#252: BVG mini-strike, KaDeWe kaputt, bike lane fail

Super-gluing climate activists say they're changing their strategy

Dear 20 Percent,

I’m quite fond of the expression doppelt gemoppelt, a quaint way of talking about the redudancy or pointlessness of having to do stuff twice. The thing is, so much about this country is doppelt gemoppelt. For example, when applying for a kindergarten voucher for my kid, I was asked to send a copy of my Meldebescheinung, that stamped piece of paper proving that we are registered in Berlin. The city administration already knows I am angemeldet because they are the ones that did it and it says it in their computer.

Of course, there’s a reason for this instance of doppelt gemoppelt and that’s Datenschutz or data privacy. Because, you know, the Nazis. The Stasi. Because, the kindergarten people having access to everyone’s name and address the could somehow lead to … an authoritatiran abuse of power on the part of kindergarten department officials? I just don’t get it.

Best,

Maurice

Scroll for news! And thanks to expat-friendly, digital insurance broker Feather for sponsoring this edition of 20% Berlin.

BVG mini-strike

Why have one strike when you can have two in the space of a week? The GDL train engineers’ strike ended 2am Monday, granting us access to the Rinbahn (and other S-Bahns) again. Just in time for a mini-strike Friday. The BVG’s U-Bahns, trams and buses will be out of service from 3am to 10am on Friday, inconveniencing Thursday partiers and Friday commuters. Public transport workers across Germany will be participating in industrial action as union Verdi pushes for better conditions. Interestingly, the strike will be shorter here than in other parts of the country because the union believes BVG is more open to meeting their demands.

Street-gluers no more

In a change of strategy, climate activist group Last Generation says its people will no longer be super-gluing themselves to streets or even blocking them, reports RBB. They’re promising new forms of protests this spring — which will also be “un-ignorable”. We can expect “disobedient assemblies throughout the country” and public confrontations with politicians, as well as protests at pipelines, airports and energy firms. Berlin courts have so far handed down 113 convictions related to the group’s street blockades — and companies are suing for millions for disturbing, among other things, air traffic. A possible motivation for the change of focus?

KaDeWe kaputt?

The KaDeWe Group, which owns the luxury department store of that name on Wittenbergplatz but also similar stores in Hamburg and Munich, has declared bankruptcy. Exorbitant rents at the three locations made “sustainable, profitable operations almost impossible,” the company said. This is also about the bankruptcy of Austrian property group Signa which owns 49.9% of the company; 50.1% is in the hands of the Thai-owned Central Group. Anyway, don’t worry: the Berlin store isn’t actually closing down. I’m sure Berlin will do everything in its power to prevent it from closing, including throwing taxpayer money at it. So fret not, you’ll be able to keep dropping by for oysters and bubbly during your lunchbreak.

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A few upcoming events from our friends over at The Next Day Berlin:

Concert: CEL (Felix Kubin & Hubert Zemler) Thu, 01.02, 8-11:30 pm. arkaoda, Karl-Marx Platz 16, 12043. Tickets: €16.95. CEL, a duo by Kubin and Zemler, blends Motorik rhythms with sequencer-driven brain loops, exploring the intersection of German underground sounds. 🎧 Gegenwelt

Clubbing: Tresor meets Dekmantel
Saturday, 03.02, 11-12 pm. Tresor, Köpenickerstraße 70, 10179. Tickets: €28.10.
A cool glimpse of the Dutch festival Dekmantel at Tresor with a smooth lineup featuring 🎧 Stingray 313, Casper Tielrooij, 🎧 Jesse G, Stella Zekri, and others. The party takes place across the three floors: Tresor, Globus, and OHM, with a recovery party on Sunday starting at noon.

Talks: TEDxBerlin
Friday, 02.02, 11 am - 6:30 pm. Admiralspalast, Friedrichstraße 101, Mitte. Tickets: €51.71/€258.71.
Who hasn't found inspiration in a TED talk? The beginning of the year is ideal for gaining new perspectives. The TEDxBerlin lineup features 15 diverse voices, including a Zen monk, neuroscientist, biologist, digital artist, and creative technologist, among others.

Cinema: KODEX: Documentary Film Festival
04-10.02, b-ware! Ladenkino, Rollberg Kino, Kino Central & Moviemento.
KODEX showcases 10 impactful documentaries exploring diverse issues, experimenting with storytelling to unveil unknown realities and challenge our perceptions of territory and boundaries. On our watchlist: "Knit’s Island," "Our Body," and "Coconut Head Generation."

Factoid

"Berliner Fahrrad" by qubodup is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The Berlin government is seriously behind schedule when it comes to building bike paths. Around 60km of new lanes were supposed to be completed in 2023. In reality, only 22.3 km were finished. Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) promised to shift focus to the needs of drivers following the previous left-of-centre coalition’s plan to boost cycling. According to RBB, NGO Changing Cities said, “The mobility transformation in Berlin has been been killed.” 😢

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