NEWS FROM BERLIN
A100 extension to be opened on August 27
After twelve years of construction, the new section of the A100 between Dreieck Neukölln and Treptower Park is set to open. The 3.2-kilometer stretch has cost €720 million. According to the federal motorway company Autobahn GmbH, this will significantly improve access to Berlin Brandenburg Airport and to Adlershof, as well as long-distance connections to Dresden, Cottbus, and Frankfurt (Oder). However, the construction work was accompanied by protests from environmentalists. Protests are also directed against the next, 17th construction phase. According to plans by the Federal Ministry of Transport, this phase is planned to be continued from Treptower Park across the Spree and through Friedrichshain towards Lichtenberg. Source: rbb24
Mohrenstraße in Berlin renamed after long dispute
After many years of intense dispute, Berlin’s Mohrenstraße has been given a new name: Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Straße. Speakers from various initiatives emphasized at the ceremony that such renaming was not a mere formality. Rather, it was an expression of social change. The Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court (OVG) had cleared the way for this on Friday evening, after the renaming had been in jeopardy at the last minute. The new name comes from the West African scholar Anton Wilhelm Amo, who worked in this country in the 18th century. He is considered the first known black philosopher and lawyer at German universities. Source: n-tv
Six people were injured at the Humboldt Forum
On 23 August evening, a brawl broke out near the Humboldt Forum on Museum Island. The exact circumstances are still unclear, but it appears that an argument between two groups escalated dramatically, with some individuals drawing knives. Six people were injured in the ensuing fight. One of them, a 24-year-old who sustained life-threatening back injuries, required emergency surgery. Police were called at around 21:45. No knives or other weapons were found at the scene, and police believe it is possible that others involved in the brawl escaped before officers arrived. All of the injured are also under investigation. Source: theberliner
NEWS FROM GERMANY
Buchenwald Memorial may prohibit visitors wearing Palestinian scarves
The Buchenwald Memorial may refuse entry to visitors wearing a so-called Palestinian scarf. The background to this is a court proceeding in which a woman sought to obtain permission from the Weimar Administrative Court to enter the site wearing the keffiyeh. This is precisely what she was denied at the commemoration ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp in April. According to the court, the woman’s intention was to “visibly take a stand against the support of current Israeli policy.” The foundation running the memorial claims however that it does not consider the keffiyeh to be anti-Semitic “per se”. Source: BZ
What Nazis wear today
In the 1990s, neo-Nazis were easy to spot at first glance: bomber jackets, combat boots, and shaved heads were the norm. Although the old cliché still exists, right-wing extremists now appear much more inconspicuous. Their clothing has become more mainstream. The difference is often only apparent in the details: numerical codes, symbols, or certain logos serve as secret messages that insiders understand immediately, but outsiders hardly notice. Many of the relevant fashion labels deliberately use encrypted numerical codes and symbols that serve as identifying marks in the right-wing extremist scene. The best known is certainly “88,” which stands for “Heil Hitler.” Source: taz
Die Linke stays away from Gaza rally
Die Linke wanted to organize a broad coalition to protest Israel’s war in Gaza. Now the party is not participating in a central rally but planning other “actions” instead. So far, only one date has been set, September 27. It is also unclear with which partners Die Linke wants to demonstrate on that day. The exact call to action for the rally has also not yet been determined. Meanwhile, organizations with which Die Linke has been discussing protests against the war in Gaza for weeks are planning their own action. These include the human rights organizations Medico International and Amnesty International. Source: spiegel
“Ad blocking is not piracy”: decision overturned by German court
The German publisher Axel Springer (“Bild” and “Die Welt”), has been given another opportunity to have ad blocking outlawed on copyright grounds. After a series of defeats in its years-long legal action against the makers of Adblock Plus, Germany’s top court has now overturned a 2023 ruling by the Higher Regional Court of Hamburg. It refers to the case back for reconsideration of the core issues. The law firm Lubberger Lehment pointed out the case isn’t just about protecting the integrity of online media, but also because such “trial will determine whether this future technology is protected by copyright or can be manipulated at will by third parties.” Source: torrentfreak
A railway for wartime
The current tense geopolitical situation is leading to considerations of reactivating railway lines. With them, military goods can be quickly transported eastward in the event of war. Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany are accelerating talks on reopening the “Iron Rhine” railway line, a 19th-century connection between the port of Antwerp and the Ruhr region. The line between Rheydt and Antwerp, which went into operation in 1879, is the shortest connection between Belgium’s seaports and the Ruhr region. It has been largely unused since 1991. Belgium now sees it as an opportunity to promote both trade and military mobility in the EU. Source: taz
Robert Habeck retires from politics
In an interview published on 25 August with the newspaper taz, the former Federal Minister of Economics and Green Party leader, Robert Habeck, said he had just informed the Bundestag Presidium that he would be resigning his seat in the Bundestag on September 1. He was vice-chancellor in the traffic light coalition of the SPD, Greens, and FDP. In the last Bundestag election, Habeck was his party’s candidate for chancellor. However, the Greens only achieved 11,6% of the vote with him, a decline of more than 3%. Many politicians from the Green Party thanked Habeck for his work and added they regret his decision. Source: dw
