#444: Army in the U-Bahn, more airport trains, Brandenburg's BSW swamp
How to become a German politician
Dear 20 Percent,
Meet Kazim. Kazim approached me at the first 20% Berlin News Quiz (next one’s on December 10) and told me his story. I find Kazim pretty inspiring. Seven years ago, he moved from Istanbul to Germany to work as a data scientist. A few years ago he got German citizenship. Now he’s working on becoming a candidate in next year’s Bezirksverordnetenversammlung (BVV) elections on 20 September, 2026. Bezirksverordnetenversammlung (say that fast three times!) means district council — Kazim wants to run in Pankow’s 6th district — for Die Partei. He still needs to collect about 45 signatures to be able to run. It calls this his “hobby campaign”.
Die Partei was founded by satirist Martin Sonneborn in 2004 — and has two seats in the European Paraliament. I find them pretty incoherent but they deserve credit for making the weirdest, most provocative camapaign posters. Like this one: “A Nazi could be hanging here.”
To be honest, Die PARTEI aren’t really my cup of tea but they keep our lampposts entertaining in election season.
I wish Kazim luck. Most expats spend their free time in front of Netflix or at Berghain… instead he’ll be participating in the brutal game of local democracy.
If you’d like to follow Kazim’s lead and run for your local BVV, you’ll need to be at least 16, have German or EU citizenship and have the patience and stamina to digest some complicated, not particularly well-explained German explainers. I suppose that’s what AI is for.
More news below!
Maurice
Thanks to our sponsors today: homegrown messaging app 💬Speakinprivate and insurance platform 🪶Feather.
Protesting violence against women
Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, with demos planned around town. Activists are taking to the streets to demand better protection for women and girls, full implementation of the Istanbul Convention, and an end to budget cuts for violence prevention and support services. A central rally is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Brandenburg Gate under the motto “Let’s live free from violence!” and “Are you cutting us to death?!”—referring to recent threats of funding cuts to women’s shelters and counseling centres.
Brandenburg, 80 years after the fall of the Third Reich.
This story is depraved and sad on several levels. Christian Dorst, deputy leader of the “left-conservative” BSW party in Brandenburg, resigned after appearing to defend an AfD politician’s controversial remarks about the Nazi era, which were seen as downplaying the singularity of the Holocaust. Siegmund had said in a podcast that he did not feel qualified to judge whether the Nazi period was “the worst in human history,” arguing that one cannot rank all the atrocities in history. BSW (founded last year by Die Linke defector Sahra Wagenknecht as a kind of anti-woke leftwing party) is junior partner with the centre-left SPD in the shaky coalition governing Brandenburg.
German army in the U-Bahn
This video freaked me out a little: Last week, after operating hours, the Bundeswehr’s Guard Battlion”, whose main job is to protect government facilities, drilled urban warfare in Jungfernheide station and other locations in the city. The week-long exercise simulated freeing up transport routes, evacuations, apprehending saboteurs, and combat in poor visibility.
Airport trains re-shuffled
From December 14, Deutsche Bahn service to BER will be expanded but changed. The FEX will leave Hauptbahnhof every 15 minutes (instead of 30 minutes) but travel via Potsdamer Platz and Südkreuz, instead of Gesundbrunnen and Ostkreuz. Two other lines (RB24, RB32) will provide service to the airport from Ostkreuz. Details (German)
💬Speakinprivate is a new privacy-focused messaging app made in Berlin that doesn’t require a phone number, allows you to have multiple profiles for everything you care about in Berlin: family, friends, dating, selling things on eBay Kleinenzeigen, clubbing at KitKat.
Speakinprivate is available for free now in the Playstore and Appstore!
🍺 🥨 Germany-wide news 🥨 🍺
📊 Germany stagnates in innovation ranking
🪖 How Germany wants to build Europe’s strongest army
🤖 Germany to develop “sovereign AI”
🇪🇹 Ethiopia receives historic artefacts held in Germany for 100 years
Events this week, curated by The Next Day Berlin
🎄Slavic Supper Club: Polish Christmas
Friday, 28.11, 7 pm – 10 pm. Location TBA, Mitte, Berlin. Ticket: €45–€55
A cozy Polish Christmas dinner (Wigilia) featuring a five-course menu that revisits classics like barszcz and pierogi in a warm, contemporary way. Fish-based, no meat. Small group, shared table atmosphere - a gentle way to kick off the season.
🎶 Tehran Contemporary Sounds Festival 2025
Fri-Sun, 28–30.11. Fri-Sat, from 7 pm; and Sunday, 6:30 pm. silent green, Gerichtstraße 35, 13347, Berlin. Tickets: €17–€55.
AV-driven performances and films from Iran and its diaspora. The highlight is Saturday, featuring the premiere of Saba Alizadeh & Farzane and 9T Antiope. Also must-see: Kimia Koochakzadeh-Yazdi, Gisou Golshani, Sadaf H. Nava.
🔉 subglow
Sunday, 23.11, 3 pm – 1 am. OHM, Köpenicker Str. 70, 10179 Berlin. Tickets: €15
A deep, low-slung Sunday built around experimental bass and broken rhythms. CCL leads a powerful lineup with Beatrice M., Nono Gigsta, and Succubass - all pushing bass music into stranger, warmer corners.
📽️ reading, writing, and reckoning (MUSIC FOR SILENT MOVIE)
Sunday, 30.11, 7:30 pm – 9 pm. Kino Toni, Antonplatz 1, 13086 Berlin. Tickets: €15.03/18
World premiere of a silent film scored live by The Gray Voice Ensemble - surreal, end-of-the-world imagery with a droning, atmospheric soundtrack. A one-night mix of experimental cinema and live performance.
Factoid
One in four children in Berlin lives in a family that relies on welfare benefits. Every year, the Wunschbaum (wish tree) campaign helps around 7,000 kids from poor families receive a Christmas present. Children can write their wish on a “wishing star” and leave it on one of many trees across the city. People can anonymously donate a gift, which is then matched with a particular child. ❤️
🪶🪶🪶 Visit our sponsor! 🪶🪶🪶
Feather: Is your health insurance still the right fit for 2026?
A new year is always a good moment to check whether you’re still with the right health insurance provider - especially now that many public insurers in Germany have increased their additional contribution (Zusatzbeitrag).
With higher monthly costs on the horizon, it’s worth asking: are you getting the coverage and flexibility that actually match your life in Germany right now?
That’s where Feather’s Health Insurance Calculator comes in. It helps you quickly see which options you’re eligible for, what they cover, and what they really cost - side by side, in plain English.
Check eligibility: See whether public, private, or expat health insurance could work for your specific situation.
Review coverage: Compare what’s included, from routine care to specialist treatment, without digging through German fine print.
Understand costs: See how contribution changes (like the Zusatzbeitrag) affect what you pay each month - including if you have dependents.
If you’re unsure whether to stay with your current Krankenkasse, consider switching, or explore private options. Feather’s team can walk you through it in English and help you understand your choices.
Check your 2026 options with Feather
🔗 🔗 🔗 Useful links 🔗 🔗 🔗
🎙️The 20% Berlin Podcast on Spotify