said Taleb A., was an “untypical” attacker. They said he planned and prepared the crime in detail over several weeks without the help of accomplices. Source: bbc

Man held after cars in Hanau found smeared with swastikas in blood

A man is being held by police after about 50 vehicles were smeared in human blood in Hanau. Cars, walls and postboxes were defaced sometimes with swastikas. A 31-year-old Romanian man was detained at his home and a breathalyser test showed he had a high blood alcohol level. Investigators said their initial findings suggested the man had reacted to an incident at work and would be referred to a psychiatric clinic. Bundestag Vice President Omid Nouripour (Greens) said the attack had left him speechless and needed to be solved quickly. Source: bbc

Three issues still unresolved regarding the new military service

Thomas Röwekamp (CDU), chairman of the Bundestag’s Defense Committee, is raising some issues regarding the plans for military service. For instance, he made it clear that the CDU no longer insists on a lottery system for selecting young men for conscription. His party also claims about the need for a ‘growth path’ for the active forces in the law, in cases where “you need an additional 10,000 men and women per year,” as he affirmed. Röwekamp referred also to the issue of whether all of those doing military service should be considered temporary soldiers, as Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) wants. Source: handelsblatt