Germany
Germany: Public transport strike paralyzes Berlin
By our reporters, 16 February 2019
For much of Friday, all subways and trams in the capital stood still and most buses remained in their depots.
Munich Security Conference
German defence minister advocates German-European war policy
By Johannes Stern, 16 February 2019
Almost 75 years after the end of World War II, the imperialist powers are openly preparing for a new round of military conflicts.
Munich Security Conference overshadowed by rising great power conflicts
By Peter Schwarz, 15 February 2019
The conference will be dominated by the preparations of the US and its allies for war against Russia and China, and the deepening conflicts between the Western allies.
Tens of thousands strike in Berlin against poor working conditions
By our reporters, 14 February 2019
Tens of thousands of public sector workers took part in a one-day strike in Berlin on Wednesday. More than 10,000 people marched to the Brandenburg Gate.
Germany: Social Democrats modernise austerity
By Peter Schwarz, 13 February 2019
The SPD passed the “Hartz IV” laws 14 years ago, implementing welfare “reforms” and laying the foundations for a huge low-pay sector and widespread poverty.
German army initiates military cooperation with Deutsche Bahn railway company
By Tino Jacobson, 12 February 2019
The railway company, 100 percent of which is controlled by the federal state, is increasingly being subordinated to the needs of German militarism and imperialism.
London Book Launch: Why Are They Back? The return of fascism in Germany and the lessons of history
12 February 2019
The English edition of Why Are They Back? Historical falsification, political conspiracy and the return of fascism in Germany will be launched by Mehring Books in London on Sunday, March 17.
German workers support rally against mass layoffs in Detroit
By our reporters, 9 February 2019
The WSWS received these messages of support for the February 9 demonstration from bus drivers, auto workers, and a tram mechanic.
Germany is preparing for economic war
By Peter Schwarz, 8 February 2019
The German government wants to promote the emergence of powerful monopolies that can counter their American and Chinese competitors “on an equal footing.”
Berlin-based airline files for bankruptcy
By Ulrich Rippert, 7 February 2019
As in the case of the bankruptcy of Air Berlin, where Verdi and Lufthansa worked closely together, it is ultimately the workforce that will pay the costs of insolvency.
AfD deputy denounces a Holocaust commemoration in German parliament
By Christoph Vandreier, 7 February 2019
Seventy-four years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the crimes of the Nazi regime are being downplayed in the German Bundestag (parliament) without triggering any significant protest.
One hundred years since the death of Franz Mehring
By Peter Schwarz, 6 February 2019
Mehring was one of the leading Marxist theoreticians of his time. Unlike other leading Social Democrats, who shifted to the right, he joined the Spartacus League during World War I.
German defence report sparks hysterical campaign for increased military spending
By Johannes Stern, 2 February 2019
The ruling class and its parties are pursing massive rearmament plans and preparing Germany for war.
Berlin teachers and social workers strike for better working conditions
By our reporters, 31 January 2019
The unions have long worked with the parties that form the Berlin Senate to impose cuts.
Fascists march in Auschwitz
By Clara Weiss, 31 January 2019
The sight of a rabble of Nazi trash desecrating the memory of those who perished in Auschwitz is sickening and must be answered. But the response must be informed by an understanding of the inextricable link between capitalism, the crisis of bourgeois democracy and fascist reaction.
Germany and EU support US-engineered coup in Venezuela
By Peter Schwarz, 30 January 2019
Berlin and Brussels are backing the Venezuelan coup because they are pursuing their own imperialist interests in Latin America.
Fascist deputies disrupt Holocaust memorial in Germany
By Peter Schwarz and Andre Damon, 26 January 2019
On Wednesday, deputies from the neo-fascist Alternative for Germany walked out of a Holocaust remembrance ceremony in the state parliament of Bavaria.
Successful election result for IYSSE at Humboldt University in Berlin
By the IYSSE chapter at Humboldt University, 26 January 2019
The IYSSE increased its share of the vote by a third, from 3.75 percent to over 5 percent, and will be represented by three deputies in the student parliament.
German Ford workers: “The yellow vests are going about it the right way”
By Dietmar Gaisenkersting, 25 January 2019
Members of the Socialist Equality Party discussed with Ford workers in Cologne about the formation of action committees independent of the unions to initiate a campaign to defend jobs.
100 years since the founding of the Bauhaus
Including an interview with Bauhaus student Wilf Franks
By Barbara Slaughter and Stefan Steinberg, 25 January 2019
This year marks the 100 anniversary of the founding of the Bauhaus movement in Germany, which played a key role in the development of progressive art and culture in the twentieth century.
Final IYSSE election meeting at Humboldt University in Berlin
How can the rise of the far-right be stopped?
By our reporters, 24 January 2019
More than 50 students and young workers participated in the IYSSE’s final meeting in its campaign for the student parliament election at Humboldt University.
040 German Ford workers interviews
23 January 2019
Germany, France step up military, police alliance with Aachen treaty
By Alex Lantier, 23 January 2019
The treaty aims to build a German-French axis as the centre of a European Union rivaling America militarily and planning the repression of workers across Europe.
German lawyer receives additional threatening fax from the far right
By Marianne Arens, 22 January 2019
Lawyer Basay-Yildiz has received another message threatening her and her family apparently originating from the neo-Nazi network located in Germany’s police apparatus.
German SPD politician justifies murder of Rosa Luxemburg
By Peter Schwarz, 18 January 2019
Although the SPD continues to officially deny its complicity in the murder of Luxemburg and Liebknecht, Wolfgang Thierse, former president of the federal parliament, has now declared: We would do it again.
Yellow vest protests expose right-wing politics of Germany’s Left Party
By Isabel Roy and Johannes Stern, 17 January 2019
After initially denouncing the “yellow vest” protests, Left Party leader Sahra Wagenknecht has sought to stamp her right-wing, anti-immigrant policies on the movement.
Right-wing Humboldt University Professor Jorg Baberowski threatens students
By the IYSSE at Humboldt University, 17 January 2019
Baberowski is using his Twitter and Facebook accounts to incite his right-wing periphery against students who criticize his racist and reactionary statements.
Video: Christoph Vandreier on “One hundred years since the assassination of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht”
By Christoph Vandreier, 16 January 2019
In this video, Christoph Vandreier, the deputy chairman of the Socialist Equality Party (SGP) in Germany, speaks on the 100th anniversary of the murder of the two great revolutionaries.
New study finds up to 15,000 Jews killed each day at peak of Holocaust
By Clara Weiss, 16 January 2019
At least 1.47 million Jews, more than a quarter of all victims of the Nazi genocide of European Jewry, were murdered within 92 days from mid-August to early November 1942.
Lessons of 1933 and the fight against fascism today
Successful start for IYSSE election campaign at Berlin’s Humboldt University
By our reporters, 16 January 2019
Some 60 students attended the meeting at Humboldt University to discuss the rise of the Nazis, the lessons of history and a socialist perspective to oppose fascism and war today.
One hundred years since the murder of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht
By Peter Schwarz, 15 January 2019
The ruling class had to kill Luxemburg and Liebknecht to prevent the revolution, which spread like wildfire throughout Germany during November 1918, from overthrowing capitalism as it had done in Russia.
German political parties and media express solidarity with far-right AfD
By Ulrich Rippert and Johannes Stern, 14 January 2019
The Magnitz case reveals the extent to which the AfD has been integrated into official politics.
Was the hack of German politicians data supported by the state?
By Ulrich Rippert, 12 January 2019
Out of all the parties represented in parliament, only politicians from one remained unaffected by the hack: the far-right AfD.
Germany deports more refugees to Afghanistan
By Marianne Arens, 11 January 2019
On Monday night, a further 36 refugees were deported to Kabul, including a number who had lived and worked for years in Germany and had no idea they were at risk.
Socialist Equality Party takes legal action against surveillance by German secret service
By the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, 10 January 2019
Dr. Peer Stolle, the lawyer for the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, has submitted formal notice in writing to the German Federal Agency for the Protection of the Constitution, which is published here.
Report: Police gave neo-Nazi rioters free rein in Chemnitz, Germany
By Martin Nowak, 10 January 2019
An internal police report makes clear that although the police were well informed about the activities of the far right in Chemnitz, they did nothing to stop them.
German media demand accelerated rearmament
By Peter Schwarz, 7 January 2019
Editorials in leading German publications are marked by a mixture of fear and aggression as the new year begins.
Scuffles in German city of Amberg exploited to incite right-wing campaign
By Marianne Arens and Peter Schwarz, 5 January 2019
Politicians from Bavaria and Berlin have been lining up to outdo each other with proposals for more restrictive asylum laws.
German army plans recruitment of EU foreigners
By Johannes Stern, 3 January 2019
Berlin is now using the lack of prospects and sheer desperation of young people to recruit cannon fodder for the German war policy.
German AfD parliamentarian joins weapons drill of far-right group in South Africa
By Johannes Stern, 31 December 2018
Petr Bystron, an AfD member of the Bundestag, took part in shooting exercises of the far-right paramilitary “Suidlanders” during an official parliamentary trip to South Africa.
Der Spiegel’s counterfeit journalism and the campaign against “fake news”
By Peter Schwarz, 31 December 2018
The unmasking of a counterfeiter in the editorial offices of the German newsweekly Der Spiegel has exposed the manipulation of public opinion by the so-called authoritative media.
Germany’s Der Spiegel spreads fake news
By Peter Schwarz, 27 December 2018
Der Spiegel has responded to the revelation that it spread invented "news" with an admission of guilt, self-pity and attempts to shift the blame.
European powers condemn Trump’s withdrawal from Syria
By Johannes Stern, 24 December 2018
Trump’s planned withdrawal of US troops from Syria and the subsequent resignation of defence secretary James Mattis have provoked a fierce response from European leaders.
Demands surge for Britain to free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
By James Cogan, 22 December 2018
John Pilger told an online vigil: “Julian is a touchstone for opposition to so much of what is happening in our world right now—the rise of fascism, the threat of nuclear war.”
Her photos shed light on history: The outstanding work of photographer Maria Austria (1915-75)
By Verena Nees, 22 December 2018
Her work deserves to be exhibited in one of Germany’s or Austria’s major museums, not least because she is the source of the only photographic record of the hiding place of Anne Frank and her family before deportation to Auschwitz.
Neo-Nazi network in the German police force
By Peter Schwarz, 20 December 2018
The ruling class is promoting and covering up for extreme right-wing forces in the police.
Fascist cell uncovered in German police force
By Marianne Arens, 19 December 2018
Evidence has emerged that a neo-fascist cell active in the German police has threatened immigrant families and their children.
Student parliament condemns right-wing attack on IYSSE meeting at Humboldt University in Berlin
By our reporters, 17 December 2018
The student parliament unanimously passed a resolution defending the International Youth and Students for Social Equality against attempts by the right-wing extremist Alternative for Germany to disrupt its meetings.
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.
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