NEWS FROM BERLIN
Police beat Left Party politicians
Two Left Party members of the Bundestag experienced police violence. They were following demonstrations in Berlin as parliamentary observers. On October 7, North Rhine-Westphalian MP Lea Reisner watched a Gaza demonstration near Alexanderplatz. A video that circulated on social media shows Reisner being punched in the face by a police officer, before he disappears into the crowd of his colleagues. On October 12, another confrontation in Wedding broke out between police and Lower Saxony MP Cem Ince. A video footage is also circulating, showing a police officer from behind the politician making several striking movements toward him. Source: taz
“They want to increase their presence on the streets”
Young, militant, and action-oriented—this is how the members of the right-wing extremist Berlin youth group “Deutsche Jugend Voran” (DJV) present themselves on their social media channels. Recently, they have increasingly appeared alongside members of “Die Heimat,” the successor party to the far-right NPD, as Stephan Kuhlmann from Mobile Beratung gegen Rechtsextremismus Berlin (MBR), observed. It is not yet clear though whether the party “Die Heimat” and the DJV will merge. However, according to Kuhlmann, members of “Die Heimat” are pushing for the rapprochement once “they want to become more visible again and increase their presence on the streets.” Source: t-online
NEWS FROM GERMANY
“Germany has let us down”
Six years ago, on October 9, 2019, a right-wing extremist attempted to storm the synagogue in Halle. The attacker failed to get through the entrance door and then shot and killed passer by JanaL. and guest Kevin S. at the nearby “Kiezdöner” restaurant. As he fled, he injured several other people, some seriously. Christina Feist, one of the survivors, complains the German authorities are not taking her and other victims seriously. She speaks of her mental health struggle, and of how complicated it was to have her related costs (partially) reimbursed by the German state. Source: taz
Peine district council decides on mandatorywork for asylum seekers
Asylum seekers in Peine, in the Lower Saxony, will be required to work in future. The district council’s decision is based on a motion by the CDU and FDP parties. According to the HAZ newspaper, the motion was passed by a majority vote. The district administration has criticised the decision once hundreds of the 850 asylum seekers currently in Peine cannot be required to work because they are minors, employed, single parents, pregnant, or enrolled in integration courses. In addition, the administration estimates that the program would cost up to €250,000 per year. The Refugee councils and the Pro Asyl association had previously rejected compulsory work for refugees, too. Source: ndr
Just a suspicion
Seydi and Aysel Özer were murdered in Dietzenbach 25 years ago. Investigators suspected the family, but without any evidence. Also, as Kahraman Özer, son and brother of the victims, remembers, the police “didn’t even search the crime scene properly. Even the weapon was later found by someone else.” The family´s lawyer has recently asked investigators to broadcast the murder case on the television program “Aktenzeichen XY… Ungelöst.” However, the public prosecutor’s office refused, arguing no new investigative leads could be expected. And Özer has been trying to get the victims´ personal belongings back from the police. The family was told that those items could “no longer be traced.” Source: taz
Hamburg wants to lock children away again
Twelve years have passed since Hamburg’s Social Affairs Senator, Detlef Scheele (SPD), announced the construction of a secure home. However, things can get more worrying. On a meadow on Klotzenmoorstieg, the construction of a new home, “Casa Luna”, has begun discreetly. There, children ages nine and up will be housed, even under detention for the initial phase. Critics point out that, despite a need for action must be taken seriously once children are being shuffled between youth welfare services and youth psychiatry, they argue that “Casa Luna” merely creates a “special unit” for the children, removed from their usual environment. Source: taz
Bundeswehr: compulsory service by lottery
The Bundeswehr demands more recruitment. People who previously only had to accept an invitation to medical examination mightbe able to be drafted into service if the military’s personnel growth targets are not met. This will be done by lottery. Matthias Miersch (SPD) asserts that this will only be used “third in line” once it is expected that service has been made attractive enough with pay increases. But ultimately, if that doesn’t produce the desired result, the rest will come into play. Whether that would be compatible with the constitutional principle of equal treatment is not a concern to this government. But there are still courts which can over turn such decisions. Source: nd-aktuell
Germany strips Palestinian of citizenship after he commemorated Hamas
One day after his German passport arrived, ‘Abdallah’ posted a picture of Hamas fighters with the caption ‘heroes of Palestine’. Soon afterwards, he received a letter from Germany’s interior ministry saying his citizenship had been revoked, according to ‘Bild’ newspaper. The country has gone further than most European countries to punish support for Hamas and curb pro-Palestinian support out of what it sees as a historic obligation to Israel and to right the wrongs of its Nazi past. It’s not clear if he will be deported, given that Germany does not recognise Palestine as a state. Source: telegraph
