NEWS FROM BERLIN
Police officer strikes person – Irish Embassy expresses concern
A physical altercation between Berlin police and pro-Palestinian demonstrators becomes an international political issue. The Irish Foreign Ministry confirmed to the German Press Agency that it had been informed of a specific incident on 28 August in Berlin: several videos of the rally show a police officer punching a person from Ireland twice in the face, causing the victim to bleed from the nose. On 30 August, the Berlin police confirmed that they were aware of video recordings of the incident. The officer in question had been identified and the incident was being investigated, a spokesperson said. Source: web.de
Shocking findings from the Senate: rents in Berlin are too high
No other German city has seen rents rise as sharply as Berlin. For this reason, the Senate set up a rent review office in March. The review office, called “Sicheres Wohnen – Beteiligung, Beratung, Prüfung” (Secure Housing – Participation, Advice, Review), or SiWo for short, has now presented its figures for the second quarter of 2025 and came to some shocking conclusions: 93 of the 95 rental contracts reviewed exceeded the local comparative rent. Specifically, rents were on average around 50% above the local comparative rent. This once again confirms the suspicion that rent violations are by no means isolated cases, but rather a structural phenomenon. Source: berliner Zeitung
No responsibility for social media posts
Palestinian activist Majed Abusalama was acquitted by the Berlin District Court on 27 August. The public prosecutor’s office accuses the co-founder of the group “Palestine Speaks” of condoning criminal acts. He is alleged to have glorified the terrorist acts of Hamas on October 7, 2023, in two social media posts. Judge Regina Schlosser justified Abusalama’s acquittal on the grounds that it could not be proven that the defendant had written the posts. The group “Palestine Speaks” is involved in many pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Berlin, addresses human rights violations by Israel, and criticizes German policy on Israel and Palestine. Source: taz
Police operation on Rigaer Strasse: 700 officers deployed
On 28 August, police searched a building on Rigaer Strasse with a court-issued search warrant, according to a statement by the authorities on „X“. The house in question is the residential building at Rigaer Straße 94, considered one of the last partially squatted houses in Berlin and a stronghold for the extreme left-wing scene. Rigaer Strasse was closed for the duration of the operation, according to the police. A total of 700 officers wewre deployed through out the city to secure the area. The residents are allowed to remain in the building for the time being. Source: msn
NEWS FROM GERMANY
New Rheinmetall plant
The defense contractor Rheinmetall has opened a new plant in Unterlüß, Lower Saxony. It could become the largest ammunition plant in Europe. The DAX-listed company is responding to increased demand from the German Armed Forces, other Western armies, and the Ukrainian armed forces. “This marks a new chapter in the history of our company and our Unterlüß site in terms of artillery production,” said Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger. Rheinmetall is also building a factory for rocket engines and possibly warheads at the site. Another plant for RDX explosives and possibly ammunition charges is also being planned. Source: taz
Number of unemployed exceeds three million mark for the first time in ten years
The number of unemployed in Germany rose by 46,000 in past August compared to the previous month. With this, the number sums up to 3.025 million unemployed in the country with the unemployment rate at 6.4%. Despite a new high in unemployment, the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) sees nevertheless the first signs of hope. For the labor market barometer, experts survey all employment agencies monthly about their expectations for the next three months. In August, for the first time in three years, it is expected that rises in unemployment should come to an end. Source: Welt
Merz does not rule out conscription for women
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has not ruled out the possibility that women could also be conscripted into military service in Germany in the long term. If the new model for military service, which is based on voluntary enlistment, proves insufficient, “then there will have to be a mechanism for returning to conscription,” Merz told French broadcaster TF1. However, this would not be easy. The constitution does not currently allow women to be conscripted into military service. On 27 August, the federal cabinet approved a draft law that would increase the number of soldiers in the German Armed Forces by several tens of thousands. Source: msn
Anti-war demonstration in Cologne: brutal police kettling
After a six-year hiatus, the “Kölner Lichter” festival took place again in Cologne on 30 August. An estimated 150,000 people watched the €1.2 million fireworks display. Meanwhile, the media interest in the closing demonstration of the “Disarm Rheinmetall” camp remained low – even though pyrotechnics also played a significant role. During the demonstration, which was conceived as a parade with around 3,000 participants, also on 30 August, the police struck back. Already after the short opening rally at Heumarkt, the procession was prevented from setting off. The reason given was the presence of some metal flagpoles and masks in the revolutionary block, which was mainly made up of communist groups. Source: nd-aktuell
