#488: Ryanair shuns Berlin, Jewish group not "extreme", Spree swimming offensive
70 years ago the Soviets "discovered" the CIA's most ambitious spy tunnel
Dear 20 Percent,
I was on the S-Bahn at the weekend. Two ticket inspectors entered the train and immediately identified their victims: a Dutch family of four that had a paper ticket but had failed to validate it.
“You have to now pay 60 euros,” one of the inspectors said in poor English.
“16 euros? One-six?”
“60 euros.”
“What for? We just arrived. We have a ticket.”
“You must validate your ticket. If I go to another country I must find this out. You must pay 60 euros.”
“We didn’t realise that. It wasn’t clear.”
Not exactly a great first impression of Berlin for tourists fresh off the plane.
I stood up and and walked over to the inspectors.
“Zeigen Sie doch ein wenig Kulanz!” I said, trying to stay calm. “Show a little goodwill!”
“We should show some goodwill?” the inspector said theatrically. Something had changed in his mood. He turned to the Dutch tourists and explained that he would make an exception just this once and they could validate their ticket at the next station without paying the fine.
The Kulanz thing can work with rigid bureaucrats too, sometimes. When you’re missing that document but urgently need the thing you applied for, try saying, “Please show a little Kulanz. Can you make an exception just this one time.”
Their heart might thaw and they might just grant you that exception — and they’re secretly pleased that they can show the world they’re a good person.
News below!
Maurice
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Ryanair cuts flights
Just when tourism numbes are falling, Berlin gets another kick in the groin: Europe’s biggest airline is shutting down its Berlin operations base by the autumn and slashing the number of flights serving the capital by half from October. Annual passenger numbers are expected to drop from 4.5 million to 2.2 million. Ryanair exec Eddie Wilson blamed taxes and fees for the move: “German aviation is broken. The government admits that it is uncompetitive, yet there is no strategy to cut aviation taxes or high airport fees.” Dennis Dacke, an official at the Verdi trade union, accused Ryanair of treating its employees as “disposable commodities”. Isn’t that how they treat passengers? Perhaps the new international rail links expected this year can make up for lost travel options?
“Jewish Voice” group not “extreme”
Maybe this wasn’t great for tourism, either: In 2024, the Berlin-based group “Jüdische Stimme für gerechten Frieden in Nahost”, affiliated with “European Jews for a Just Peace”, was categorised as “confirmed extremist” by the “Office for the Protection of the Constitution”. An official report called the organisation an example of “secular pro-Palestinian extremism”. Why? Because the Federal Interior Minstry accuses the Jewish association of “indirectly inciting violence”. This was based on some very flimsy evidence: social media posts by a member that criticised, among other things, the Israel Defence Force (IDF). “Jüdische Stimme” fought the categorisation and won: A Berlin court said Monday there was “insufficient factual basis” to label the group “extreme.” Ach, Deutschland.
Urban swimmers up their game
Maybe this will attract some tourists: The Flussbad Berlin association is planning monthly demo-swims in the Spree at Museum Island this season, with the first action planned for May 20. The date is no coincidence: On May 20, 1925 Berlin banned innercity swimming for the first time. Flussbad Berlin spokesman Jan Edler said: “On most days of the year water quality is sufficient to swim in the Spree.” The group points to other cities that have opened up waterways to swimmers in recent years like Paris, Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Flussbad has also launched a water quality dashboard. The activists hope the local election on September 20 could result in a more swimming-friendly government. SPD, Greens and Die Linke favour lifting the bathing ban.
Another big exit
Even if we’re turning off the tourists, seems like we’ve still got some start-up juice in us. Talon.one, an “incentives tech” provider founded in 2015, has been sold to a Dutch payment app Adyen - for a cool €750 million. Talon.one makes software for loyalty programmes and such and employs 280 people in Berlin and 7 other locations. Yay for them.
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🛢️Putin mounts oil power play against Germany
Events this week, curated by The Next Day Berlin
🎞️ Hausfest — Neue Zukunft
Thursday, From 4 pm · Neue Zukunft, Laskerstr. 5, free admission
The Walpurgisnacht warm-up that does everything at once: two cinema screens (film festival showcase, GDR-era screenings, a Berlin Bahnhof documentary premiere), live bands in the garage and concert hall (Saeko Killy, KNAST, Bloodfang), a rave-punk musical, jazz bar, outdoor cinema, and Berliner Ringtheater performing A Wide Open Walpurgisnacht at 6 pm.
🖼️ Gallery Weekend Friday-Sunday
Sixty-plus exhibitions. These are the ones worth planning the weekend around. You can follow our highlights in this map.
🍻 Berghain Garteneröffnung Friday, noon–8 pm, free. Cinthie, Cormac, Ogazón. Garden season opens.
🎷 Nubiyan Twist live ★ [live]
Saturday, 7:30 pm · Gretchen, Kreuzberg · €28
The UK afro-jazz collective is at full force with horns, electronics, percussion, and rhythm that doesn't sit still. One of the most excellent live acts in the post-jazz orbit right now. 🎧 Chasing Shadows
Factoid
In the 1950s, under code name “Operation Gold”, the CIA and MI6 built a 430-meter tunnel from Rudow-Neukölln into East Berlin in order to tap into landlines linked to the Soviet Army headquarters at Karlshorst. The US recorded tens of thousands of conversations but the KGB knew about the project from the beginning thanks to their double agent George Blake. The Soviets waited till April 21, 1956 to officially “discover” the tunnel, to protect Blake.
🔗 🔗 🔗 Useful links 🔗 🔗 🔗
🎙️The 20% Berlin Podcast on Spotify