#278: May Day, EU vote, Traffic minister resigns, Getir gone, AI cash
I love Berlin's street trees. Some stats.
Dear 20 Percent,
Wednesday is May 1. Shops will be closed (except these ones) and, like every year, political Berlin will be out in full force. There’s a demo for every leftwing taste. And they actually start today (Tuesday), which is also Walpürgisnacht, night of the witches.
A brief overview of the protests:
Demo for Peace and Social Justice, anti-war, anti-capitalist, anti-everything demo in the northern, working class district of Wedding. April 30, 18:00. Leopoldplatz, Wedding.
Take Back the Night, queer-feminist, anti-capitalist protest. April 30, 20:00, Boxhagener Platz, Friedrichshain.
More Pay, More Freedom, More Security, large traditional labour union march, organised by union federation DGB, May 1, 10:00, Karl-Marx-Allee/corner Pariser Kommune, Friedrichshain. The march ends at city hall near Alex. A family fest commences there at 13:00. Expect beer, Wurst and bouncy castles!
Operation Against Financial Extremism, leftist satirical group MyGruni stage a faux police raid in wealthy “problem neighbourhood” Grunewald. May, 1, from13:00, Johannaplatz, Grunewald.
Revolutionary May 1 Demo. The classic. The one with the mayhem. This year, the focus is on the Palestinian cause. Expect LOTS OF COPS. Kicks off at Südstern, Kreuzberg with a concert at 16:30. March to Hermannplatz starts 18:00.
Unfortunately, Kreuzberg’s family-friendly Myfest street party on and around Oranienstraße is cancelled once again, due to squabbles between the district and the organisers.
No matter how you spend your May 1, stay safe and enjoy the day off!
More news below.
Maurice
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Well, we know she won’t be pedaling her way out of office — controversial Berlin mobility, traffic and environmental minister Manja Schreiner (CDU) stepped down Tuesday after the University of Rostock said it would strip her of her doctor title because of widespread plagiarism in her dissertation, according to Tagesspiegel. We’re not really going to miss the conservative politician — she tried to undo several pro-bike projects launched by the previous government because she said she didn’t want to favor one type of mobility over another but what she seemed to mean was that she wanted to favor cars. Schreiner’s the second high-profile Berlin politicians to lose a post because of alleged plagiarism — former mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) lost her job as federal family minister in 2021 after a Berlin university said she too had copied liberally. Probably says something about Berlin.
How to vote in the European election
A lot is at stake in the upcoming EU election (June 9). Despite being enbroiled in a potentially huge spying scandal, far-right populists AfD stand to gain seats in the EU parliament, if polls are to be believed. A vote for any other party reduces their influence — and all EU citizens can vote. Registration deadlines for non-German voters are rapidly approaching. Registration isn’t that difficult and thankfully Berlin has published a handy guide in English. What are you waiting for?
First bike repair station
Officials unveiled the first of 20 free, public bicycle repair stations, reports RBB. This one is on Alexanderstraße, near Alexanderplatz, in Mitte. Tools can also be used to fix strollers and wheelchairs. There’s a pump for all kinds of wheels. And a special stand to keep your bike off the ground while you work. The remaining 19 stations will be installed over the course of the year. Here’s the full list of locations. Critics say the stations will be targetted by vandals.
It’s Berlin Design Week again and 20 Percent supporter Heipl Berlin is celebrating with Dinos and Prosecco, a reception May 3 from 6pm to 9pm in Prenzlauer Berg. Animator and designer Csak decorated the store’s windows and will be on hand to discuss his pint-sized prehistoric creations over a glass of bubbly. Stop by and say hi!
Getir gets out
According to business mag WirtschaftsWoche, Turkish grocery delivery app Getir is shutting down its German operations May 15. The company will also leave all other EU countries where it was operating to focus on its home market. Around 1,000 employees stand to lose their jobs in Germany. Getir acquired competitor Gorillas in 2022 and earlier this year there were rumours of plans to buy Flink.
Customer service AI killing it
May 1 demos aside, capitalism keeps churning, even in Berlin. Parloa, a start-up offering AI-powered customer-service chat bots, has nabbed €61.7 million in series-B funding. Parloa was founded in 2018 to “disrupt the €500 billion call centre market”, according to EU Startups. They’ve already opened a New York office and scored contracts with big US corporations. In a side note, I appreciate that the founders aren’t wearing the usual blue business shirts and white sneakers in their PR photo.
A few nightlife and culture tips from our friends at The Next Day Berlin:
Clubbing: Finest Tuesday
The traditional Finest Friday at Panorama Bar presents a special edition for May Day Eve with Ben Klock on the bill. Tuesday, 30.04, 10 pm - 6 am. Berghain/Panorama Bar. Garteneröffnung: If you prefer a daytime party, the Garten makes its “grand opening” this Wednesday at noon. Berghain/Panorama Bar. Free admission.
Wed-Sun, 01-05.05. Exhibitions: 1-3.05, 3-8 pm; 4-05.05, 12-8 pm. Tunnel Betonhalle, transmediale studio. Sunday Open House + Character Market: 05.05, 12-6 pm. Animation Screenings: 05.05, 12:30-5:30 pm. silent green, Gerichtstrasse 35, Wedding.
Pictoplasma Berlin turns 20 and looks back at the beginnings and reflects on the practice of collecting, curating, and promoting character design. The festival has film screenings, exhibitions, a kids’ character workshop, and the Open House and Character Market on Sunday.
Concert: Fotocrime
Thursday, 02.05, 8 pm. Urban Spree, Revaler Strasse 99, 10245 Berlin. Tickets: €15. Fotocrime brings monochrome clarity to electronic-meets-organic post-punk with driving bass, chiming guitars, and Patterson's unmistakable baritone. 🎧 Fotocrime seethes with Cold War paranoia, modern-day malaise, and smoky noir.
Factoid
Berlin is home to approx. 430,000 street trees, an average of around 80 trees per kilometre of road. But history hasn’t always been kind to our trees. World War II devastated our urban plantlife. In 1946, the number of street trees dropped to 161,000, down from 411,000 in 1939. Unsurprisingly, the most common species of street tree in Berlin is the linden, with around 150,000 lining our throughways.
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The day when all EU startup founders stop looking like McKinzey value adders, the innovation will come to Europe
…and every one of those trees is numbered. Look for the small (~2cm) embossed tag on the trunk.