NEWS FROM BERLIN

Next warning strike at BVG

The Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) will once again be on strike. The trade union ver.di announced on Friday that it calls on employees to go on a two-day warning strike on March 19 and 20. The strike will take place before the next round of negotiations, on March 21. The ver.di negotiator Jeremy Arndt said that the BVG’s latest offer was “completely inadequate.” It ignores the massive price increases that employees have to contend with on a daily basis. If no agreement is reached by next Friday, Arndt mentioned the prospect of a ballot for indefinite strike action. Source: rbb

Mohamed Amjahid: “The police have ‘carte blanche’ to beat up in Berlin”

Several videos from the Berlin demonstrations on Women’s Day instances of police violence, such as a woman on the ground with an officer pressing her head down into his genitals. Journalist Mohamed Amjahid has been researching themes such as sexualized police violence in Berlin for more than 10 years. Amjahid’s research shows that it makes a difference which demonstrations one participates in, and that the police tend to protect right-wing demonstrators. “Women and queer people are particularly affected”, he added. The researcher believes that the police have “carte blanche” to violently crack down on protesters. Source: berlinerzeitung

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Tesla sales fall, anger at Elon Musk grows

Sales figures show that it is increasingly difficult for Tesla to find buyers in Germany. Musk’s controversial policies seem to make it hard for potential customers to decide in favour of a Tesla e-car. The manufacturer points to a planned pause in the production of the model “Y.” As André Thierig, plant manager at Tesla Grünheide, points out: “We completely overhauled the Model Y at the beginning of this year”. However, the American manufacturer’s sales are collapsing not only in Germany, but also in China and in the rest of the European Union. Experts say that the Tesla crisis is home-made, by the boss himself. Source: rbb

Right-wing groups attack refugee accommodation

An investigation is underway against three individuals suspected of attacking a refugee center in Stahnsdorf, south of Berlin, according to the spokesman for the Potsdam public prosecutor’s office, Christian-Alexander Neuling. The public prosecutor’s office has so far not offered details about the events and the victims, citing the ongoing investigation. The Brandenburg’s Interior Minister Katrin Lange (SPD) declared that “such attacks on refugee accommodation are completely unacceptable and must firmly be condemned. People seeking protection must be able to live safely in Brandenburg without violence and threats.” Source: islamiq

Billions approved, credibility damaged

After more than three hours of debate, the CDU/CSU, the SPD and the Greens reached a majority in a special session of the Bundestag, amending the Basic Law at the last minute in order to take on billions in additional debt. The funds will go to infrastructure, defense, and investments by the federal states. The path to a majority was painful for future Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), who had run his electoral campaign against such billion-euro programmes and had to listen to accusations of insincerity from AfD and FDP members during the special session. Now all eyes are on the Bundesrat, where representatives of the federal states have to approve the Budestag’s decision. Source: tagesschau

Guns, butter, war credits

The German debt brake is being reformed to allow boundless loans for armaments in the future. Exactly how much money is needed for armaments is uncertain. The governments of the USA, China and the UK are also planning loans totalling thousands of billions for the large-scale purchase of weapons and equipment. The states’ lenders are the financial markets. Their judgement determines how much armament a state can afford and how much it will cost, with obviously serious consequences for the population. Source: nd

Bavaria wants to vote in favour of financial package in the Bundesrat

The Bavarian state government does not have the intention of blocking the federal government’s financial package in the Bundesrat, according to State Chancellery Leader Florian Herrmann (CSU) after a crisis meeting of the coalition partners CSU and Free Voters (Freie Wähler) in Munich. However, the state will set out its position in a protocol declaration, making clear that climate neutrality should not be defined as a state objective and that the financial equalisation between the federal states must be reformed. Source: tagesschau

AfD MP employed in Thuringian BSW ministry

Lydia Funke has vilified political opponents as “journeymen without a fatherland” and affirmed that criminal “foreigners” would be “thrown out.” The AfD politician has been attracting attention with slogans of this kind for almost ten years, including five years as a member of the state parliament in Saxony-Anhalt. Now the 42-year-old has a new job: as a consultant in the Thuringian Ministry of the Environment, which is run by BSW member Tilo Kummer. The matter is explosive because the AfD has long been classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist organization by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in both Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. Source: taz

Employers’ side sees compromise in wage public sector dispute

Unions and employers seem to come closer together in talks about the wage dispute for federal and municipal public sector employees. “The gap has narrowed considerably,” said Karin Welge, chief negotiator for the Federation of Municipal Employers’ Associations, in Potsdam. However, there is no end in sight to the third round of wage negotiations, which began last Friday, and yet no official assessment from the trade unions. It is also conceivable that one side could declare that the negotiations have failed. Then there would be arbitration – and no further warning strikes for the time being. Source: rbb

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Anti-Semitism commissioner Klein sees Trump plan for Gaza Strip as positive

The German government’s anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, says he sees the American President Donald Trump’s highly controversial plan for the future of the Gaza Strip in a fundamentally positive light. In “some media reports,” Trump’s plans had been “exaggerated,” he told the NOZ newspaper. Israel had “not succeeded” in solving the problem in the Gaza Strip militarily after the major attack on 7 October 2023, Klein added. He therefore considers the “idea of an international administration for the area to be a sensible proposal.” Source: msn

Suddenly threatened with deportation

While the protection status for Ukrainian citizens in the EU has been extended until March 2026, the status for non-Ukrainian citizens, who have for instance studied in Ukraine, lived there as businesspeople or are recognised refugees, is about to expire. This means that they could soon receive official requests to leave Germany – either in the direction of Ukraine or to their original home country, such as Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Somalia, Vietnam, Thailand, Egypt and Syria. If they do not leave, the next step could be deportation. Those who have a Ukrainian family member are not affected by the expiry of their right of residence. Source: taz

Future CDU/SPD coalition promises to keep German dual citizenship law

Germany’s CDU and SPD parties have published an “exploratory paper” in which they pledge to retain the country’s dual and fast-track citizenship law. Following the CDU federal election win on February 23, the centre-right party has been in discussions with SPD representatives about forming a coalition government. The paper pledges other changes to migration policy. If all goes to plan in the coalition talks, German police will have further power to turn asylum seekers away at the German border, though details of this plan and whether it complies with EU asylum laws are still unclear. Source: iamexpat

New offensive against civil society

A survey conducted by the taz in the German federal states has revealed that the Christian Democratic parliamentary groups in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saarland have now submitted questions on the “political neutrality” of civil society organisations. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag itself recently mobilised against left-wing NGOs in 551 questions about the “deep state.” The CDU’s attack on critical civil society continues at various levels and is increasingly directed against democratic initiatives that are already under pressure in regions where extreme right-wing parties are at 30% and in some cases significantly higher. Source: taz

Only the sparks fly here

The ver.di union paralysed air traffic at 13 airports in Germany last Monday. With the walkout in the struggle for their collective agreement (TVöD) with the Federation of Municipal Employers’ Associations (VKA), workers demonstrated how much their commitment makes a difference: for example in Hamburg, not only were flights cancelled, but city cleaning services and municipal daycare centres also struck. In Berlin, as in large parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, the city cleaning strike will continue until the weekend. This is needed because the VKA has yet to make an offer in the current round of collective bargaining. Source: jw

No result yet, but there’s still hope

The Green party had previously made it clear that they do not want to agree to the CDU/CSU and SPD’s multi-billion euro defence and infrastructure package in its current form. However, the Greens did not slam all doors shut. Katharina Dröge, one of the Greens’ leaders, said that it would be right to convene the new Bundestag. However, she made it clear that her party wants a general reform of the debt brake. Die Linke also signaled their agreement with this point. A possible compromise for the Greens could be to split the proposals on infrastructure and defence. Source: tagesschau

NEWS FROM BERLIN

GEW trade union announces massive resistance in Berlin

The Education and Science Union (GEW) and advice centres have announced massive resistance to the planned city cuts in the social and education sectors in Berlin. “We will continue to press ahead with the protests, the situation will get worse,” said GEW state head Gökhan Akgün. In December, the House of Representatives passed budget cuts totalling 3 billion euros in practically all areas for 2025, with the votes coming from the CDU and SPD. It has become clear lately that the cuts affect numerous projects in the areas of prevention and education, particularly in schools. Source: tagesspiegel

Berlin wants a “democracy clause” this year – what’s behind it

Instead of the controversial anti-Semitism clause in cultural funding, Berlin wants to formulate a “democracy clause” this year. Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) has prioritised this and commissioned 4 Senate departments to draw it up, according to Culture Senator Joe Chialo (CDU). The antisemitism clause, from December 2023, had to be withdrawn due to legal concerns. There were fears in the cultural scene that it could restrict artistic freedom. Wegner then announced that he was striving for a new, broader-based solution. “We will work together to find a way to make the issue legally secure and apply it to all Berlin administrations,” said the CDU politician at the time. Source: berliner-zeitung

Demonstration against event with right-wing extremist Martin Sellner

Around 100 people demonstrated against an event with the Austrian right-wing extremist Martin Sellner in Berlin-Wilmersdorf last Thursday. According to participants in the protest outside a restaurant near Güntzelstraße underground station, the event with Sellner was supposed to be a reading. He recently visited German cities to read from his book “Remigration”. During the demonstration, an unknown person sprayed irritant gas in the restaurant, police said on Friday. One person was sustained injuries and the perpetrator fled. The state police are investigating this as a case of dangerous bodily harm. Source: rbb

 

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Ver.di calls for warning strike in clinics, care facilities and rescue services

The trade union ver.di has called for a nationwide warning strike next Thursday in the healthcare sector in the labour dispute with the federal government and local authorities. Even rescue services could be affected. The reason is that the federal and local governments did not present an offer for employees in the second round of negotiations in mid-February. “The employers’ request to agree on little to no wage increase, and worse, with no outlook for 36 months, is a provocation. The employees have the right response to this: a warning strike,” as affirmed by ver.di national board member Sylvia Bühler. Source: rbb

State health insurance records deficit of 6 billion euros

The German healthcare system is under great financial pressure. The health insurance providers blame this primarily on the sharp rise in expenditure. An initial analysis by the AOK (an association representing 11 healthcare providers in Germany) shows that the statutory health insurance scheme recorded a deficit of almost 6 billion euros last year. In addition to the AOK figures, the company health insurance funds (BKK) and the guild health insurance funds (IKK) were also scrutinised. The Federal Ministry of Health usually summarises the health insurance companies’ figures and publishes them in March. Sustainable financing of the healthcare system is likely to be one of the major tasks of the next federal government. Source: pharmazeutische-zeitung

Official complaints against German citizenship delays quadruple in 2024

More than 1,600 Berlin residents filed official “inactivity complaints” (Untätigkeitsklagen) against the German government over citizenship application processing delays in 2024. The number of complaints is up from 402, which were filed in 2023, representing a 313% increase. These figures were given in response to a parliamentary information request filed by Elif Eralp (The Left). The measure is a legal pathway for residents inGermany to challenge authorities’ processing delays. If one has not received a decision 3 months after submitting the papers, it is possible to submit such “Untätigkeitsklage”to the administrative court. Berlin’s immigration authorities affirm they have long been struggling under a worker shortage. Source: iamexpat

Rheinmetall could convert two factories to weapons production
Rheinmetall, the automotive and arms manufacturer from Düsseldorf, intends to manufacture mainly products or components for the “Weapon and Ammunition” division at two German sites that have so far belonged to the civilian division. The sites in question are in Berlin and Neuss. “Final decisions on the organisation have not yet been made, however,” its statement continued. In order to secure capacity utilisation and employment at the two sites in the future, Rheinmetall’s management is planning to transfer the plants to the Weapon and Ammunition division and turn them into“hybrid sites”. Source: handelsblatt

“Germany urgently needs these billions”

Sebastian Dullien, Director of the Institute for Macroeconomics and Business Cycle Research (IMK), has said he considers the idea of setting up two special funds worth billions for the Bundeswehr and infrastructure as “very sensible.” According to a report by the Reuters newsagency, 4 economists from the IMK, as well as from the Ifo Institute and the University of Düsseldorf outlined a plan, envisaging two pots of money, eachwith a volume of 400 billion euros. These funds are to be used to finance future investments in bridges and railways on the one hand and expenditure on military armaments on the other. Dullien comments: “Germany urgently needs these billions.” Source: t-online

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Election in Germany: the country shifts right, Berlin votes left

Germany’s most closely watched election in recent memory is over. Despite the conservative CDU winning the largest share of the vote nationwide and the far-right AfD coming in second, Berlin offered hope on an otherwise gloomy day for progressive politics. “Die Linke” politicians Ferat Kocak in Neukölln, Ines Schwerter in Lichtenberg, Pascal Meiser in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, and the veteran Gregor Gysi won direct mandates in Berlin. With this, “die Linke” is considered as the city’s strongest political force. This result is even more striking given that, ahead of the vote, Friedrich Merz (CDU) declared in his final major campaign speech, “The Left is over.” Not in Berlin. Source: the Berliner

Uproar over cancellation of Albanese at Berlin FU

Last week police were present in large numbers at the Free University of Berlin (FU). This was due to the cancellation of a lecture by Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The lecture was to be on topics including “Legaland forensic perspectives on the ongoing Gaza genocide”. However, this was cancelled following criticism. In response, the General Students’ Committee (Asta) announced resistance. The “Students for Palestine” group posted pictures and videos from the lecture hall. According to the footage, police officers were in the building. A short video shows officers asking a person to unlock a door. Source: berliner Zeitung

Berlin culture will probably have to make further savings

The austerity programme for Berlin’s culture continues. After the budget for 2025 has already been reduced by 130 million euros, another 15 million euros less will be available in 2026, according to figures from the cultural administration. In 2027, the Senate’s key figures provide for three million euros more – however, additional funds have been earmarked to compensate for possible pay rises. It is still unclear what the budget cuts will mean in detail for cultural institutions in the coming year. There is nonetheless the threat of higher ticket prices or fewer premieres. Source: rbb

 

NEWS FROM GERMANY

The AfD was strong in the east, but it won the election in the west

The crashing end of the traffic-light coalition caused a great deal of resentment across almost all parties and has resulted in electoral success for the AfD. It is the big winner in the east, with figures ranging from 32.5% in Brandenburg to 38.6% in Thuringia. It won in each of the eastern German states, only in Berlin did the extreme-right wing party come fourth. The rise of the AfD in the east is considerable, but it is crucial to have in sight that elections in Germany are won or lost in the West because of its much larger number of voters; the East cannot achieve such a result on its own. Source: berliner Zeitung

Immigration does not raise crime rate, according to German study

Immigrants or refugees do not have a higher tendency to commit crime and there is no correlation between the proportion of immigrants in a certain district and the local crime rate, according to new analysis of the latest German crime statistics carried out by the renowned ifo institute. The Munich-based institute correlated the latest national crime stats from 2018 to 2023 with location-specific data (a new aspect in this kind of study), to explain the overrepresentation of immigrants in crime statistics. This evidence goes against the current popular narrative. Source: dw

Rising rents can represent more support for AfD, study finds

According to a new study by the Centre for European Social Studies (MZES) at the University of Mannheim, low-income residents in German cities are more likely to support the AfD if they live in areas with fast-rising rents. The MZES found that rising average rents have the opposite effect on the political allegiances of high-income residents and landlords living in the same areas. “When rents rise, some people profit from the reevaluation processes. Others, however, perceive these developments as a socioeconomic threat. The latter are increasingly leaning towards the AfD,” study author Denis Cohen explains in a press release. Source: iamexpat

New donation scandal demands an explanation from the AfD

A few days before the general election, the AfD was apparently facing a new party donation scandal. “Der Spiegel” and the” Austrian Standard” reported on an advertising campaign worth around 2.35 million euros that former FPÖ functionary Gerhard Dingler is said to have donated to the party. It is suspected Dingler merely acted as a front man for the transaction. If the suspicion is confirmed, the AfD could face a fine for illegal party funding of three times the amount of the unauthorised donation. If this does turn out to be true, they will face a fine of around seven million euros. Source: t-online

100,000 demonstrate against the right

Over 100,000 gathered across Germany on the weekend of the general election. They demonstrated against right-wing extremism and the AfD. In Hamburg itself, up to 40,000 people gathered at two events. There were also rallies and demonstrations in Essen, Krefeld, Freiburgand Hanover, among other cities. In Berlin, around 100 neo-Nazis gathered on Friedrichstraße. Around 1,200 counter-demonstrators disrupted the march severaltimes, but the blockades were broken up by the police. According to “taz”, between 1.9 and 2.2 million people have taken to the streets in Germany in recent weeks out of concern about a shift to the right. Source: taz

NEWS FROM BERLIN

Berlin: public transport on strike this week

For five weeks, ver.di and BVG havebeen negotiating over pay. In the wage dispute with Berlin’s public transport operators, the trade union has called for another warning strike, affirming that the company “has still not understood that the employees will not accept a real wage reduction.” Following this, next Thursday and Friday (February 20-21), Berlin’s public transport system will be on strike. Metro lines, buses and trams will not be running. The strike is to last for around 48 hours from the start of the shift until the early hours of Saturday morning, as announced by the union. Source: rbb

“The strike affects us all”

The union ver.di has called for a strike in Berlin on Thursday and Friday in the wage dispute in the public sector at federal and municipal level. Among those taking part: employees of Berlin’s municipal waste disposal service (BSR), water company (BWB) and swimming pool company (BBB). A demonstration on the issue took place in Berlin-Mitte, where demonstrators marched from Leipziger Straße via Alte Jakobstraße up to Spittelmarkt. However, in response to a suspected attack in Munich, the union called off the demonstration early. Beyond the workers, organization such as “Berlin Stands Together” support the industrial action. Source: berliner Zeitung

 

NEWS FROM GERMANY

BSW calls for a minute’s silence in the Bundestag for victims of the Gaza war

After the Bundestag honored the many innocent victims of the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2024, Sahra Wagenknecht’s alliance party (BSW) is now proposing to commemorate the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed in the Gaza war. In the related document, the BSW also condemns the US President Donald Trump’s plans to resettle the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip and criticises the fact that the German government “has not imposed an arms freeze on the Israeli government even after Trump’s resettlement plans”. The BSW is once again calling for a halt to armsdeliveries to Israel in view of the announced breaches of international law by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Source: spiegel

Transport and public sector strikeshit cities across Germany

A wave of transport and public sector strikes hit Germany last week as ver.di continues pay negotiations on behalf of thousands of workers. There was, for instance, a public transport “warning strike” in Frankfurt on February 12. In Essen and Mülheim an der Ruhr, employees at the Ruhrbahn company also went on strike on the same day. One day later, in Hamburg, travellers were also affected by strikes at the airport. It wasn’t just public transport affected by the industrial action, as employees in several public services, including Kitas, hospitals and rubbish collection, also in multiple federal states. Source: iamexpat

Muslims have little trust in German politics

A recent study by the DeZIM Institute reveals a worrying trend: Muslims’ trust in politics fell drastically between 2022 and 2024. Indeed, only 28% of Muslim women surveyed in 2024 said they had confidence in the German government – a drop of 13% compared to 2022. This loss of trust is not only a political problem, but also an indicator of the growing political alienation of marginalised groups who increasingly no longer feel represented by the government and political institutions. These feelings are particularlyheightened in times of social polarisation, which have been exacerbated by political crises and migration issues. Source: islamiq

Number of right-wing extremist offences rises

The number of right-wing extremist offences registered in Germany rose to a record high in 2024. The total number was at least 41,406 offences, according to the federal government’s response to a question from the Bundestag Vice President Petra Pau (Left Party). The figures are still preliminary and might increase due to late reports. Nancy Faeser (SPD) said in January, when the rise in figures became apparent, that “all the instruments of our constitutional state are being used to protect people in our country.” She considered that the increase also shows there are more investigations being carried out. Source: msn

What’s next for the climate movement in Germany?

Climate protection is hardly an issue before the general election, coming on February 23. The mood currently prevailing in Germany is very different from the optimistic momentum that Pit Terjung, a spokesperson of the environmental group “Fridays for Future”, experienced during the mass demonstrations in 2019. Back then, an estimated 1.4 million people took to the streets for more climate protection. In contrast to the 2021 federal election, where the issue was at the top of the agenda, climate protection is being overshadowed in the current election campaign by heated debates about immigration, a weakening economy and the rise of the far right. Source: dw

Federal Public Prosecutor Generaltakes over investigation

Following the attack in Munich, where a 24-year-old had driven into a group of demonstrators from the ver.di trade union last Thursday leaving two dead and more than thirty injured, the Federal Public Prosecutor General has taken over the investigation. The Federal Public Prosecutor General is the supreme federal prosecution authority. The investigators have evidence that the man had an Islamist motive. He remains in incustody. So far, there is no proof that the man was part of a network. The investigators also have no leads to connections to the terrorist organisations such as Islamic State (IS) nor to any other people involved. Source: tagesschau

Does Germany have to choose between climate and economy?

Jobs, income and Germany’s weakening economy are important topics in the election campaign for the early federal elections in February – and some of the parties’ promises are at the expense ofclimate protection. Economic issues seem to be taking precedence over climate ones, even though, according to the Climate Alliance Germany, the majority of the population do not want this. Climate protection measures are nevertheless not responsible for this recession, says Gunnar Luderer, energy expert at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research., adding “The problems of the German economy are of a structural nature and they run deeper.” Source: dw