Germany
Germany: SPD congress backs grand coalition government as class struggle intensifies
By Ulrich Rippert, 11 December 2019
The new SPD leadership is making hollow reformist promises in the hope of controlling growing anti-capitalist sentiment in the working class.
Germany: IG Metall union announces further attacks on Daimler workers
By K. Nesan, 10 December 2019
With the help of the unions and their works council representative, the auto manufacturer wants to destroy 10,000 jobs by 2022.
Right-wing hate campaign in Germany against Nobel Prize winner Peter Handke
By Bernd Reinhardt and Peter Schwarz, 9 December 2019
The tirades levelled against Handke resemble the rantings by criminals intent on covering up their own tracks.
Former head of German Secret Service publishes fascist manifesto
By the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, 7 December 2019
Maassen’s article contains a thinly-veiled call for building a fascist movement to crush working class opposition to social inequality and militarism.
SPD youth leader defends Germany’s grand coalition government
By Ulrich Rippert, 6 December 2019
In a long interview with the Rheinische Post, Kühnert warned “of the consequences of a hasty exit” from the ruling grand coalition.
NATO summit dominated by growing inter-state conflicts
By Alex Lantier, 5 December 2019
Explosive conflicts over trade and military policy between Washington and its main European allies erupted this week at the NATO summit in London.
Trump denounces Macron’s criticisms of NATO at London summit
By Alex Lantier, 4 December 2019
Bitter conflicts between the United States and the major European powers erupted into the open yesterday, at the start of the two-day NATO summit in London.
Germany: Far-right AfD’s party conference strengthens völkisch-nationalist “wing”
By Peter Schwarz, 4 December 2019
The nationalist “wing” group (Der Flügel) in the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) around Björn Höcke and Andreas Kalbitz has emerged strengthened from its federal party conference.
NATO bitterly divided as London summit begins
By Alex Lantier, 3 December 2019
NATO heads of state arrived yesterday in London for a two-day summit beginning today, 70 years after NATO’s foundation in the aftermath of World War II in 1949.
New leadership in German SPD: Fresh faces—same right-wing policies
By Peter Schwarz, 3 December 2019
Norbert Walter-Borjans and Saskia Esken have been elected as the new co-leaders of the Social Democratic Party. They unexpectedly defeated the current vice-chancellor, Olaf Scholz.
Germany’s budget for 2020: Billions for rearmament and war
By Johannes Stern, 2 December 2019
Five years ago the grand coalition announced Germany’s return to an aggressive foreign and great power policy. The far-reaching consequences of such a policy are increasingly reflected in the current budget.
Right-wing German Army officer Franco A. to be charged for terrorism
By Dietmar Gaisenkersting, 2 December 2019
The details now made public strongly suggest that the 30-year-old ex-Army officer is a neo-Nazi terrorist.
IYSSE, student unions defend students in Germany against right-wing attacks
By our reporters, 2 December 2019
Last week, nearly 100 students at Berlin’s Humboldt University and representatives of student organisations from numerous other universities met to protest against right-wing and militaristic teaching and defend students who criticize it from right-wing attacks.
Mercedes-Benz to cut more than 10,000 jobs
By K. Nesan, 30 November 2019
The announcement is part of a sweeping assault on jobs in the international auto industry.
Berlin Tax Office withdraws charitable status from Nazi victims’ organisation
By Justus Leicht, 30 November 2019
The decision is tantamount to a ban, depriving the organisation of tax concessions vital to fund its work.
German government plans new military interventions, massive rearmament
By Johannes Stern, 29 November 2019
The German army is preparing for new military interventions. The plans were announced by the German defence minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, on Monday at a Bundeswehr base in Saarland.
German autoworkers protest as unions sanction wave of jobs cuts
By K. Nesan, 28 November 2019
Hardly a day passes without a large or small company announcing redundancies and savings measures in highly industrialize state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany.
Audio recording refutes Hannah-Jones’ claim that she was falsely quoted by the World Socialist Web Site
By Eric London, 27 November 2019
The World Socialist Web Site publishes the audio of Hannah-Jones’ remarks.
Automaker Audi slashes 9,500 jobs in Germany
By Dietmar Gaisenkersting, 27 November 2019
The job cuts are part of a global offensive against autoworkers, which could cost at least 15 percent of the jobs of Germany’s 820,000 workers in the auto and parts industries.
German bus drivers in state of Hesse on strike
By Marianne Arens, 25 November 2019
The strike has once again brought to light the grueling working conditions faced by around 130,000 bus drivers across the country.
“It’s bordering on slavery how they treat us”
Bus drivers in Hesse, Germany, discuss their strike
By Marianne Arens, 25 November 2019
Striking bus drivers employed by private companies in the German state of Hesse are resisting scandalously low wages and exploitative working conditions.
German student organisation bombarded with far-right hate mail
By Gregor Link, 25 November 2019
The University of Hamburg student organization has been bombarded with hate mail and threats of violence after students protested against a founding member of the far-right Alternative for Germany, Bernd Lucke, returning to his teaching post.
Hamburg: Social Democrats and Greens plan new police law
By Tino Jacobson, 22 November 2019
The Social Democratic Party-Green Party Senate in Germany’s city-state of Hamburg plans to agree on a controversial police law before the state election due in February.
German big business continues its new scramble for Africa
By Peter Schwarz, 22 November 2019
German big business is on the hunt for new markets, raw materials, investment opportunities and cheap labor.
Germany’s Green Party conference—power at any price
By Peter Schwarz, 20 November 2019
The entire party conference was aimed at demonstrating the reliability of the Greens to the ruling circles in politics, business and the media.
German army recruits swear war oath in front of Reichstag building
By Gregor Link, 18 November 2019
Both Schäuble and Kramp-Karrenbauer have made clear in recent weeks that the time has come for the return of German imperialism to the world stage.
Germany: Left Party parliamentary group elects new leadership
By Peter Schwarz, 16 November 2019
The trench warfare within the Left Party expresses tensions and friction stemming inevitably from the right-wing turn undertaken by the whole party.
The German government’s “basic pension” bluff
By Marianne Arens, 15 November 2019
The new measure will not improve the lot of poor pensioners. Rather, the grand coalition government hopes to secure its survival so as to pursue its great power policies and militarist aims.
Germany: Berlin rent cap—a deceptive manoeuvre
By Tino Jacobson and Markus Salzmann, 13 November 2019
The rent cap will not stop the enrichment of the rent sharks, provide affordable housing for all, or hide the right-wing and anti-social policies of the parties controlling the Berlin Senate.
German defence minister calls for expansion of foreign military interventions
By Peter Schwarz, 11 November 2019
In a keynote address, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer declared, “there is broad agreement that, given the strategic challenges, Germany must ... “do more to defend our values and interests.”
German Christian Democrats call for collaboration with the far-right AfD
By Marianne Arens, 9 November 2019
A leader of the CDU said in an interview that, in his opinion, the AfD was “a conservative party” and were “not all Nazis.”
Thirty years since the fall of the Berlin Wall
By Peter Schwarz, 9 November 2019
Thirty years ago, the fall of the Berlin Wall marked the end of the GDR. Republished below is an article by Peter Schwarz that first appeared on the WSWS five years ago, on November 8, 2014, under the headline, “25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall.”
Flight attendants to take further strike action at Lufthansa
By Marianne Arens, 7 November 2019
Germany’s main airline, Lufthansa, faces a 48-hour strike by cabin crew on Thursday and Friday.
German imperialism’s new drive for world power
By Johannes Stern, 7 November 2019
In a lecture on the theme of “Germany’s role in a globalised world,” the president of the parliament, Wolfgang Schäuble, called for a return to a foreign policy of military violence.
IYSSE meetings in Germany: Stop the shift to the right at the universities!
By our correspondents, 6 November 2019
The meetings are part of a series being organised by the IYSSE across Germany to oppose the rise of the far-right on university campuses and in political life.
Halle, Germany: Government moves to establish a police state after fascist attack
By Gregor Link, 5 November 2019
The government is using the attack as a pretext to further arm the state apparatus and implement long-held plans to spy on journalists and Internet users.
Germany’s grand coalition extends military operations in Syria and Iraq
By Johannes Stern, 2 November 2019
Eighty years after the end of the Second World War, leading politicians from all parties openly advocate policies of war and military violence.
Hamburg senate deploys police against student anti-Nazi protest
By Christoph Vandreier and Johannes Stern, 2 November 2019
Hundreds of Hamburg students have protested against the return of Bernd Lucke, founder of the far-right Alternative for Germany, to their university in the past two weeks.
100 years since the founding of the Bauhaus art school and movement: “A New Era”
By Sybille Fuchs, 2 November 2019
The question arises: what was so special about this school, which existed for just 14 years (1919-1933) and was forced to change its location three times in Germany due to the hostile reaction of conservative and nationalist forces?
Hamburg, Germany: SPD-Green state executive uses police violence to guard lecture by AfD founder
By Christoph Vandreier and Johannes Stern, 1 November 2019
Hundreds of Hamburg students have protested against the return of Bernd Lucke, founder of the far-right Alternative for Germany, to their university in the past two weeks.
Germany: How Hesse authorities covered up the NSU and Lübcke murderers
By Peter Schwarz, 30 October 2019
Temme, an employee of the Hesse state branch of the secret service, maintained an official relationship with the neo-Nazi Stephan Ernst, the alleged murderer of the Kassel district president Walter Lübcke.
Stop the censorship of socialist views by the University of Leipzig student council
By the IYSSE Leipzig, 30 October 2019
The student council refused IYSSE official club status, effectively imposing censorship on left-wing and socialist views on campus.
German state election: the Left Party’s policies open the way for the fascistic AfD
By Johannes Stern, 29 October 2019
The established parties were punished by the electorate for their right-wing and anti-working-class policies, but the main beneficiary is the far-right Alternative for Germany.
German media gripped by war fever
By Peter Schwarz, 28 October 2019
It is remarkable how little effort is made by the journalists to conceal their battle cries behind the usual phrases about “peace,” “human rights,” and “democracy.”
Germany: Humboldt University student parliament supports lawsuit against far-right Professor Baberowski
By Christoph Vandreier, 25 October 2019
The legal complaint is an important step in defending students’ freedom of opinion in the face of an offensive by radical right-wing forces within the academic milieu.
No to the German-European security zone in Syria!
By Johannes Stern, 24 October 2019
The call by German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer for an international security zone in northern Syria marks a new stage in the revival of German militarism.
Right-wing terror in Germany: the responsibility of the Grand Coalition
By Johannes Stern, 22 October 2019
The responsibility for right-wing terror lies not only with the AfD, but also with the Grand Coalition and its political supporters in the Left Party and the Greens.
Sealed Lips: Dramatizing the Stalinist origins of the former East Germany
By Bernd Reinhardt and Verena Nees, 21 October 2019
Director Bernd Böhlich raises the “birth defect” issue of the GDR, i.e., its silence on the Stalinist purges, primarily directed at leading Bolsheviks, particularly Leon Trotsky and many German Communists.
An open letter to all members of the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers
Stop the shift to the right at the universities!
By the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, 19 October 2019
Bernhard Kempen is using his position as president of the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers to defend the right-wing extremist historian Jörg Baberowski.
Following terrorist attack in Germany, Jewish community strongly criticises police intervention in Halle
By Dietmar Gaisenkersting, 18 October 2019
The fact remains that the injured terrorist was able to escape in a car even though the police units were armed and had blocked the road.
Right-wing networks in the German state exposed
By Peter Schwarz, 18 October 2019
Extreme Security brings together a wealth of material about violent neo-Nazi groups and right-wing extremist networks in the police, the legal system, the Bundeswehr and the secret service.
German defence minister visits Niger and Mali in preparation for massive combat operation in the Sahel
By Gregor Link, 17 October 2019
The German government is preparing to expand its Bundeswehr (Armed Forces) mission in Mali and Niger into a massive combat operation and to extend it indefinitely.
Germany: Thousands of job cuts at Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank
By Gustav Kemper, 16 October 2019
The banks have pursued savage restructuring plans at the expense of their workforces so as to boost payouts to shareholders.
Germany’s IG Metall union calls for alliance with government and corporations against workers
By Dietmar Gaisenkersting, 15 October 2019
IG Metall is offering the services of its apparatus to ensure labour peace in the factories and impose the cuts demanded by Germany’s ruling elite.
Large Berlin solidarity protests against anti-Semitism and right-wing terrorism.
By our reporters, 14 October 2019
This weekend’s protests underscored, once again, the widespread opposition that exists to the return of fascism in Germany.
Thousands protest in Germany against right-wing violence following fascist Yom Kippur attack
By Marianne Arens, 14 October 2019
Last Wednesday’s attack in Halle by a heavily armed fascist, anti-Semite, on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, has evoked horror and a wave of solidarity protests against right-wing violence.
Germany: The election of the SPD leader and the decline of social democracy
By Ulrich Rippert, 14 October 2019
A glance at the list of candidates for the leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) makes clear the wealthy social layers that set the tone and whose reactionary programme they represent.
Right-wing extremist network behind fascist synagogue attack in Germany
By Ulrich Rippert, 12 October 2019
The reality is that the “ideological inciters” of the right-wing terrorist attack in Halle hold top positions within the state and security apparatus, the intelligence agencies, the military and the federal government.
Dortmund, Germany withdraws prestigious award from the author Kamila Shamsie over support for BDS
By Sybille Fuchs, 12 October 2019
The withdrawal of the prize is yet another case of censorship by the German state and local authorities, which claim to oppose anti-Semitism but in fact suppress and criminalise any criticism of the Israeli government’s right-wing policies.
Right-wing extremist network behind fascist synagogue attack in Germany
By Ulrich Rippert, 11 October 2019
The reality is that the “ideological inciters” of the right-wing terrorist attack in Halle hold top positions within the state and security apparatus, the intelligence agencies, the military and the federal government.
German Nazi murders two in Yom Kippur Synagogue attack
By Johannes Stern, 10 October 2019
The Nazi assault on the Halle synagogue is aimed at demonstrating that anti-Semitism is, once again, a significant political force in Germany.
Theatres in Germany take a stand against the far right
By Verena Nees, 4 October 2019
A number of plays by the Austrian-Hungarian dramatist and novelist Ödön von Horváth took a clear stand against the rise of the Nazis and assume new relevance today.
Ahead of state election in German state of Thuringia
Left Party Minister President Bodo Ramelow lauds the right-wing CDU
By Johannes Stern, 3 October 2019
With its right-wing and pro-capitalist policies, the Left Party, whose predecessors reintroduced capitalism into East Germany 30 years ago, bears major responsibility for the rise of the far-right.
Germany: Bus drivers strike in Hesse and Saarland
By Marianne Arens, 1 October 2019
1,500 bus drivers in Frankfurt, Giessen, Darmstadt, Kassel, Offenbach, Hanau and Fulda took part in a 24-hour warning strike Friday for significant wage increases and better holiday arrangements.
Germany: Opel workers support GM strike in the US
By our reporters, 26 September 2019
News of the strike by 46,000 GM workers in America was met with great interest at Opel’s main plant in Rüsselsheim.
Siemens workers resist planned job cuts in Germany
By Gustav Kemper, 26 September 2019
The IG Metall trade unions supports the strategy of Siemens management to hive off the company’s energy division as a separate business and launch it on the stock market. This will lead to thousands of jobs being destroyed and working conditions being “renegotiated.”
German government extends war mission in Middle East
By Johannes Stern, 25 September 2019
The Grand Coalition is continuing the German military mission in Syria and Iraq and will deploy the Bundeswehr beyond its current mandate in the region.
The fascist network behind the murder of Walter Lübcke
By Peter Schwarz, 25 September 2019
Three months after the murder of Kassel’s regional president, there is mounting evidence that the Christian Democratic politician was the victim of an extreme right-wing network reaching deep into the state security apparatus.
Daimler-Benz workers in Germany support GM strikers
By Gregor Link and K. Nesan, 23 September 2019
German autoworkers in the city of Stuttgart support the strike of their American counterparts, against the auto companies and the union, as a model for their own upcoming struggles.
Germany: How the secret service and far-right AfD organised the ban on the “linksunten.indymedia” website
By Peter Schwarz, 20 September 2019
The cessation of criminal proceedings confirms that the ban on the website was an act of political censorship in which the Interior Ministry, the secret service and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) closely collaborated.
German workers support GM strikers in US
By our reporters, 17 September 2019
News of the strike by nearly 50,000 GM workers in the US spread like wildfire through German factories and evoked powerful support.
A major exhibition at New York City’s Museum of Jewish Heritage
The story of Auschwitz
By Fred Mazelis, 17 September 2019
The fundamental lesson of a study of the Holocaust is that the alternatives before humanity remain those of socialism or barbarism.
IG Metall plays treacherous role in the Riva steelworkers strike
By Marianne Arens, 14 September 2019
The allies of striking Riva workers are not union officials but workers across Germany and internationally that are facing similar attacks.
Fascism and militarism characterise debate in the German Bundestag
By Johannes Stern, 13 September 2019
While opposition to war and fascism is enormous among workers and youth, even 80 years after the beginning of World War II, the ruling class is returning to its authoritarian, militaristic and racist traditions.
Fascism and militarism characterise debate in the German Bundestag
By Johannes Stern, 13 September 2019
While opposition to war and fascism is enormous among workers and youth, even 80 years after the beginning of World War II, the ruling class is returning to its authoritarian, militaristic and racist traditions.
German Christian Democrats, Social Democrats, Greens negotiating right-wing coalition agreement in Saxony
By Martin Nowak and Johannes Stern, 12 September 2019
A new coalition would continue the right-wing policies pursued by the former CDU/SPD government, which strengthened the far-right Alternative for Germany.
Representatives of the German establishment parties vote for fascist candidate
By Johannes Stern, 10 September 2019
The election of neo-Nazi Stefan Jagsch as local mayor in the Wetterau municipality of Altenstadt highlights the sharp turn to the right by the ruling class in Germany.
Germany’s Left Party reacts to electoral debacle in the East with sharp shift to the right
By Johannes Stern, 6 September 2019
After its electoral collapse in Saxony and Brandenburg, the Left Party is adopting the anti-refugee policies of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
WikiLeaks exposes crimes of German imperialism
By Gregor Link, 6 September 2019
The German media has slandered WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who faces possible life imprisonment or the death penalty in the US for making Washington’s war crimes public.
German president silent on the Holocaust at WWII memorial
By Peter Schwarz, 4 September 2019
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier failed to utter a word about the extermination of the Jews at a ceremony in Warsaw marking the 80th anniversary of World War II.
Far-right Alternative for Germany makes gains in state elections
By Ulrich Rippert, 3 September 2019
The fascistic party was the main beneficiary in the collapse in support for the parties that make up the ruling grand coalition.
Germany: Xenophobic and anti-Semitic offences are rising sharply
By Isabel Roy, 2 September 2019
On average, there were 26 offences against immigrants or Jews each day in 2018.
Twenty years of the Young Euro Classic festival: Beethoven caught between rebellion and EU propaganda
By Verena Nees, 2 September 2019
The 20th edition of the Young Euro Classic festival ended August 6 in Berlin with a record attendance of 27,000 visitors. At the center of the programmes were the nine symphonies and other works by Ludwig van Beethoven.
While Neo-Nazis kill, German authorities stonewall
By Marianne Arens, 29 August 2019
The alleged murderer of Kassel district president was known to German secret service for years.
German President Steinmeier and the Nazi massacre at Fivizzano
By Johannes Stern, 29 August 2019
Steinmeier cannot and does not want to speak about the origins of Nazi terror, because the ruling class is in the process of returning to an aggressive and imperialist foreign policy, and rehabilitating its fascist traditions.
German Socialist Equality Party answers legal document from Verfassungsschutz Secret Service
By Peter Schwarz, 28 August 2019
A legal brief submitted to the Berlin District Court by the SGP said Germany’s Secret Service was abusing its “constitutional role in a legally impermissible manner” when it “stigmatises criticism of the capitalist system as ‘anti-constitutional’.”
Germany: A politically motivated verdict in Chemnitz refugee trial
By Marianne Arens and Peter Schwarz, 26 August 2019
A 24-year-old refugee from Syria has been jailed for years, so that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the extremist mob, which rampaged in Chemnitz last summer, can claim their victim.
Tens of thousands demonstrate in Dresden, Germany, against the rise of the far-right
By Martin Nowak and Christopher Lehmann, 26 August 2019
Tens of thousands marched through Dresden on Saturday to protest against the rise of the far-right a week prior to state elections in Saxony and Brandenburg.
German automaker Opel to cut workers’ hours and pay
By Dietmar Gaisenkersting, 26 August 2019
The action is part of a radical savings and cutback program, with which Opel’s parent company, French automaker Groupe PSA (Peugeot, Citroen), is responding to the global crisis in the auto industry.
Germany: New higher education law in North Rhine-Westphalia allows military research
By Inti Gomez and Philipp Frisch, 26 August 2019
The focus of the law is the abolition of the Civil Clause, which proscribes research for military purposes.
UK Prime Minister Johnson fails to secure Brexit concessions from Germany and France
By Robert Stevens, 24 August 2019
Corbyn’s meeting with Remain-supporting parties and MPs is his latest capitulation to the agenda of sections of big business opposed to leaving the EU.
Merkel and Orbán: A sordid deal at the expense of refugees and democracy
By Peter Schwarz, 24 August 2019
On the 30th anniversary of the opening up of the Hungarian-Austrian border, Merkel and Orbán sang the praises of “freedom” while agreeing to closer military collaboration.
German defence minister visits troops in Jordan and Iraq
By Johannes Stern, 23 August 2019
The message of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was the same everywhere: The German army should continue and even expand its operations in the resource-rich Middle East.
Brandenburg, Germany: Far-right AfD leads polls in state election
By Tino Jacobson, 23 August 2019
While large parts of Brandenburg have been deindustrialised and abandoned, nearly 600 millionaires live in the state.
Germany’s Merkel tells UK government no Brexit concessions—Labour’s Corbyn steps up calls for caretaker government
By Robert Stevens, 22 August 2019
UK prime minister Boris Johnson is seeking concessions based on convincing European Union leaders that Britain crashing out also poses major problems for Europe.
Anger among couriers is growing after Deliveroo quits Germany
By Gregor Link, 21 August 2019
Hundreds of couriers working for the online delivery service were informed in a short e-mail last week that they would be unemployed by Friday.
Germany: Ex-intelligence chief campaigns for Christian Democrats and far-right AfD
By Ulrich Rippert, 19 August 2019
Maassen is organizing election meetings in which there are often more supporters of the far-right AfD than CDU voters.
Germany: Plans to break up ThyssenKrupp take shape
By Dietmar Gaisenkersting, 19 August 2019
The ThyssenKrupp Group is accelerating its offensive against its 160,000-strong workforce.
German daily defends right-wing extremist professor Jörg Baberowski
By Johannes Stern, 19 August 2019
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung is outraged because students at Humboldt University in Berlin blocked plans to establish a centre for research into dictatorships.
German film prize goes to Margarethe von Trotta, director of Rosa Luxemburg (1986) and Rosenstrasse (2003)
By Bernd Reinhardt, 19 August 2019
Margarethe von Trotta (Rosa Luxemburg, Rosenstrasse, Hannah Arendt) is one of the most important German filmmakers of the postwar period.
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