#276: Racist cops, forced labour, housing buyback, Russisches Haus
#276: Racist cops, forced labour, housing buyback, Russisches Haus
Irish people banned from singing in Irish
Dear 20 Percent,
Back in the summer of 2020, Syed N. was cycling with a friend at Ernst-Reuter-Platz. Police stopped the friend for allegedly talking her on phone while biking. The woman denied being on the phone. When Syed backed her version of the story, the cops asked where Syed was from. Syed said, “Bochum.” To which the police demanded, “Where are you really from?”
Syed, a student from an Afghan family, his friend and a witness later said that the police had shouted at them. Later, after Syed received a fine in the mail, he submitted complaints about the cop’s racist behaviour to both the ombudsman's office in Berlin’s justice department as well as the police itself. Ombudswoman Doris Liebscher examined the file on the incident, and found that Syed’s complaint was “very credible”. In September 2021, the police wrote to Syed and admitted that the police’s behaviour had “a discriminatory and harassing effect”.
With that admission of racial profiling, Syed decided to sue the police for damages on the basis of Berlin’s new-ish anti-discrimination law. Nearly three years later Syed has won his case. Last week, a judge awarded him €750 in damages.
It’s the first time a citizen has won a case under the anti-discimination law. Let’s hope this sends a clear messages to those cops who have been unable to keep their racism in check.
Charlotte Heyer from the non-profit initiative Antidiskriminierungsnetzwerk Berlin voiced skepticism.
“The case of Syed N. is not an isolated incident. As a counselling centre, we hear about cases of racist discrimination and violence by the police every day.”
If you’ve experienced discrimination in Berlin, Antidiskriminierungsnetzwerk Berlin offers counselling and ways to report discimination in English and other languages.
More news below!
Maurice
PS. Thanks to today’s kind sponsor, Feather!
Forced labour bust
On Sunday, authorities said that 380 officers had raided nine locations in Berlin and Brandenburg connected to human trafficking of labourers, according to RBB. Twenty victims of alleged trafficking and forced labour — mostly Indian nationals — were identified. It is believed that smugglers had held their passports and hired them out to restaurants as kitchen workers — for a quarter of the minimum wage. The workers were reportedly sleeping in cramped accommodations, including restaurant basements.
Want to get real about learning German? Check out SmarterGerman, a learning platform created by Berlin German teacher Michael Schmitz. Sign up for a free trial today.
Russian propaganda centre?
Public prosecutors say that Russisches Haus, a cultural centre on Friedrichstraße, is an arm of Vladimir Putin’s propaganda machine, and are therefore conducting an investigation on whether the centre violates EU sanctions, according to Der Tagesspiegel (paywall). According to Germany’s Central Office for Sanctions Enforcement, the centre is a “dependent branch” of the Russian government agency Rossotrudnichestvo, which has been on the EU sanctions list since July 2022. Rossotrudnichestvo was accused of orchestrating pro-Russian demos across Europe after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The new investigation is an about-turn after the Foreign Ministry declared last summer that the centre’s operations fell under diplomatic immunity.
Berlin to buy 5,000 flats?
According to info leaked to Der Tagesspiegel (paywall), the Berlin government is about to buy 5,000 flats from stock-market-listed, loss-making Vonovia for around €700 million, via the state-owned housing firm Howoge. Apparently, the government is pursuing a strategy of gradually stocking up on public housing. According to the paper, the city wants to up the number of publicly owned apartments to 500,000 — from 360,000. The 5,000 units are a drop in the bucket. Vonovia owns 136,000 flats in the capital city. This move probably won’t take the wind out of the sails of the Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteignen movement, which wants to force the mass buyback of flats from large corporate landlords.
Irish protesters banned from singing in Irish
The Irish Independent reports that the Polizei prevented a group of 40 Irish people living in Berlin from singing a song in the Irish language at the pro-Palestinian protest camp near the Reichstag. According to the article, protests should be held in German or English — or else an interpreter must be present. “The police expressed concern that people might be discussing terrorist activity, or what they call incitement to violence,” Caoimhe McAllister, a member of the group, told the paper. The mind boggles.
Gallery Weekend time! Here are a few event tips this week from our partners over at The Next Day Berlin:
Art: Alexandra Pirici: Attune
Thursday, 25.04, 7 - 10 pm. Hamburger Bahnhof. Free admission.
Alexandra Pirici presents a major new site-specific installation with live action and music in the Historic Hall.
Finissage: Josephine Baker. Icon in Motion
Friday, 26.04, from 6 pm. Neue Nationalgalerie. Free admission.
This finissage features talks, a lecture, a screening, a stand-up comedy by Thelma Buabeng, a performance of "Vespers" by MJ Harper with Thomas Moked Blum, and a DJ set by New Kyd.
my heart is a ://kinderdisco & ://about blank birthday
Friday, 26.04, 2 - 7:30 pm - Bday party until 6 am on Monday. ://about blank, Markgrafendamm 24c. Parents: €5. Kids: free admission. If you want to extend the party: €35.
Celebrate Blank's birthday with a fun children's disco party featuring crafts, surprises, and music by Manuel Bürger & 🎧 Robert Owens! You can send the kids home and dance all weekend long.
For more culture and nightlife, subscribe to The Next Day Berlin!
Factoid
The new €29 AB transport ticket for Berlin went on sale today. Why would you want it two months before it becomes valid? Unlike sunbeds, there’s not a limited number of €29 tickets. Anyway, here’s a link to the BVG page with all the info you need in English.
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