Germany
Germany: Siemens cuts another 2,500 jobs
By Elisabeth Zimmermann, 18 March 2016
Siemens management announced the cutting of a further 2,500 jobs on March 9, with motor plants in Bavaria being hit hardest.
Refugees face death and despair on Greek-Macedonian border
By Katerina Selin, 17 March 2016
Shocking images from northern Greece expose the brutal nature of Europe’s refugee policy.
What is behind the electoral success of the Alternative for Germany?
By Peter Schwarz, 16 March 2016
The Left Party created the conditions that enabled the right-wing nationalist AfD to tap into social frustration and anger and channel it in a reactionary direction.
Die Zeit campaigns for military intervention in Libya
By Johannes Stern, 14 March 2016
In its latest lead article, Die Zeit calls for the West to intervene militarily in Libya under the guise of the fight against ISIS.
Public meeting at Leipzig Book Fair
The return of German militarism and the threat of World War III
14 March 2016
Mehring Books speakers will present the book Scholarship or War Propaganda at the Leipzig Book Fair, which begins this week.
German state elections: The repackaging of right-wing politics
By Peter Schwarz, 12 March 2016
Although all of the parties claim they will not collaborate with the far-right AfD, they have adopted its extreme right-wing programme.
What do the electoral gains of the right-wing Alternative for Germany signify?
By Marianne Arens and Ulrich Rippert, 11 March 2016
The AfD, which achieved 13.2 percent of the vote in its first outing in the Hesse municipal elections, is a party created from above, not a movement from below.
Mass layoffs at Bombardier hit Germany
By Dietmar Henning, 10 March 2016
In Germany, the works council and IG Metall trade union are working hand-in-glove with management to implement job cuts.
Three men sentenced for petty crimes at New Year’s event in Cologne, Germany
By Dietmar Henning, 8 March 2016
Two months after the New Year’s Eve events in Cologne, allegations of mass sexual assaults that day are increasingly being exposed as groundless.
Tensions rise at Franco-British and Franco-German summits
By Francis Dubois, 7 March 2016
The Amiens and Paris summits lay bare rising tensions inside Europe in the run-up to today's EU-Turkey summit on the escalating refugee and war crisis in Syria.
German parties shift to the right ahead of state elections
By Ulrich Rippert, 5 March 2016
Elections take place March 13 in the German states of Baden-Württemberg, Rheinland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt.
Report on German poverty refutes propaganda of social recovery
By Stefan Steele, 5 March 2016
Almost one in six in Germany were registered as poor in 2014.
German Constitutional Court considers banning neo-fascist NPD
By Peter Schwarz, 4 March 2016
Banning the NPD would not weaken, but rather strengthen, the extreme right.
German chancellor demands end to “waving refugees through the borders”
By Johannes Stern, 4 March 2016
At a press conference with the Croatian prime minister, Merkel attacked refugees with a brutality typically associated with her right-wing critics.
German Left Party strives for coalition with Social Democrats and Greens in Berlin
By Johannes Stern, 3 March 2016
Having shared power in coalition with the SPD in Berlin between 2001 and 2011 and overseen a social catastrophe, the Left Party is now preparing to carry out similar policies in a new coalition with the SPD and Greens.
German parliament adopts anti-democratic “Asylum Package II”
By Verena Nees, 2 March 2016
The new package of measures agreed in Germany fundamentally restricts the right to asylum and robs a section of the population of democratic rights.
German Chancellor Merkel’s refugee policy and the call for a European army
By Ulrich Rippert, 2 March 2016
On one of the Sunday talk shows on German television, Chancellor Angela Merkel stated her opposition to a change in course on refugee policy.
University of Leipzig students speak out against right-wing professor
By Christoph Vandreier, 27 February 2016
The xenophobic and militaristic tirades of University of Leipzig Professor Thomas Rauscher have met with opposition from both students and faculty.
66th Berlin International Film Festival—Part 2:
A critique of Europe’s refugee policy: On the Berlinale’s Golden Bear for Fire at Sea
By Verena Nees and Bernd Reinhardt, 27 February 2016
This is the second in a series of articles on the recent Berlin international film festival, the Berlinale, held February 11-20, 2016.
Austrian-led conference closes Balkan route for refugees and divides Europe
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 26 February 2016
The move by West Balkan countries to block refugees from leaving Greece will unleash a humanitarian crisis and intensify tensions throughout Europe.
German news magazine Der Spiegel urges war against Russia
By Johannes Stern, 25 February 2016
The lead article in the latest issue of Der Spiegel, entitled “Putin’s aggressions,” calls for the Western powers to decisively “counter” Russia.
Another mysterious death in the case of far-right NSU in Germany
By Dietmar Henning, 24 February 2016
Sascha W. is at least the fourth witness to have mysteriously died in the investigations of the terrorist murders of the National Socialist Underground.
Germany: Racism in Saxony and political hypocrisy
By Ulrich Rippert, 24 February 2016
The racist attacks in Clausnitz and several other cities and communities in Germany are a direct result of the xenophobic policies of the federal government.
German historian calls for harsher measures against refugees
By Katerina Selin, 23 February 2016
Under the cover of scholarship, an increasing number of academics and intellectuals are using the media to propagate backward, right-wing ideas.
Germany’s Deutsche Bank in crisis
By Gustav Kemper, 23 February 2016
Fears of collapse and panic sell-offs on the stock market have halved Deutsche Bank’s value over the course of a year to €20 billion.
German defence ministry spent billions on wars abroad
By Johannes Stern, 22 February 2016
The German armed forces has spent at least €17.2 billion on foreign deployments since 1992, Spiegel Online reported.
Hundreds demonstrate in Berlin against harsher asylum law
By our correspondents, 22 February 2016
Many young people and refugees joined a demonstration in Berlin last Tuesday to protest against the tightening up of asylum laws.
Germany: Trial opens against SS guard at Auschwitz
By Elisabeth Zimmermann, 22 February 2016
Reinhold Hanning, former SS guard at the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp, is accused of 170,000 counts of accessory to murder.
European Steel unions demand trade war in Brussels
By Dietmar Henning, 20 February 2016
The European trade unions, led by Germany’s IG Metall, demonstrated last Monday in Brussels for trade war measures against Russia and China.
Divisions erupt at EU summit over refugees, possible British exit
By Alex Lantier, 19 February 2016
The assembled heads of state failed to agree on refugee policy or on reactionary concessions aiming to ensure that Britain does not leave the European Union.
German Chancellor Merkel’s refugee policy and the growing danger of a war with Russia
By Ulrich Rippert, 19 February 2016
Merkel wants to expand Germany’s close collaboration with the Turkish government, which is pressing ahead with military confrontation with Russia in Syria.
Europe at the breaking point
By Alex Lantier, 17 February 2016
France's denunciations of Germany's policy of accepting Middle Eastern refugees fleeing to Europe have exposed deep divisions within the EU.
The German president’s imperialist mission in Africa
By Gustav Kemper, 15 February 2016
German President Joachim Gauck’s trip to Nigeria and Mali is a sign of Germany’s growing economic and political influence in Africa.
NATO sends a flotilla to repulse refugees in the Aegean Sea
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 13 February 2016
The purpose of the NATO flotilla is to ensure that the escape routes to Europe via Turkey are blocked, stranding refugees fleeing regions destroyed by US and European imperialism.
Report: Berlin police delayed search for murdered refugee boy
By Sven Heymanns, 12 February 2016
Berlin police failed to carry out a thorough search for the missing four-year-old but instead placed the child’s entire family under suspicion
International Viewpoint joins in racist anti-refugee agitation
By Johannes Stern, 12 February 2016
While the hysterical campaign over the events of New Year’s Eve at Cologne’s main train station has subsided somewhat in the bourgeois media, it continues in pseudo-left circles undiminished.
German Chancellor Merkel announces NATO intervention in Aegean Sea
By Ulrich Rippert, 11 February 2016
Merkel was once again in Ankara on Monday. This time, political and military collaboration against Russia was at the heart of the talks.
Fatal rail crash in Bavaria
By Marianne Arens, 10 February 2016
Ten people were killed in Bavaria Tuesday morning when two local trains collided on a single-track line. Ninety more people were injured.
Pro-refugee organisation comes under political attack in Germany
By Verena Nees, 6 February 2016
A false report about the death of a refugee has served as the pretext for a right-wing campaign against volunteers assisting refugees in Berlin, Germany.
Editor of Germany’s Die Zeit newspaper demands rearmament and war
By Johannes Stern, 6 February 2016
For a substantial lobby of war-mongering scribblers in the editorial offices of the bourgeois press, the rearmament of Germany is not taking place fast enough.
Nazi war crime trial in Neubrandenburg threatens to collapse
By Sibylle Fuchs, 5 February 2016
Hubert Z. will probably be one of the last individuals to face trial for his role in the Holocaust.
German government steps up attacks on refugees
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 4 February 2016
Germany’s grand coalition government is adopting ever more drastic measures against refugees and paving the way for far-right forces in the process.
German economics minister seeks to smooth relations with Poland
By Clara Weiss, 4 February 2016
The Nord Stream pipeline, which supplies gas from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea, is one of the most important issues of dispute between Berlin and Warsaw.
Germany: Poorest half of population owns just 1 percent of wealth
By Denis Krasnin, 3 February 2016
The wealthiest 10 percent in Germany owns more than half (51 percent) of the wealth, while the poorest half owns a mere 1 percent.
Far-right German nationalist party calls for shooting refugees
By Johannes Stern, 3 February 2016
The politicians and media figures now denouncing the Alternative for Germany share responsibility for the return of its fascistic demands to the realm of official political discourse.
Austrian municipalities impose ban on refugees using swimming pools
By Markus Salzmann, 2 February 2016
The ban on refugees in two Austrian cities, unless they are accompanied by an “escort,” recalls the darkest chapters in Austrian history.
Divisions mount in German government over refugee policy
By Ulrich Rippert, 1 February 2016
The swing to the right by the entire German political establishment has unleashed violent tensions within the government.
German parliament backs new military intervention in Mali
By Johannes Stern, 1 February 2016
The speeches in parliament left no doubt that the German military is intervening in Mali to defend the economic and geopolitical interests of German imperialism.
German government restricts right to asylum
By Martin Kreickenbaum, 30 January 2016
The new measures underscore the ruthlessness and brutality with which the government is acting against refugees, in the full knowledge that the provisions being adopted will result in the loss of life.
Ten thousand jobs in danger at Volkswagen
By Dietmar Henning, 29 January 2016
VW has signaled through the corporate press that it is planning mass layoffs, wage cuts and a drastic worsening of working conditions.
German defence minister demands additional €130 billion for military
By Johannes Stern, 29 January 2016
The German government is calling for the procurement of more armoured vehicles, howitzer tanks, marine helicopters, transport helicopters and ships.
Prominent German journalist beats the drum for nationalism and war
By Christoph Dreier, 27 January 2016
German media outlets are seeking to outdo each other in stirring up hatred against refugees, calling for a strong state and for more military missions.
Berlin town hall meeting protests discrimination against refugees
By Verena Nees, 26 January 2016
Many of those attending the mass meeting were appalled at the treatment of refugees, confined in airport hangars and other mass accommodation.
Left Party steps-up anti-immigrant agitation in Germany
By Johannes Stern, 25 January 2016
The Left Party’s open promotion of xenophobic, right-wing, anti-refugee political positions is bound up with its support for German imperialism.
New Year’s Eve in Cologne, Germany: Growing inconsistencies
By Ulrich Rippert, 23 January 2016
After three weeks of intense investigations, what really took place at the central train station in Cologne, Germany on New Year’s Eve remains unclear.
IYSSE statement on the student parliament vote at Humboldt University
By the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (Germany), 22 January 2016
The IYSSE won significant support in the student parliament election at Berlin’s Humboldt University on the basis of opposition to militarism, xenophobia and right-wing historical revisionism.
German defence minister announces military intervention in Libya
By Dietmar Henning and Johannes Stern, 21 January 2016
The talk of a struggle against an “axis of terrorism” is simply the propaganda smokescreen behind which long-discussed plans are being implemented in practice.
What is behind the growing criticism of German Chancellor Angela Merkel?
By Ulrich Rippert, 21 January 2016
The chancellor, whose position seemed unassailable a few months ago, could now prematurely lose office as she comes under attack from sections of the political establishment.
German IYSSE wins four seats in Humboldt University Student Elections
By our correspondent, 21 January 2016
According to the preliminary election results released early Thursday morning by Humboldt University in Berlin, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality received 149 votes and will have four seats in the student parliament.
IYSSE at Berlin’s Humboldt University holds final election campaign meeting
By our correspondents, 20 January 2016
More than 80 students and workers attended the International Youth and Students for Social Equality’s final campaign meeting in the student parliament elections at Humboldt University in Berlin.
Berlin police raid: A civil war exercise
By Gustav Kemper, 19 January 2016
The illegal raid involving hundreds of police officers was intended to intimidate an entire neighbourhood.
German chancellor announces massive expansion of military budget
By Johannes Stern, 16 January 2016
The ruling elite intends to make the working class pay for the return of an aggressive German foreign policy.
Fourth IYSSE election meeting at Berlin’s Humboldt University
The struggle against war and the lessons of history
By our correspondent, 16 January 2016
The IYSSE has launched its campaign for the student parliament at Humboldt University with lectures titled “No more war! Scholarship instead of war propaganda.”
German Left Party joins anti-refugee campaign
By Dietmar Henning, 15 January 2016
The parliamentary group leader of the Left Party, Sahra Wagenknecht, has joined in the far-right agitation against refugees and is calling for more police powers.
German government moves to loosen restrictions on refugee deportations
By Martin Kreikenbaum, 14 January 2016
Amid the racist hysteria whipped up by the media and politicians in the wake of alleged sexual assaults by refugees, the German government is moving to further restrict the right to asylum.
Hundreds of Neo-Nazis riot in Leipzig, Germany
By Christoph Dreier, 13 January 2016
Monday’s right-wing riot in Leipzig took place amid a racist anti-Muslim campaign promoted by German political parties and the media.
New Year’s message for refugees in Berlin: It will get worse!
By Verena Nees, 13 January 2016
The onset of winter has worsened conditions for the approximately 40,000 refugees in Berlin.
German media incites racist hysteria
By Peter Schwarz, 12 January 2016
Unsubstantiated and racist allegations of mass sexual harassment are being used to witch-hunt immigrants and legitimize German preparations for an expanded military intervention in the Middle East.
German politicians and media agitate against Poland
By Clara Weiss, 12 January 2016
Representatives of German imperialism and its servants in the media have absolutely no right to lecture any country about “democracy” and “tolerance.”
German media and politicians demand increased state powers in response to Cologne assaults
By Dietmar Henning, 11 January 2016
Alleged sexual assaults by refugees in Cologne are being used as a pretense for pumping out racist agitation and cracking down on refugees.
German government votes to expand military interventions in Mali and Iraq
By Gustav Kemper and Johannes Stern, 11 January 2016
A glance at the foreign ministry’s web site leaves no doubt about the economic interests being pursued by German imperialism.
The assaults in Cologne and the call for a strong state
By Dietmar Henning and Peter Schwarz, 9 January 2016
The events in Cologne have much to do with the social crisis in major German cities, but nothing to do with the influx of almost one million refugees over the past year.
German government party steps up its anti-refugee agitation
By Ulrich Rippert, 9 January 2016
The three-day CSU party meeting in the Bavarian town of Wildbad Kreuth began with a sharp attack on refugees.
Third election meeting of IYSSE at Humboldt University
Jörg Baberowski’s appeal for dictatorship and war
By our correspondents, 9 January 2016
At the meeting the IYSSE reviewed the political and theoretical conceptions laid out by Professor Baberowski in his latest book.
Official PR campaign sought to present Ukrainian oligarch Julia Tymoshenko as martyr
By Marianne Arens, 7 January 2016
A report from news magazine Der Spiegel has revealed how a PR firm in Berlin sought to bolster the image of the right-wing Ukrainian nationalist politician four years ago.
Germany: Poverty of welfare recipients increases
By Dietmar Henning, 6 January 2016
The real value of already low welfare payments under Germany’s Hartz IV welfare benefits system has continued to fall.
German Luftwaffe joins the Syrian war
By Johannes Stern, 6 January 2016
The entry of the Luftwaffe into the Syrian war, backed by some 1,200 German soldiers and a frigate, opens a new and ominous chapter in the resurgence of German militarism.
German political establishment calls for faster remilitarization
By Philipp Frisch and Johannes Stern, 4 January 2016
Comments by leading politicians, journalists and academics at the New Year leave no room for doubt that the drive to war will only escalate in 2016.
Large numbers of refugees brutally deported from Germany
By Elisabeth Zimmermann, 4 January 2016
Since the tightening of restrictions on the right to asylum in October, the number of deportations has grown sharply, and inhumane treatment has reached a new level.
German trade union chief agrees to €1 an hour jobs for refugees
By Dietmar Henning, 29 December 2015
The government, the corporations and the trade unions in Germany are collaborating to deport most refugees, while using those who remain for cheap labour.
Refugees confront misery in Berlin
By Verena Nees, 28 December 2015
The terrible conditions facing newly arrived refugees in Berlin are deliberate and aimed at deterring other refugees from travelling to Germany.
German weekly Die Zeit calls for a “strong state”
By Johannes Stern, 28 December 2015
The leading German liberal newsweekly’s call for a “strong state” is a warning that the ruling class is seeking to defend its interests at home and abroad with military-police methods.
German government creates new “Anti-Terror Unit”
By Philipp Frisch, 24 December 2015
Under conditions of increasing class tensions in Germany and the revival of an aggressive foreign policy, the ruling elite is preparing for the suppression of popular opposition.
Germany doubles number of deportations
By Marianne Arens, 23 December 2015
According to official figures from Germany’s interior ministry, 18,363 people were forcibly deported in the first 11 months of this year.
Co-defendant Ralf Wohlleben testifies in German neo-Nazi trial
By Dietmar Henning, 23 December 2015
Wohlleben stands accused of having provided the weapons that were used in a series of politically motivated murders that took place in 2000-2007.
Second election meeting of IYSSE at Humboldt University
Herfried Münkler: An academic in the service of German imperialism
By our correspondents, 23 December 2015
Professors at Berlin’s Humboldt University are playing a leading role in ideologically justifying the return of German militarism.
German parliament approves expansion of military mission in Afghanistan
By Gustav Kemper, 21 December 2015
Germany’s parliament voted on Thursday by a large majority in favour of a government motion to expand the German military intervention in Afghanistan
German army begins military intervention in Syria
By Johannes Stern, 19 December 2015
The German army played a supporting role in air strikes by the international coalition against the Islamic State on Tuesday night.
American Nazi web site acclaims Humboldt Professor Jörg Baberowski
By Johannes Stern, 19 December 2015
Professor of Eastern European History Jörg Baberowski is gaining growing recognition in international right-wing and fascist circles.
Angela Merkel’s party congress speech: Anti-immigrant chauvinism and right-wing nationalism
By Ulrich Rippert, 17 December 2015
German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared Monday that multiculturalism is a “sham” and demanded further repressive measures against refugees.
Testimony of German neo-Nazi covers up state involvement
By Dietmar Henning, 14 December 2015
The statement in court by the only surviving member of the fascist NSU terror gang, Beate Zschäpe, raises more questions than it answers.
Violent attacks on refugees increase in Germany
By Philipp Frisch, 12 December 2015
Independent investigations by German media outlets suggest that the authorities probing right-wing anti-immigrant violence systematically downplay and even defend it.
Opel Bochum: Few new jobs a year after plant closure
By Dietmar Henning, 12 December 2015
2,500 former Opel workers will soon face unemployment.
German academics Münkler and Baberowski promote imperialist foreign policy
By Peter Schwarz, 11 December 2015
In the Prussian militarist setting of the Schlüterhof, political scientist Herfried Münkler and historian Jörg Baberowski spoke Monday evening on the topic of violence.
Network of former Nazis in German Interior Ministry
By Sibylle Fuchs and Verena Nees, 11 December 2015
According to a new study by historians, there were more former Nazis in leading positions in the German Interior Ministry than in any other ministry.
Germany’s Left Party and the war in Syria
By Ulrich Rippert and Peter Schwarz, 10 December 2015
Despite its rhetoric against the German government’s plan to intervene in Syria, the Left Party has long advocated the expansion of German militarism in the Middle East.
Calls grow for deployment of German ground troops in Syria
By Johannes Stern, 8 December 2015
A report in Der Spiegel makes clear that far-reaching plans to escalate the German intervention in Syria are being prepared behind the backs of the population.
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