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News from Berlin and Germany, 2nd July 2025

Weekly news round-up from Berlin and Germany


01/07/2025

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 and Germany, 25th June 2025

Weekly news round-up from Berlin and Germany


25/06/2025

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 and Germany, 18th June 2025

Weekly news round-up from Berlin and Germany


18/06/2025

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 and Germany, 11th June 2025

Weekly news round-up from Berlin and Germany


11/06/2025

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








“The Metaphorical Ship of the Zionist Entity is Sinking”

Interview with Yazan Eissa (Gaza Freedom Flotilla, Germany)

Yasan Eissa stands in front of a wall, hands clasped in front of him. He is wearing a keffiyeh and a necklace with a pendant.

Editors’ Note: This interview was taken on 8th June, the day before the occupants of the Madleen were kidnapped by Israeli troops on international waters. We will update you with more news as quickly as we can.

Hi Yazan, thanks for talking to us. Could you start by briefly introducing yourself?

My name is Yazan Eissa. I am a Palestinian in exile. I have been living in Germany for seven years already. I am a representative of the Freedom Flotilla in Germany and a steering committee member.

When did you become an activist, and why?

Although I’m not a big fan of the word “activist,” I can say that as a Palestinian, I’ve always resisted the occupation one way or the other. However, ever since October 7, the masks have fallen, not only for me, but for anyone else around the world. 

The governments of the world started taking sides. Capitalism has shown its colours, colonialism and Zionism have become more prominent in the way the governments respond to everything. It was just clear to me that I have to do as much as I could to cause a change in this world. 

How did you get involved with the Freedom Flotilla? 

I simply couldn’t take it anymore, sitting there being helpless. The inability to do anything pushed me to contact as many direct actions as possible, offering my help. I contacted the Freedom Flotilla repeatedly without response. When I found out that a steering committee member was moving to Germany, I contacted them and offered to help start the Germany team.

What inspired you specifically about the Freedom Flotilla compared to other efforts since October 7th?

What really stood out for me was that the Freedom Flotilla had started way before October 7th. It was about the siege of Gaza. It’s the values carried by this organization. Those people actually know about the struggle in Palestine. I realized that even more after joining and talking to them. They’re doing this for the right values and the right cause. 

I really wanted to join them because they were advocating for direct action. Different organizations have different approaches, but for me it was direct action that could make a difference. We could cause turmoil. We could start the butterfly effect. 

Can you tell us about your involvement with the Conscience?

The Conscience is a big ship, and, along with the Madleen, it was set to take almost 50 people to Gaza. I was one of the people who was willing to be a participant and go all the way to break the siege.

But as we were trying to get things started, the Zionist entity took notice of our movements and tried to stop us. First through bureaucratic warfare, then by removing a flag from a ship in international waters––breaching maritime law. They finally resorted to dropping a bomb on the engine of the Conscience and destroying it. They thought this would destroy our hopes. But 2 weeks later, we organised the Madleen to deliver the aid. 

I guess most people know about the Madleen because of the involvement of Greta Thunberg. How important or unimportant is her involvement? 

Speaking to Greta, I know for a fact that her values are in the right place. This is something that made me very comfortable having her on board. In the beginning, we asked her to be there as a prominent figure but not be on the ship. Then she decided: “this is something that I would stand behind. I want to be on the ship.” That’s something we hold a lot of respect for.

Prominent people are more than welcome to be on board, because this means more media and less risk of our comrades being attacked. It was a very strategic decision to make. Rima Hassan, a French parliamentarian, is also aboard. 

The Madleen is not able to take much food, and at the moment thousands of children are being starved to death in Gaza. Is this just a symbolic action?

A year ago, we were trying to deliver 50,000 tons of aid, using the Conscience and other ships. We know that even if we were to take a small ship and load it as much as we can with aid, it would not be enough for a single day in Gaza. 

But we’re doing our best, and that’s why we decided to create a storage area in front of the ship. We even bought barrels, filled the barrels with aid, and then just tied them on board the ship. When you see the pictures of the Madleen, you can see those brown, weird-looking barrels that are filled with aid. 

We also understand, regardless how much we take, it would not be enough for the humanitarian aid to Gaza. But it is not only symbolic, because our main goal is to break the siege on Gaza. We want to open the humanitarian corridor so other ships can join us. After that happens, the siege will be broken by land. From the beginning, our goal was to break the siege on Gaza. 

The Global March for Gaza is starting next week. How are you coordinating with what they’re doing? 

A strategic alliance has been made between the Global March to Gaza and the Freedom Flotilla. They simply share the same goal of breaking the siege on Gaza, so it’s very natural, very organic, that this would happen. As a grassroots movement, we decided not just to break the siege of Gaza by sea, but also by land. Having these all together adds to the idea that the siege is illegal and inhumane. 

How are people in Gaza responding to the Freedom Flotilla?

We have received a lot of support from Gaza; a lot of videos that are emotional and eye watering. They view any sign of hope, any uprising by free people, with happiness. Seeing that there is even the slightest reaction from the people in Gaza is so powerful and motivating for us.

Gaza is basically our soul right now, and our soul is slowly dying. They are killing people by the hundreds every single day. Any form of hope that comes from Gaza is amplified a million times and moves millions of free people around the world, causing waves of resistance from the outside. 

How easy is it for you to stay hopeful? 

It’s really not easy, especially with hundreds of people dying every single day. With every martyr who is killed by the Zionist entity, it makes it more difficult to be hopeful. However, it brings together communities, and makes us want to gather our strength and to move forward.

When we are not resisting, what are we doing? We’re sitting there at home alone, unable to feel, unable to move, unable to live. We experience a collective suicide that is experienced by every single individual on their own. 

We send out a little boat to Gaza, which gets reciprocated by a small hope from Gaza, which gets amplified a million times. This is the way that our energy keeps on adding up and multiplying and amplifying, and the hope starts lightning from this lighthouse. 

It is one fight. It is one monster we are facing. The only way to defeat it is by putting our hands together and fighting.

There’s been attempts to break the siege before, most memorably the Mavi Marmara, where two German MPs were on the boats. That got attacked by Israeli troops. What’s the likelihood that this will happen again? 

If we look at the different missions that came after 2010, the Zionist entity has realised that it’s not in their interest to go on the ship and kill activists and journalists. They had to pay for that.

I really think that because of the strong media presence that we have this time, because all eyes are on us and because the Zionists are losing the grip of their narrative, this will add to our security and hopefully what’s happening right now will not be similar to what happened on the Mavi Marmara.

Could you say a little bit about the change in narrative? Last month, we had Friedrich Merz, Annalena Baerbock, Emmanuel Macron, and Keir Starmer all saying that maybe Israel has gone a little too far. Why do you think that there’s been this shift in how our politicians talk?

Right now, we are reaching a phase where the masks are being removed, where the Zionist entity is losing its grasp of reality. People are seeing what has been going on in Palestine since 1948. They are looking back into the records and a lot of people around the world are starting to wake up; to realize. 

The metaphorical ship of the Zionist entity is sinking. And the partners complicit in this genocide, including Germany, have started to realize this. So it’s a way for them to abandon the ship, to save themselves a little bit by saying: “Now we realize what’s happening is a genocide. Now we realize that we are standing on the wrong side of history.”

One day or the other, the Zionist entity will fall. People are starting to lose hope in the Zionist narrative, and that’s why a huge shift in narrative is happening around the world. 

What are the different scenarios which could happen to the Madleen in the next couple of weeks? 

I think the best way for them is to actually let the ship enter and provide the aid, even if it means they would lose the inhumane siege they have been upholding all those years. The other alternatives would not help them. If they board the ship and injure any one of our comrades that would not come back positively on them. 

It’s also a possibility that they occupy the ship, take it to Ashdod port or Haifa, put the activists in prisons, and then deport them. Our comrades have practiced non-violent resistance. They know what to do there, and they will try their best to make sure that no one gets injured during this process. 

Another scenario, which is, in my opinion, the least likely, is that they would just drop a bomb and kill everyone on board. I do not think that would be a smart move for them, and that’s why I believe there’s a really small likelihood that this thing would happen. But once again, we’re dealing with the Zionist entity, and who knows how far they’re willing to push this.

What happens next? 

Since the beginning of the siege, our idea has been to keep sending ships until the siege is broken. I hope that we do not have to send even more ships, but we are going to send as many ships as we can to end this siege.

What is your next step, personally?

I want to be more part of this global uprising. I want to take part in the social movement of decentralizing away from the government.

I received my Bachelors in renewable energy engineering. Currently I am pursuing a Masters in electrical engineering. I think it would be beautiful if I’m able to use my knowledge and my skills to create electrical grids that are not connected to the government and used in a way that upholds human values and does not destroy the environment. 

This would be a form of launching point, or a base for more social movements where everyone is accepted; everyone is united. We live life the way it’s supposed to be, and then hopefully an example for humanity to just go deeper in that sense and build this new future that I am dreaming about.

What can people do to actively help the Flotilla?

What they need to realize is that this is not a fight for specific people. It’s not only the 12 people on board who are leading the fight. It’s a fight that involves every single person of the free world, and they are part of it. We have so much power in the collective. Putting our hands together and working together would move mountains and not just stones. Freedom Flotilla will soon publish a form for people to join us on the next mission, to participate in any way they can. 

Right now, we are approaching a very tense and critical time with the Madleen, because they are less than 24 hours away from Gaza. We have already been receiving threats by the Zionist entity. The latest threat is that they are going to deploy commandos to board the ship. Those specific commandos with the specific numbers and specific names have been involved in multiple war crimes in Gaza. They’re also going to employ ships and helicopters just to stop this small boat. So it’s going to be a very critical time.

What could be done right now is to not leave our comrades alone on the waters in that ship. Send letters to the government in Germany, for example. German citizen Yasemin Acar is on board that ship, and the German government is obliged to provide security for a German activist who is just upholding the ICJ laws and following the Geneva Conventions and the UN laws to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. 

We should send as many letters and emails as possible to the German foreign office and the Zionist entity’s embassy in Germany. Maybe they won’t read them, but maybe we succeed in causing so much disruption in their system and jamming their signals with the phone calls that they are forced to have a look and see what is going on here.

This is only one of the things that we can do at this specific moment in the next 24 hours where times are critical. 

What is possible in Germany?

I was speaking to a German once, and he told me that what’s happening in Palestine right now is liberating us in Germany. It is making us wake up and see what Germany is doing to us. We do not in fact live in democracy. The amount of people whose houses have been raided by the police for standing firm for Palestine, these are things that should not be silenced.

We, as people, need to draw our boundaries, to tell the German government that this is not all right. If Germans believe in freedom of speech, it doesn’t come at an easy cost. 

Risks are part of it, but it is a global uprising, and it’s happening everywhere else in the world. It’s up to the German public now, whether they choose to be part of it or choose to be complicit in the genocide happening in Gaza.