Dear 20 Percent,
A few days ago an e-mail from “Elster” (the online tax portal) showed up in my inbox asking me to confirm my address, contact details and bank details within a few days. Obviously a phishing scam that got through my spam filter.
I’m sure everyone reading this is smart enough to not click on this stuff. To be honest, when I saw it at 6:30am, my half-asleep brain almost fell for it. With 22,000,000 million people using Elster, a small percentage of tired, hungover or ignorant users probably still click and hand over their bank account numbers.
In July, a wave of tax-office imitation emails hit eight countries across Europe and caused €12 million in damages. You don’t want to be part of that statistic. Elster never sends a log-in link. Always check the sender email (info@okinawa-cruise.com in my case 😂). And check Have I Been Pwned to find out if your e-mail address was ever in a data breach. Mine was in some data stolen by hackers who got into Substack (our newsletter platform 🫠) in October.
Stay vigilant.
Scroll for Berlin news.
Maurice
✍️I made another 20% Berlin Crossword.
🙏Thanks to today’s sponsors, Kaleidoscope - The Unscripted Musical and Feather Insurance. More from both below.
Capture the flag
Midday Sunday, a man climbed the 30m flagpole at the Bundestag and swapped the German flag for a Palestine flag, sparking applause from bystanders. Firefighters removed the flag minutes later and police took the 22-year-old climber and two helpers into custody. The group Peacefully Against Genocide claimed the action. Spokesperson Daniel Goepel said Germany was “complicit in the genocide in Gaza.” The activists could face charges of trespassing, damaging property and defamation of the state and its symbols.
Car-crash comedown
A stolen car crashed through a railing into the Landwehrkanal in Neukölln early Monday morning. The car was chased by police in Lichtenberg after it blazed through several red lights. Two men were pulled out of the water by officers and taken to hospital. The 18-year-old driver, who was intoxicated and had no licence, was later released, while his 21-year-old passenger remained in care. Police found drugs and flyers advertising drugs in the car and are investigating on suspicion of dealing.
Angels raided
Organised crime in Berlin isn’t all about “clans”. There’s also a large “rocker gang” scene. Monday evening Polizei raided a Hells Angels club house in Biesdorf and 9 flats in eastern neighbourhoods. The 300-officer operation was led by the Ferrum task force which was set up to counter organised crime and illegal gun ownership. Ferrum has launched 720 investigations so far. Gun violence in Berlin has risen sharply of late, with 585 firearm offences recorded in the first half of 2026.
Forest vs. energy drink
Red Bull has begun clearing 17 hectares of pine trees 50km south of Berlin to make way for its new can factory. Environmentalist group Grüne Liga is fighting the project over forest loss and potential groundwater shortages, but a court rejected their emergency attempt to halt the clearing. Red Bull says a “triple-digit-million-euro investment” would double the site’s workforce to up to 600 jobs.
Looking ahead…
🪧Gen Z Regelt and co. are planning their next big protest in 34 cities on November 20.
🛍️Berliners get to shop on two Sundays before X-mas: December 6th and 20th — but not before 1pm.
🎭 Events this week, curated by The Next Day Berlin 🪩
🎸Midwife & Devin Shaffer [live]
Wednesday · 8 pm · Genezareth Kirche, Herrfurthplatz 14, 12049 Neukölln · €24
Madeline Johnston calls it heaven metal: one reverb-soaked guitar, a whisper of a voice, songs about grief that silence a room. Devin Shaffer opens with slowcore folk.
🎲Offline Games Night [gather]
Thursday · 6 - 9 pm · Denizen, Köpenicker Straße 40, 10179 Mitte · from €13
Phones go into a phone hotel and the table fills with board games. Bring a favorite or borrow one, come alone or with a friend. A drink comes with the ticket.
🎄Medieval Christmas Market at the RAW Compound [gather]
From Thursday · 3 pm, weekends from noon · RAW-Gelände, Revaler Straße 99, 10245 Friedrichshain · €3-4, free on Mondays
Blacksmiths, woodcarvers and potters set up by torchlight for the tenth year. Jugglers work the paths, the mead is hot, and kids get a hand-cranked Ferris wheel and archery.
📷 Sophie Calle. Is It Better? [look]
Thursday · 7-10 pm, opening · Hamburger Bahnhof, Invalidenstraße 50-51, 10557 Mitte · free
Sophie Calle’s first Berlin solo show in over twenty years revisits The Detachment, the work she made here in 1996, photographing the empty spots left by GDR monuments.
🍝True Italian Pasta Week 2026 [gather]
From Thursday · 44 Italian restaurants across Berlin · €19 including a special pasta dish + a drink + a digestivo
Forty-four Italian kitchens serve a special pasta, a Cinzano with soda and an amaro to close. Every menu has a vegan dish and no ticket is needed. Until the twenty-second. Our recommendations: Papà Pane di Sorrento (Mitte), Osteria Tressanti e Malafemmena (Prenzlauer Berg), Partenope 081 (Friedrichshain), Salumeria Lamuri, TERRA Italian Craft Kitchen (Kreuzberg), and La Pecora Nera (Neukölln)
🎷How noisy are the rooms [live]
Friday · 8 pm · Kantine am Berghain, Am Wriezener Bahnhof, 10243 Friedrichshain · €10
How Noisy are the rooms are Almut Kühne on voice, Joke Lanz on turntables and Alfred Vogel on drums collide in noise, trip-hop and jazz. O/H/R open with saxophone, electric bass and drums stretched by electronics.
🕰️ 30 Hours Hamburger Bahnhof [gather]
Saturday 11 am to Sunday 6 pm · Hamburger Bahnhof, Invalidenstraße 50-51, 10557 Mitte · free
The Hamburger Bahnhof stays open for thirty hours straight for its thirtieth birthday. Performers dance through the historic hall at night, a pajama tour starts at nine the next morning, and the small hours bring films by Sakamoto, Anne Imhof and Wim Wenders.
For more events, subscribe to The Next Day Berlin
sponsored
Kaleidoscope: Berlin’s Unscripted Musical Phenomenon Live in Friedrichshain
Prepare to experience “Broadway at its best” with Kaleidoscope, Berlin’s premier musical improv ensemble! Since 2022, this powerhouse company has delighted audiences from the Edinburgh Fringe to sold-out stages across Europe with their razor-sharp comedic storytelling and musical virtuosity.
On Thursday, November 12th, join them at the historic Alte Feuerwache Friedrichshain for a one-of-a-kind theatrical feat. Armed with just a single audience suggestion, the cast and their live professional band will create a complete, two-act English musical out of thin air—no script, no sheet music, just pure unscripted magic.
Don’t miss the riotous joy of a masterpiece that exists for one night only! Grab your tickets before they sell out.
🍺 🥨 Germany-wide news 🥨 🍺
💡Germany set to get its first female president
💻Germany’s data centre problem
🕷️Trio arrested for tarantula smuggling
Factoid
It’s been mentioned countless times, but it’s one of the best factoids about the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989: The border to the West was opened by accident when East German information officer Günter Schabowski was handed a memo about new travel rules minutes before going on live TV. Apparently, he misread the memo because when asked when the rules would take effect, he said: “As far as I know: immediately, without delay.” Right away, East Berliners flocked to the Bornholmer Straße checkpoint in Prenzlauer Berg and shoved their way past border guards into Wedding. “One of the most momentous events of the past century was, in fact, an accident, a semicomical and bureaucratic mistake,” wrote historian M.E. Sarotte.
sponsored
Car insurance in Germany can be confusing. Switching providers doesn’t have to be.
SF classes. Teilkasko or Vollkasko. A switching deadline nobody mentioned when you moved here. If German car insurance feels as confusing as a calculus test, you’re not alone.
Here’s the date that matters: most car policies can only be switched once a year. Your current insurer needs your cancellation by 30 November. Miss it, and you’re stuck for another year.
The good news? Switching to Feather is simple:
✅ Keep your no-claims bonus. Driving history from the EU, UK or Switzerland counts.
✅ No European driving history? No problem. Most expats over 23 start at SF3, no proof needed. That’s 48% off on average.
✅ Everything’s digital and in English, from your quote to your claims.
Need help along the way? Our team is here whenever you need us. Chat with us or book a call. With a 4.7 rating on Trustpilot, you’re in good hands.
👉 Get your quote before 30 November
Psst - sign up with code 20BERLIN and get €15 cashback.
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