NEWS FROM GERMANY
Klöckner threatens to ban Nietzard from the Bundestag
An Instagram post with an anti-police sweater is putting Green Youth leader Jette Nietzard under increasing pressure, and an internal letter from Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU) to the Greens could continue to cause considerable political tension. Nietzard posted a photo on Instagram with a sweater bearing the inscription “ACAB” (“All Cops Are Bastards”), with the provocative caption “On my way to the Bundestag.” According to the Bild newspaper, Klöckner reacted with harsh criticism and threatened Nietzard with concrete consequences: Up to 5,000 euros in fines and, in the event of a repeat offense, even a ban from the house. Source: BZ
“Beck is the mouthpiece of the far-right government”
There is a dispute within the German-Israeli Society (DIG) over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza offensive. Former DIG President Reinhold Robbe (SPD) affirmed that the current DIG President Volker Beck (Greens) had “now become the mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist Israeli government.” “While thousands of Israelis demonstrate week after week in Tel Aviv against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s conduct of the war and for the return of the remaining hostages, DIG President Beck is trying to justify the disproportionality of the warfare, which has been confirmed by all sides,” says Robbe, who led the DIG from 2010 to 2015. Source: tagesspiegel
Racism and sexism on the rise in Germany
More than 11,000 people contacted the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency in 2024—more than ever before in Germany. “Discrimination is a growing problem in Germany. We have a massive problem with racism, we have a massive problem with sexism. And we have a massive unwillingness to give people with disabilities equal participation,” says Ferda Ataman, Independent Federal Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination. However, she also sees the increase in requests for advice as a sign of confidence in the rule of law. Among the various groups, black women and women with headscarves are particularly targeted by racist hostility. Source: dw
Asylum: Dobrindt sticks to rejections despite ruling
Despite a court ruling, Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) is sticking to his strict course on immigration to Germany. In a first case concerning two men and a woman from Somalia, the administrative court in Berlin declared the new rejection practice unlawful in summary proceedings on Monday. Dobrindt nevertheless affirmed that “we are sticking to the rejections.” The court had referred to an individual case in its summary judgment, while Dobrindt’s ministry is seeking a decision in the main proceedings. The CSU Minister explained that the judges had requested more detailed reasons for the rejection. Source: dw
Germany is third last in terms of economic growth
According to the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), Germany will be one of the slowest growing industrialized nations this year. Gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to increase by 0.4%, as the OECD confirmed in its March forecast. This puts Europe’s largest economy in the third-to-last place in the OECD’s growth forecast for 2025, together with Mexico. It is followed by Austria and Norway. In 2026, growth is expected to reach 1.2%, compared to the previous forecast of 1.1%. According to the OECD, the global economy is only expected to grow by 2.9% in both 2025 and 2026, compared to 3.3% last year. Source: taz
Germany says it has approved over €485M worth of arms exports to Israel since October 2023
From October 7, 2023, to May 13, 2025, Germany issued export licenses for arms deliveries to Israel totaling €485.1 million, according to the government’s response to a question in parliament from Die Linke. The approved exports include a broad range of military equipment including weapons systems, ammunition, radar and communication devices and parts for armored vehicles. The government observed it had provided only limited information about the nature of the exports, citing a Federal Constitutional Court ruling that restricts the disclosure of details which could reveal Israel’s current military capabilities or needs. Source: aa
