Dear 20 Percent,
The back-and-forth about alleged antisemitism within Die Linke is getting on my nerves. Neukölln parliamentarian and pro-Palestinian activist Vanessa Emde is again the subject of discussion. Emde signed a party document recognising the right of Israel to exist but a few days later posted on Instagram that states didn’t have a right to exist, only people. Fodder for Die Linke’s many critics. It’s almost as if Emde wants to prevent her own party from taking power. Today, the party is convening to figure out how to proceed with Emde — she could get thrown out of the organisation or be asked to give up her seat in the Berlin parliament.
Conservatives continue to foam at the mouth about Die Linke’s pro-Palestinian stance as well as its plans to socialise housing. If the left-wing election-winners form a coalition with the Greens and the SPD, Bavarian premier Markus Söder (CSU) wants to block the €4 billion that Berlin receives annually under the Landesfinanzausgleich (a mechanism that redistributes funds from richer states to poorer ones). With a new “extremism clause”. Söder also wants to cut funding for Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD is poised to take power.
Meanwhile, Die Linke is trying to get its unruly elements in line on Israel-Palestine. It comes down to some wording in statements that is somehow supposed to satisfy its potential coalition partners.
No matter what Die Linke does, conservative politicians and portions of the press will keep criticising its criticism of Israel, because they know the issue touches a nerve for many voters.
The whole thing is very kindergarten and a distraction from forming a government that needs to focus on addressing the housing crisis. While Die Linke surely got some votes thanks to its pro-Palestine stance, they need to ignore the rants from the sidelines, quit the navel-gazing, and put their energy into solving Berlin’s local problems.
News below!
Maurice
🧾This week, in my other newsletter, guest contributor Emma Ramsay has a great story about the history of drug checking in Berlin. Please check it out!
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Berlin–Paris train back for a few weeks
After months of suspension due to technical problems with Alstom’s European signaling system, Deutsche Bahn says it’s relaunching its highly popular Berlin–Paris ICE with the December 13 timetable change. From February to May 2027, the route will close again, for undisclosed reasons. In other travel news, Ryanair stopped flying to 12 routes from Berlin on Monday. But, as BER’s Winter Flight Schedule shows, airlines like Eurowings and Wizz are picking up a lot of the slack with new routes to the Balkans, Finland, Portugal, Italy and the Middle East. Meanwhile, in a small gesture towards the airlines, BER says it’s scrapping additional “noise fees” for late-night flights.
Court upholds school prayer ban
Berlin's administrative court has ruled that a secondary school in Mitte may ban students from “demonstratively practising” religious rituals, including Islamic prayer. The judge dismissed a discrimination lawsuit by the Berlin-based Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (Society for Civil Rights). The court said the ban was justified to preserve “school peace,” citing long-standing religious conflicts at the school.
Airport taxi mess
From January 2027, it will be verboten for Berlin taxis to pick up passengers at the airport. The Dahme-Spreewald district council terminated a deal going back to 2020. The district says only 500–600 cabs based in Schönefeld (in Brandenburg) are now needed to meet demand. They want to boost local taxi firms, in the face of competition from Uber, Bolt and Free Now. So now, taxis registered in Berlin can deliver people to the airport, but have to drive back to town empty. And there’s a loophole: Berlin taxis can still be booked via a hotline or app. Pure chaos— and probably great news for Uber.
Gen Z Halloween demo
Inspired by protests across Europe, thousands of young people are expected to take to the streets on October 31 to protest for lower living expenses, more investment in education and climate protection, and against military conscription. Organisers “Gen Z regelt” (Gen Z will take care of it) say protests will take place in 23 cities. Info in English. Some politicians fear a “French situation” with looting and violence. In my experience, with the exception of Kreuzberg on May 1, Germans are less prone to street violence than our friends west of the Rhine. But expect a huge police presence on Saturday.
🎭 Events this week, curated by The Next Day Berlin 🪩
Jazzfest Berlin 2026 [live]
🎺Thursday to Sunday · various times · Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstraße 24, 10719 Wilmersdorf, plus A-Trane, Quasimodo and the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche · from free to €18-45
Braxton returns after fifty years, Globe Unity turns sixty, and ganavya, Tomeka Reid and a trombone choir in the Gedächtniskirche fill the days between, plus films like Being Hipp and Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat.
🎸TEMPLES + JEWLS [live]
Thursday · 8 pm, doors 7 pm · Columbia Theater, Columbiadamm 9-11, 10965 Kreuzberg · €35
The Kettering psych band bring their fifth album, Bliss, where fuzzy riffs and loops meet the euphoric, slightly sad melodies of late-’90s dance music. A guitar band leaning toward the dancefloor.
🔊SAD PROMPT ENGINEERING A/V SHOWCASE SUPPORTED BY LIMINAL VEIL [frequency]
Friday · 5 pm-2 am · Studio dB, Uferstraße 8-11, 13357 Wedding · €13-23 · 18+
Neo-emo and harsh noise, played live by exmantera, LUNA LIAS, CÁRPATOS and Mithril under visuals from Liminal Veil. Between sets, video games, a LARP and a workshop.
🎃Halloween im Park [gather]
Saturday · 4-9 pm, last entry 8 pm · Britzer Garten, Sangerhauser Weg 1, 12349 Neukölln · included in park admission
Face paint, a Halloween disco, a lantern parade, fairy tales and a fire show, with a headless gentleman and witches roaming the park. Halloween for small kids, with a prize for the best costume.
🤖Family Open Lab – Robots, AI and more: Human beings and machines working as a team [gather]
Sunday · 12-4 pm · Futurium, Alexanderufer 2, 10117 Mitte · free · in German · ages 8+
A drop-in lab for families with kids aged eight and up. Children program small robots, test what machines do well and where they fail, then imagine how technology could change everyday life. Mentors also speak English.
🎤Our stand-up comedy night, 100% Funny, October 27
Ludwig Beneke, Anja Woot, Oliver Polak, Aurel Mertz, Fred Costea and me doing the best English comedy in Berlin at the best club: Downstairs Comedy Club, TONIGHT. Tickets here.
🍺 🥨 Germany-wide news 🥨 🍺
🙄 Audi CEO speaks at Trump rally
📰 Feminist Alice Schwarzer to close Emma magazine after 50 years
🚒 Hitler’s Alpine retreat set on fire
Factoid
Berliners love a “long night” of something. Museums. Science. Churches. Opera. Now Berliner Bäder Betriebe, which runs the city’s public pools, is celebrating its 30th birthday with a “Long Night of Swimming” meaning 16 pools will be open till as late as 2am this Friday. On the list is Kreuzberg’s outdoor Prinzenbad, where you’ll be able to hop into the sauna after a wintery dip in its unheated pool.
🔗 🔗 🔗 Useful links 🔗 🔗 🔗
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