#372: Last BVG strike? Nazis blocked. Tesla being Tesla.
Berlin's high-rise hen house
Dear 20 Percent,
If you needed further evidence that almost everything interesting in this city happens in the English language, check out the newish Berlin Literary Events newsletter, a monthly, curated list of readings, discussions, workshops, book clubs and book or magazine launches.
The range of events is vast: from SmutSlam at Friedrichshain nightspot Crack Bellmer to readings at the gentile American Academy in Wannsee. There really is something for everyone in this town.
Oh yeah: Episode #009 of the 20% Berlin Podcast is out. Andrew and I discuss the strike(s), nastiness at Tesla, the crumbling autobahn, the zoo and other things. Please listen, subscribe, rate!
News below!
Maurice
Many thanks to today’s sponsor, insurance expat-insurance experts Feather. And if you’ve ever wanted to hear Andrew do German comedy, he’s sharing a night with another local comedian at the fantastic Downstairs Comedy Club April 3. Tickets here.
BVG strike. No, really.
It’s becoming a thing. Shops closed Sundays. BVG closed Wednesdays and Thursdays. The U-Bahn, trams and most buses will not be operating from 3am Wednesday to 3am Friday. Why? Because transport operator BVG and labour union Verdi have again failed to reach a deal over pay and hours. The quarreling parties have at least agreed to engage a mediator, according to Tagesspiegel, who will hopefully facilitate a breakthrough soon. But first another strike! The S-Bahn will be running. As will these buses (scroll down) that are run by sub-contractors. As will your bike. Andrew and I discuss complain about the strike in our latest pod.
Nazi demo blocked
A demonstration of around 860 neo-Nazis was blocked by 2,000 counter-demonstrators — leading to its cancellation Saturday, according to taz. The official motto of the event, organised by former AfD politician Ferhat Sentürk, was “against left-wing extremism”. The anti-Nazis successfully prevented the Nazis from marching away from Ostkreuz station through Friedrichshain. Some of the 1,600 police officers on site were trucked in from as far away as Bavaria. A total of 90 people were arrested. And yes, crimes included Hitler salutes.
Tesla withholding sick pay?
Speaking of Hitler salutes, reports have surfaced that the Brandenburg Tesla factory has stopped paying workers on sick leave. Management had suggested in a mass e-mail to staff that sick notes were being faked. The company demanded that the workers disclose their diagnoses and give Tesla access to confidential medical records. Otherwise, wage payments would be discontinued. Union IG Metall says this has actually happened. Tesla workers take more sick leave than workers in comparable German car factories. Only recently, the carmaker was criticised for knocking on the doors of sick employees to check if they were really sick.
Events this week, curated by The Next Day Berlin
🦆ugly duckling by Bastian Kraft
Thursday, 27.03, 8 pm. In DE with EN Surtitles, Deutsches Theater, Schumannstrasse 13 A, 10117 Berlin. Tickets: €18–€32.
This vibrant reimagining of Hans-Christian Andersen’s story blends fairy-tale transformation with Berlin drag culture. Bastian Kraft’s ‘ugly duckling’ explores identity, gender, and self-empowerment through theatrical flair, wigs, and bold self-expression.
🔉Atmosphères
Thursday, 27.03, 7 pm - 1 am. Kater, Holzmarktstraße 25, 10243 Berlin. Tickets: €15.
A monthly deep-listening experience curated by Emme Moises, mixing ambient soundscapes, downtempo grooves, and sound installations. Live sets from AYO, 🎧 O/Y, and 🎧 mattmosphere, with sound installations by Emme Moises and Steve Challier.
🤪 Revolver - the comedy show with a bang! Friday, 28.03, 8pm. Wowsville, Ohlauer Straße 33. Entrance: €10, cash only A night of laughter with six to eight stand-up comedians at punk rock bar Wowsville in Kreuzberg. Revolver features funny people from all over planet Earth and is hosted by comic Rohit Bhatia.
🎹 Selofan
Friday, 28.03. Doors: 6:30 pm; Concert: 7 pm. Lido, Cuvrystrasse 7, 10997 Berlin. Tickets: €26.90.
Dark, cinematic, and drenched in 80s nostalgia, 🎧 Selofan mixes cold wave, goth, and minimal synth into something haunting and hypnotic. Expect brooding melodies, pulsing electronics, and a deeply atmospheric set.
👗Friendly Flohmarkt
Sunday, 30.03, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm. Jules B-Part, Luckenwalder Str. 6B, 10963 Berlin. Free entry.
Friendly Flohmarkt returns with 40 second-hand stalls in a covered outdoor space. Enjoy snacks, drinks, coffee, and food trucks while browsing.
🍺 🥨 Germany-wide news 🥨 🍺
🪖Unlocking billions for the German military
⚓Germany seizes “shadow fleet” tanker
🤖AI puts German economy back on the path to productivity
Factoid
Prompted by an egg shortage in 1960s West Berlin, an entrepreneur built a 10-storey hen house in an industrial area of Neukölln, a stone’s throw from the Berlin Wall. The window-less farm went into operation in 1967 (paywall) and housed up to 150,000 caged hens. Neighbours complained of the stench and, by 1972, the loss-making high-rise factory farm was shut down. Windows were added and it’s now an office building. Reports about the horrendous conditions in the “chicken silo” kickstarted a serious debate about animal welfare in Berlin.
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Woohoo! Thank you so much for recommending my newsletter Berlin Literary Events. Supi, as ze Germans say. Und dankeschön!
Thank you for the awesome newsletters 🫶 I wanted to point out the second link underneath “Germany-wide news” seems to link to the wrong article, just in case you didn’t know.