Germany
Germany: Ford announces massive job cuts at its Saarlouis plant
By Ulrich Rippert, 14 December 2018
At a factory meeting last Monday, local Ford management announced that production of the company’s C-Max model is to be discontinued with the loss of 1,600 jobs.
German daily accuses Macron of surrender to “yellow mob”
By Peter Schwarz, 13 December 2018
The German business press reacted indignantly to French President Macron’s attempt to appease the “yellow vest” protest movement with social concessions.
German army to acquire new tank battalion
By Johannes Stern, 13 December 2018
The expansion of its tank divisions is part of Germany’s comprehensive plans for the upgrading of all of its military forces.
German workers express solidarity with “yellow vest” protests in France
By our reporters, 10 December 2018
German workers who spoke with Socialist Equality Party (SGP) candidates, expressed sympathy with the mass protests of the “yellow vests” in France. Many share the same grievances and confront the same inequities.
German Christian Democrats select Merkel’s favoured candidate as party leader
By Peter Schwarz and Ulrich Rippert, 10 December 2018
The change in the leadership of Germany’s main governing party takes place in the midst of a new eruption of class struggle in Europe.
The German Christian Democrats elect a new leader
By Peter Schwarz, 7 December 2018
The three candidates will compete to see who can shift the Chancellor’s previous policy furthest to the right.
German Left Party denounces “Yellow Vest” protests
By Peter Schwarz, 7 December 2018
The Left Party is instinctively hostile to any social movement that is not controlled and held in check by the trade unions.
German chemical giant Bayer slashes 12,000 jobs
By Dietmar Henning, 6 December 2018
Bayer AG has announced plans to cut a tenth of its workforce worldwide and divest parts of its corporate empire.
German prosecutor’s office raids Deutsche Bank
By Johannes Stern, 3 December 2018
The spokesperson for the investigating authority said that, due to the extent of material, an additional search of the bank’s offices was necessary.
German trade union federation defends Hartz IV
By Ulrich Rippert, 3 December 2018
The SPD is concerned only with cosmetics and a possible change of name, because Hartz IV is now associated with mass poverty, state harassment, cheap wages and social inequality.
Left Party publications denounce protest movement in France
By Johannes Stern, 30 November 2018
In two separate articles, Neues Deutschland spreads the lies of the French government and the police that violence in Paris stems from the “Yellow Vest” demonstrators.
From the Nazis to the AfD: Big business finances the far-right
By Peter Schwarz, 28 November 2018
The rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was made possible by huge contributions from billionaire August von Finck, whose father financed Hitler and made a fortune by “Aryanising” Jewish property.
German grand coalition government passes war budget
By Johannes Stern, 27 November 2018
On November 14, Germany’s grand coalition government passed a bill that will increase the country’s military budget by a massive 12 percent.
Left Party in Germany supports the French president’s call for a European army
By Johannes Stern, 24 November 2018
The fact that Emmanuel Macron’s appeal has been applauded by the Left Party speaks volumes about the pro-imperialist and anti-worker character of the organisation.
New head of German intelligence intends to strengthen the powers of the agency
By Johannes Stern, 23 November 2018
The appointment of Thomas Haldenwang as Maassen’s successor as head of the BfV confirms that Germany’s ruling grand coalition will continue to back the right-wing extremist course of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency.
European elections 2019
No to the EU, social inequality, fascism and war! For socialism and the unity of the European working class!
By the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGP), 23 November 2018
On October 20–21, a Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party, SGP) Congress voted for the party to participate in the European elections of 26 May 2019.
A terrorist network inside the German Army
By Peter Schwarz, 17 November 2018
The right-wing extremist conspiracy inside the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces) is tolerated, covered up and supported by the highest authorities inside the state and politics.
German chancellor calls for a “real European army”
By Johannes Stern, 16 November 2018
Merkel’s call for a “real European army” in Strasbourg underscores the reactionary traditions evoked by the ruling elites in Germany and Europe.
At least 200 soldiers in German Army neo-Nazi terror network
By Christopher Lehmann and Johannes Stern, 15 November 2018
The latest revelations suggest that at least 200 active duty and retired soldiers are involved in a neo-Nazi terror network that planned to assassinate political opponents.
German president defends alliance against November 1918 Revolution between Social Democrats and right-wing reaction
By Peter Schwarz, 14 November 2018
At a memorial meeting of the German parliament, President Steinmeier justified the suppression of the proletarian revolution of November 1918.
Following state election defeats
Germany’s grand coalition closes ranks and steps up right-wing offensive
By Johannes Stern, 13 November 2018
Germany’s grand coalition has responded to growing opposition to its policies by intensifying its programme of militarism, rearmament and welfare cuts.
“100 years of social partnership”—a sinister celebration of trade unions, employers’ associations and the state in Germany
By Wolfgang Weber, 10 November 2018
On October 16, the German Trade Unions and Employer Associations celebrated the centenary of the Stinnes-Legien-Agreement, which laid the foundation for the suppression of the German Revolution of 1918/19.
One hundred years since the November Revolution in Germany
By Ulrich Rippert and Peter Schwarz, 9 November 2018
On November 9, 1918, the revolutionary uprising of the German working class against war and monarchy reached its peak and shook the capitalist system to its foundations.
The case of Hans-Georg Maassen and the struggle against police-state repression in Germany
By Johannes Stern, 8 November 2018
The latest revelations surrounding the dismissal of the long-time president of the German secret service, Hans-Georg Maassen, confirms that the German domestic intelligence agency has been run by a right-wing extremist since 2012.
Hans-Georg Maassen: A right-wing extremist at the head of the German secret service
By Peter Schwarz, 7 November 2018
Recent developments have made clear that Germany’s secret service has been run by a right-wing extremist for the past six and a half years.
Germany: Der Spiegel idealises far-right leader Björn Höcke
By Peter Schwarz, 7 November 2018
The German weekly Der Spiegel has published a flattering portrait of Björn Höcke in its issue of October 27.
German Social Democrats demand right-wing replacement for Merkel
By Peter Schwarz, 5 November 2018
Leading figures in the Social Democratic Party have called for a right-wing candidate to become the new leader of their coalition partner, the Christian Democratic Union.
Against the right-wing attacks of university administrators and the far-right
Successful solidarity event for the student union of Humboldt University
By our reporters, 2 November 2018
Two hundred students came to a meeting October 25 at Humboldt University called in solidarity with the RefRat, the student administration.
BlackRock boss Merz applies to head Germany’s ruling CDU
By Peter Schwarz, 1 November 2018
The German ruling elite is using the grand coalition government’s election defeats in Bavaria and Hesse to push for a sharp shift to the right.
With Merkel’s withdrawal, German grand coalition accelerates lurch to the right
By Ulrich Rippert, 31 October 2018
The German Chancellor has made clear that despite mounting popular opposition, the grand coalition will intensify military rearmament, the police-state buildup and its ties to the extreme right.
State elections in Hesse mark further defeat for Germany’s grand coalition
By Ulrich Rippert, 30 October 2018
The election result is an expression of the growing hostility towards the grand coalition and its right-wing policies of militarism, state repression and social austerity.
European Union steps up Internet censorship in the name of opposing “disinformation”
By Johannes Stern, 26 October 2018
The EU summit threatened with sanctions and penalties any party that diverges from the prescribed political line in the 2019 European election campaign.
Frankfurt, Germany: Thousands protest against housing shortage and high rents
By our correspondents, 24 October 2018
Days before the state elections in Hesse, the opposition against the right-wing policies of the establishment parties is growing.
Why are they back?
New title from Mehring Books explains resurgence of fascism in Germany
By our reporters, 19 October 2018
Author Christoph Vandreier presented the book in a well-attended lecture at the Frankfurt Book fair last Saturday.
After 250,000 people march in Berlin
The way forward in the struggle against the far-right danger in Germany
By Ulrich Rippert and Johannes Stern, 18 October 2018
Last weekend’s massive demonstration in Berlin expressed widespread popular opposition to the return of fascism and militarism in Germany.
A quarter-million protest in Berlin against the grand coalition and the return of fascism
By Ulrich Rippert, 15 October 2018
Nearly 250,000 people demonstrated Saturday in Berlin against racism, the far-right Alternative for Germany’s witch-hunting of immigrants, and the reactionary policies of the grand coalition government.
Bavaria state election delivers major blow to Germany’s grand coalition
By Johannes Stern, 15 October 2018
The election held Sunday reveals the broad hostility to the right-wing politics of the federal government.
Polls in German state elections forecast massive rejection of Grand Coalition
By Marianne Arens and Markus Salzmann, 12 October 2018
If current opinion polls are correct, the election results will not only send shock waves through the states affected, but also through the federal government.
Hitler’s resurrection in Germany
By Peter Schwarz, 12 October 2018
A column by Alternative for Germany (AfD) Chairman Alexander Gauland, based largely on a 1933 speech by Hitler, has been published in one of Germany’s most prominent newspapers.
Open letter by students condemns right-wing offensive at Berlin’s Humboldt University
By International Youth and Students for Social Equality (Germany), 11 October 2018
Student organisations from Humboldt University and across Germany published an open letter denouncing the cooperation of the university administration with the far right and its attacks on students’ social and democratic rights.
Chemnitz: German Neo-Nazi terrorist group relied on extremist network
By Christopher Lehmann, 9 October 2018
The authorities’ claims that the anti-immigrant rampage by neo-Nazis in Chemnitz took them by surprise are not credible.
German government organises mass deportations of refugees to Kabul
By Marianne Arens, 9 October 2018
The louder the protests of working people, the more deliberate and mercilessly the German government pursues its right-wing policies.
40,000 people protest in Munich, Germany against racism and police state laws
By Markus Salzmann, 6 October 2018
On October 3, the day marking the reunification of Germany, 40,000 people demonstrated in the Bavarian capital against racism and the new Police Task Law (PAG)
The destruction of Germany’s Thyssenkrupp and the role of the IG Metall union
By Dietmar Henning, 6 October 2018
The decision to break up the Thyssenkrupp multinational conglomerate, in which the IG Metall union has played a key role, has been secretly prepared for months.
German parliament president Schäuble advocates militarism and stepped-up state repression in “Unity Day” speech
By Ulrich Rippert, 5 October 2018
Since German reunification 28 years ago, October 3 has become a national holiday and served as a platform for leading state representatives to deliver speeches setting the course for the future.
German government celebrates “unity day” under the shadow of renewed neo-fascist movement
By Johannes Stern, 4 October 2018
The honeyed phrases of government politicians about a “united, democratic Germany” could not hide the fact that fascism once again menaces the country.
German neo-Nazi group arrested after far-right riot in Chemnitz
By Johannes Stern, 3 October 2018
State prosecutors in Saxony and Bavaria ordered the arrest of seven people on Monday on suspicion of forming a right-wing terrorist organisation.
German neo-Nazi group arrested after far-right riot in Chemnitz
By Johannes Stern, 2 October 2018
State prosecutors in Saxony and Bavaria ordered the arrest of seven people on Monday on suspicion of forming a right-wing terrorist organisation.
German Left Party mayor orders deportation of refugees
By Markus Salzmann, 29 September 2018
The Left Party mayor of Frankfurt on the Oder, René Wilke, has initiated a deportation order against seven refugees from Syria, Pakistan and the Palestinian territories.
German Chancellor Merkel loses closest ally
By Ulrich Rippert, 28 September 2018
It has already become clear that the grand coalition relies on far-right elements to enforce its social and political attacks.
German government agrees to arms deliveries to Saudi Arabia, fuelling war in Yemen
By Sven Heymann, 28 September 2018
The arms shipments to the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula are part of the strategic plans of the German ruling class, which wants to pursue its geopolitical goals by military means.
Turkish president visits Berlin as US-European conflict in Middle East rises
By Alex Lantier, 28 September 2018
Erdogan went to Germany seeking an ally against Trump’s trade war measures and increasingly hostile policy toward Turkey in the Syrian war crisis.
German grand coalition backs secret service head who defended neo-Nazis
By Peter Schwarz, 25 September 2018
The decision to retain Hans-Georg Maassen in the interior ministry sends a clear message to the extreme right that it enjoys the full backing of the grand coalition.
Hundreds of neo-Nazis chant anti-Semitic slogans in Dortmund, Germany
By Ulrich Rippert, 24 September 2018
The far-right, xenophobic policies of the grand coalition government are encouraging right-wing extremists and neo-fascists.
“A whiff of 1933”
Sharp rise in far-right attacks in Germany
By Marianne Arens and Ulrich Rippert, 22 September 2018
Racist and anti-semitic attacks are rising at an alarming rate across Germany with acts of violence occurring on almost a daily basis.
Promotion of German secret service chief evokes the tradition of the Gestapo
By Ulrich Rippert, 21 September 2018
As thousands protest on the streets against the German government’s right-wing policies, the ruling parties in Berlin have agreed to to expand the influence of the extreme right within the state.
In Germany’s Hambacher Forest: The state shows its ugly face
By Marianne Arens, 21 September 2018
In Hambacher Forest near Cologne, which is occupied by protesters seeking to prevent the forest being razed to the ground, a journalist was killed this week.
Germany’s grand coalition promotes far-right secret service chief to state secretary
By Ulrich Rippert, 20 September 2018
The grand coalition has responded to mass protests against the AfD and its neo-fascist provocations by integrating the hated secret service president and his pro-AfD policy more directly into the government.
New police raids and Europe-wide manhunt against G20 opponents
By Sven Heymanns, 19 September 2018
While neo-Nazis are hunting down immigrants in German cities, the police ransacked 15 apartments and arrested a person for alleged involvement in “left-wing extremist” riots in Hamburg.
German Social Democrats feign opposition to fascist AfD
By Johannes Stern, 15 September 2018
Following last month’s neo-Nazi riots in Chemnitz, the Social Democratic Party is trying to disguise its own responsibility for promoting the extreme right.
Duisburg, Germany: Social democratic mayor agitates against refugees and migrants from Eastern Europe
By Elisabeth Zimmermann, 14 September 2018
Mayor Sören Link was able to broadcast his racist demagogy on one of Germany’s leading TV channels, claiming citizens from other EU countries were flocking to Germany to cash in on social benefits.
In new cost-cutting move, PSA subcontracts Opel operation in Germany
By Marianne Arens, 13 September 2018
The subcontracting of research and development operations in Rüsselsheim is another significant step towards the dismantling of Opel.
German government plans combat mission against Syria
By Johannes Stern, 12 September 2018
Behind the backs of the German people, the Grand Coalition government is preparing a massive combat mission against the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Fifteen thousand protest throughout Germany against war, police repression and the fascist right
By our reporters, 12 September 2018
The mass demonstrations took place in Hanover, Munich and Dachau and were directed against both the Grand Coalition and the fascistic AfD.
German neo-Nazis attack Jewish restaurant during far-right riot in Chemnitz
By Alex Lantier, 11 September 2018
Police authorities in Saxony hushed up the attack against Schalom, which only came to light in media reports in Die Welt over the weekend.
Grand Coalition adopts plan for historic rearmament of German military forces
By Johannes Stern, 10 September 2018
Behind the backs of the population, the Grand Coalition of Christian Democrats and Social Democrats is planning a massive arms drive.
German Secret Service denies neo-Nazi violence in Chemnitz
By Johannes Stern, 10 September 2018
After thousands of neo-Nazis rampaged through the East German city of Chemnitz late last month, dominant sections of the German state and political establishment have come to the defence of the fascists.
German Interior Minister Seehofer backs the brown mob
By Peter Schwarz, 8 September 2018
The Neo-Nazis and their milieu dare to behave so brazenly only because the government and the security services fully support them.
Saxony’s minister president declares solidarity with far-right protests in Chemnitz
By Johannes Stern, 7 September 2018
Kretschmer called for a strong state, the intensification of the hardline anti-refugee policy, and the downplaying of the attacks on journalists, immigrants and the left.
German Left Party leader launches right-wing nationalist movement
By Ulrich Rippert, 7 September 2018
On Tuesday, Left Party leader Sahra Wagenknecht publicly presented the movement “Stand Up" in Berlin.
Chemnitz and the call for a stronger state
By Peter Schwarz, 6 September 2018
After the recent right-wing extremist marches in Chemnitz, representatives of all Bundestag (parliamentary) parties are calling for the state to intervene.
Seventy thousand attend “Rock against the right wing” in Chemnitz, Germany
By our reporters, 5 September 2018
The concert in Chemnitz held under the motto “We are more” showed the massive opposition to right-wing extremism and fascism on the part of workers and youth.
The fight against fascism in Germany requires a socialist perspective
By the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, 4 September 2018
Moral outrage is not enough to stop the fascist mob: it is necessary to understand the political roots of its resurgence.
“In Germany, of all places, we should know better”
Tens of thousands protest across Germany against neo-Nazi violence in Chemnitz
By our reporters, 3 September 2018
Following a neo-Nazi rampage in Chemnitz last Sunday and Monday, tens of thousands have demonstrated across Germany against the far right.
Young Euro Classic 2018—a display of boundless musical virtuosity and symphonic poetry
By Verena Nees, 3 September 2018
The 20 nearly sold-out concerts by international youth orchestras struck a clear musical counterpoint to the xenophobic and nationalist policies of the global political elites.
Fascist rampage in Germany exposes ties between right-wing extremists and the state
By Johannes Stern, 1 September 2018
After neo-Nazis rioted on Sunday and Monday in the East German city of Chemnitz, more details have come to light about the close coordination between the right-wing extremists, the police and the state apparatus.
Who is to blame for the neo-Nazi rampage in Chemnitz, Germany?
By Johannes Stern, 30 August 2018
Over 7,000 neo-Nazis marched through the streets of Chemnitz, attacking people they accused of being foreigners, chanting fascist slogans and giving Nazi salutes.
German Foreign Minister Maas sees Europe setting “red lines” for US conduct
By Ulrich Rippert and Peter Schwarz, 29 August 2018
More clearly than government officials have done so far, Maas describes the US as a major obstacle to a new German drive to become a world power again.
Neo-Nazi mob rampages through East German city of Chemnitz
By Johannes Stern, 28 August 2018
Recent events suggest that the far-right demonstrations were closely coordinated with, or even instigated by, the security authorities.
The German army’s new policy doctrine: Preparing for World War III
By Johannes Stern, 28 August 2018
The grand coalition and the entire German ruling elite are planning the massive rearmament of the army in preparation for major military operations.
Growing links between German right-wing extremists, police and state government in Saxony
By Sven Heymann, 27 August 2018
The media and establishment politicians are playing down the recent events in Dresden, or openly defending the actions of the police.
German government and police unite with far-right to clamp down on press freedom in Dresden
By Peter Schwarz, 25 August 2018
The grand coalition of the CDU, CSU and SPD has largely adopted the AfD’s policies, and is going out of its way to praise the right-wing extremist party.
How the secret service and the far-right AfD control German politics
By Peter Schwarz, 24 August 2018
Meetings between secret service chief Hans-Georg Maaßen and senior AfD members make clear that the decision to target the Socialist Equality Party (SGP) is part of a right-wing conspiracy in the state apparatus.
Musicians’ group calls for shutdown of the German secret service
By Dietmar Henning, 23 August 2018
On Tuesday, the musicians group’ “Lebenslaute” concluded a two-day protest against the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), as the German secret service is called.
German federal and regional governments extend refugee camp system nationwide
By Marianne Arens, 21 August 2018
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann claims that the camps are “not detention facilities,” and that “no one is imprisoned,” but that is a lie.
German Left Party leaders launch right-wing #Standup initiative
By Christoph Vandreier, 20 August 2018
The interviews of Lafontaine and Wagenknecht focus on anti-refugee agitation, the stirring up of nationalism and the call for German “independence.”
German government places Socialist Equality Party on subversive watch list
By the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, 17 August 2018
Last month Germany’s domestic intelligence agency added the Socialist Equality Party to its official list of “left-wing extremist” organizations subject to state monitoring.
German Social Democrats launch xenophobic campaign about child benefits
By Christopher Lehmann, 14 August 2018
On the “Tagesthemen” TV news program, the SPD mayor ranted against EU nationals who were allegedly flocking to Germany to fraudulently obtain social welfare payments.
Right-wing extremist acquitted in the bombing of a German train station
By Sybille Fuchs and Dietmar Henning, 13 August 2018
The result, as in the recent trial of the Neo-Nazi National Socialist Underground (NSU), is that the defendants end up with lenient sentences or are acquitted, with important questions ignored.
German Left Party leaders launch right-wing coalition
By Ulrich Rippert, 11 August 2018
The #StandUp coalition combines anti-corporate demagogy with nationalist and xenophobic positions pioneered by the extreme right.
German government plans reintroduction of military conscription
By Noah Windstein, 9 August 2018
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party conference is scheduled to adopt a decision to reintroduce military service.
Defend the Student Council! Stop the right-wing conspiracy at Berlin’s Humboldt University
By the International Youth and Students for Social Equality and Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, 9 August 2018
The IYSSE and SGP condemn the attack by university President Sabine Kunst against the Student Council at Humboldt University and her complicity with the far-right Alternative for Germany.
Thousands demonstrate in Germany against far-right attacks on refugee rescue ships
By our reporters, 7 August 2018
Thousands of people demonstrated once again last weekend against the European governments’ inhumane refugee policies.
Head of German secret service advised far-right Alternative for Germany
By Ulrich Rippert, 4 August 2018
The president of Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution met with then-AfD Chairperson Frauke Petry in 2015 to advise her on how to avoid surveillance by the state.
Technology giants use Germany’s Network Enforcement Law to delete tens of thousands of comments
By Christoph Vandreier, 3 August 2018
A review of the cases thus far confirms that this is not a struggle against “hate comments” or “fake news,” but the massive restriction of free speech.
German government launches camp system for refugees
By Christoph Vandreier, 2 August 2018
With the inhumane camp system, the coalition government of Christian Democrats and Social Democrats is implementing the refugee policy of the far-right Alternative for Germany.
Ryanair’s mass sacking threat raises need for globally coordinated struggle of airline workers
By Steve James, 2 August 2018
The role of the unions in the airline and other industries is to isolate any struggle, impose the demands of the companies and prevent a unified fight of the entire working class.
Protest in Munich against attacks on refugees, poverty and war
By our reporters, 1 August 2018
Despite pouring rain, tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Munich against right-wing agitation, increasing military spending, poverty and war.
German right demands nuclear “weapons of mass extermination”
By Johannes Stern, 31 July 2018
The Welt am Sonntag, a leading German newspaper, has published an article demanding the creation of a nuclear arsenal.
Acquittal for right-wing extremist Identitarian movement in Austrian court
By Sven Heymanns, 31 July 2018
Seventeen members of the Austrian Identitarian Movement were acquitted by the Graz District Court on all main charges in their case last Thursday.
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