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
