Germany

Criminal Complaint Filed Against Bush Era Torture Architects

December 21, 2014 Staff, www.ecchr.de Organize! Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfield, George Tenet, George W. Bush, Germany, Human Rights, Torture

The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) has lodged criminal complaints against former CIA head George Tenet, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other members of the administration of former US President George W. Bush. The ECCHR is accusing Tenet, Rumsfeld and a series of other persons of the war crime of torture under paragraph 8 section 1(3) of the German Code of Crimes against International Law (Völkerstrafgesetzbuch). The constituent elements of the crime of torture were most recently established in the case by the US Senate in its report on CIA interrogation methods. “The architects of the torture system - politicians, officials, secret service agents, lawyers and senior army officials – should be brought before the courts,” says ECCHR General Secretary Wolfgang Kaleck, who is appearing today in connection with the issue in front of the German Parliamentary Committee on legal affairs. “By investigating members of the Bush administration, Germany can help to ensure that those responsible for abduction, abuse and illegal detention do not go unpunished.”

Germany Does Something The U.S. Hasn’t For Peace

December 10, 2014 World Beyond War, www.worldbeyondwar.org Organize! Germany, Peace, Wars and Militarism

Imagine a letter co-signed by former presidents, former representatives from both sides of the aisle, House speakers, former governors, attorneys general, cabinet members, ambassadors, CEOs, movie stars and directors, writers, astronauts, religious leaders, mayors, academics, mainstream media correspondents, and more — all united in stating “Nobody wants war.” Imagine the New York Times publishing this letter. The equivalent happened in Germany just a few days ago. On December 5, the renowned weekly newspaper Die Zeit published the letter “Another War in Europe? Not in our name!” The more than 60 personalities from politics, business, culture and media certainly do not sound like the typical voices for peace, and indeed they are not.

How Germany’s Greens Rose From Radical Fringe To Ruling Power

November 22, 2014 Isabelle de Pommereau, www.csmonitor.com Strategize! Elections, Germany, Green party

When Germany's left-leaning Green party was born 30 years ago, former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt dismissed them outright. "They’re just environmental idiots who will have disappeared again soon," he said. They didn't. In fact, in a turn of events reverberating across the nation, the Greens on Sunday ended six decades of conservative rule in one of Germany’s wealthiest states, completing their transformation from a radical protest party to a mainstream force shaking the traditional political order. "To see the party go from that to this ... is a sign that it has a strong chance in the federal elections," says Miranda Schreurs, head of the European Environmental and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils, a Berlin-based network of advisers appointed by 16 European countries.

Humpty-Dumpty And The Fall Of Berlin’s Wall

October 10, 2014 Victor Grossman, www.portside.org Educate! Cold War, Germany, History

After the Wall lost its barrier status on November 9th 1989, what quickly fell in the months that followed hardly conjured up the funny-looking egg some recall from Alice’s looking-glass adventures. It was rather the forty-year-old institution calling itself the German Democratic Republic, the GDR. To employ again the ovoid allusion, one might inquire: Did it fall because it was totally foul? Was it given an outside push or two? And did that downfall represent simply the glorious revolution of a folk yearning for freedom - or is the matter more complicated? This is still very relevant, for many similar uprisings have since occurred - and are still occurring.

Why Did Germany End Tuition? Mass Student Protests

October 9, 2014 David Smith, www.economywatch.com Resist! Education, Germany, Human Rights, Protest, Student Activism

After experimenting with tuition fees, all the federal German states have been persuaded to reverse their decision. In the UK and US, there is no political will to change the policies which are blighting whole generations. The only way forward is to copy German protest movements. “What Germany has done is fabulous and it’s not surprising that people in the US don’t understand it. What I really liked was the reversal of their decision to impose them,” she said. “It’s a great shame that the UK has gone to a system like ours because it’s a disaster to be avoided at all costs. British students coming out with that much debt will be very unhappy in a generation or two, just as we are in the US. I’d love to see a 180 degree turnaround in the UK as well, but I can’t see it happening. The same neoliberal economic assumptions are driving policies in the UK as in the US, even though they are not justified by data.”

This Country Just Abolished College Tuition Fees

October 4, 2014 Joaquim Moreira Salles, www.thinkprogress.com Educate! Debt, Education, Germany

Prospective students in the United States who can’t afford to pay for college or don’t want to rack up tens of thousands in student debt should try their luck in Germany. Higher education is now free throughout the country, even for international students. Yesterday, Lower Saxony became the last of seven German states to abolish tuition fees, which were already extremely low compared to those paid in the United States. German universities only began charging for tuition in 2006, when the German Constitutional Court ruled that limited fees, combined with loans, were not in conflict the country’s commitment to universal education.

German Supermarket Giants Demand Return To GMO-Free Fed Poultry

September 8, 2014 Sustainable Pulse, www.sustainablepulse.com Educate! Food and Agriculture, Germany, GMO

Germany’s top supermarkets, the powerhouses of Europe when it comes to retail, have delivered a blow to the biotech industry by forcing the German poultry industry to return to the use of non-GMO feed. It was announced last Thursday that the German supermarkets, with a broad consensus, recently demanded from the German Poultry Association (ZDG) to stop using GMO feed for both egg and poultry meat production, starting from January 1st 2015. That is the date when the retailers want to receive GMO-free fed products again, meaning poultry suppliers will have to rush to get their feed supply chains free from GMO feed once more. In February this year, the ZDG unilaterally declared that it was stopping using GM-free animal feed, following similar moves by other associations in England and Denmark. The reasons provided for the step after over a decade of GMO-free feeding were an alleged shortage of GMO-free soya, the risk of contamination, and the associated legal uncertainty. However, following close consultation with Brazilian authorities, the German supermarkets have realized that the reasons given by ZDG do not stand up: There is clearly enough Brazilian GMO-free feed in the system to supply Europe’s needs.

Thousands Of Germans Rally To End Government Spying

September 3, 2014 RT, www.rt.com Resist! Germany, Privacy, Protest, Surveillance

The rally in Berlin against federal surveillance gathered thousands of people under the motto ‘Freedom not fear,’ who were calling for stricter control of German intelligence agencies. The organizers said about 6,500 demonstrators, a broad coalition of pro-transparency, anti-surveillance and civil rights groups including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Reporters Without Borders, Digital Courage, and Amnesty International joined the rally as they marched from the Brandenburg Gate to the Federal Chancellery. The American Internet activist and journalist Jacob Appelbaum called on activists to not be afraid to expose government secrets, with many in the crowd holding signs with photos of Edward Snowden. “We have to stand up for all of those who do not usually get support. For all these people across the globe. For confidential communication. For privacy on the Internet. For encryption... It really works. And for anonymity. It protects you,” Appelbaum said.

Germany Rejects Canada-EU Trade Deal

August 14, 2014 The Guardian, www.politicolnews.com Educate! Canada, Free Trade Agreements, Germany

Europe has not agreed to the EU- Canada trade deal which is a land mine of corporate legal jargon, that would destroy sovereign rights. Firstly the details of this agreement have not been disclosed to the public fully and clearly, most people think it is a great idea. These two happy faces seem to think they have a trade deal called the (CETA) that the European Union can accept however – hold the photo ops. It appears the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is trying to write in some clauses that would leave European countries exposed and open to lawsuits from corporations, similar to the badly drafted TPP deal. The European- Canada deal has traps and Germany has announced it will not sign it. Stephen Harper’s government has written in legal language that would negate Europe’s environmental and health laws, just for starters. Germany is not buying the CETA, nor should any other European countries because it would negatively affect both Canadians and European current laws and economy.

US Embassy in Berlin Receives ‘Beamed’ Graffitti to Protest NSA Spying Activities

July 21, 2014 Gabriel Rosu, www.eteknix.com Resist! Germany, NSA

It looks like a German artist has used a different form of “graffiti” to protest the NSA early this morning in Berlin. Oliver Bienkowski, a self-proclaimed “guerilla marketing expert”, has used a powerful projector mounted in a cargo van and beamed it on the US Embassy. The image is said to have illustrated a silly portrait of US President, Barack Obama, and a message: “NSA in da House”. The United States Embassy in Berlin is said to be in a heavily police-patrolled area near the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate and due to this, the police have peacefully shut down the projection within minutes, according to the video below, posted online by the group of German artists. It is said that this is not the first time Bienkowski used the side of a building to express his work and protest.

Germany May Revert To Typewriters To Counter Hi-Tech Espionage

July 17, 2014 Philip Oltermann, www.theguardian.com Educate! Germany, Politics, Privacy, Surveillance, Technology

German politicians are considering a return to using manual typewriters for sensitive documents in the wake of the US surveillance scandal. The head of the Bundestag's parliamentary inquiry into NSA activity in Germany said in an interview with the Morgenmagazin TV programme that he and his colleagues were seriously thinking of ditching email completely. Asked "Are you considering typewriters" by the interviewer on Monday night, the Christian Democrat politican Patrick Sensburg said: "As a matter of fact, we have – and not electronic models either". "Really?" the surprised interviewer checked. "Yes, no joke," Sensburg responded. "Unlike other inquiry committees, we are investigating an ongoing situation. Intelligence activities are still going on, they are happening," said Sensburg. Last week, Merkel's government asked the CIA's station officer in Germany to leave the country after an employee of the German intelligence agency BND confessed to passing confidential documents to the US secret service. The ongoing investigation prompted speculation that the CIA may have actively targeted the Bundestag's NSA inquiry committee. Last year, the Russian government reportedly took similar measures after the extent of US electronic surveillance was revealed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden. The federal guard service, a powerful body tasked with protecting Russia's highest-ranking officials, put in an order for 20 Triumph Adler typewriters, which create unique "handwriting", that allows the source of any documents created on them to be traced.

Berlin TV Tower Occupied By Refugees Seeking Asylum In Germany

July 12, 2014 RT, www.rt.com Resist! Germany, Immigrant Rights, Protest, Refugees

Berlin police used force to evict 40 refugees occupying the city’s landmark TV tower on Wednesday. The demonstrators emphasized their place in German society and called for better political conditions, stating, “We are also people.” “Everywhere we are rejected. Everyone has the same answer for us, everyone pushes us further, no one listens to us,” said a statement from the group, published on the ‘Refugee Struggle for Freedom’ website. Around 40 refugees and several of their supporters bought Fernsehturm tickets and rode the lift up to the ball of the tower at Berlin’s Alexanderplatz, after moving from a cleared protest camp at Oranienplatz that sprang up on Saturday, according to local press reports. The protesters have demanded a meeting with Berlin’s mayor, according to RT's video agency Ruptly which was live at the scene.

Germany Expels CIA Station Chief In Spying Scandal

July 11, 2014 DW, www.dw.de Educate! CIA, Diplomacy, Germany, Surveillance

Germany has expelled the US’ top foreign intelligence chief from Berlin, but Washington has said little on the matter. Spying allegations threaten to fray ties between the allies, a possibility neither wants. The White House declined to issue a statement regarding the expulsion of a high-ranking CIA official from Berlin on Thursday. Instead, spokesperson Josh Earnest reassured reporters that the Obama administration was working to resolve the diplomatic row. "I don't want you to come away from this exchange thinking we take this matter lightly," Earnest said on Thursday. However, he could not comment on the current spying allegations against the US as that "would put at risk US assets, US personnel and United States national security." The German government asked the main CIA representative to voluntarily leave Berlin on Thursday. Officials declined to release the operative's identity.

300,000 Slaves Made German Corporations Rich

July 3, 2014 Alan Hall, www.dailymail.co.uk Educate! Germany, History, Nazis, Slavery

Revealed: How the Nazis helped German companies Bosch, Mercedes, Deutsche Bank and VW get VERY rich using 300,000 concentration camp slaves. The colossal extent of slave labour used by modern-day German blue-chip companies to get rich during the Third Reich has been laid bare by the nation's top business magazine. WirtschaftsWoche has published a league table illustrating the Nazi past of top German firms like Bosch, Mercedes, Deutsche Bank, VW and many others, which involved the use of almost 300,000 slaves. The league table follows revelations earlier thatAudi, which was known as Auto Union during the Nazi period, was a big exploiter of concentration camp supplied slave labor, using 20,000 concentration camp inmates in its factories.

German Protests Against The Federal Reserve And For Peace

June 30, 2014 WeAreChange, www.youtube.com Resist! Federal Reserve, Germany, Mass Media, Peace

In this video Luke Rudkowski talks to Ken Jebsen a former main stream media journalist in Germany and Lars Maehrholz a skydiver that became the main organizer of the massive Monday peace vigils in Berlin. The protests in Berlin are not a left or right movement but a social media movement against the establishment that have grown to over a 100 cities and 3 countries. They started with Lars 2 1/2 months ago and with the help of Ken fm have grown to a very large number which made the main stream media in Berlin slander and attack the movement. For those interested in the historic background: The German Monday Demonstrations (Montagsdemonstrationen) helped to bring down the repressive surveillance state GDR regime 25 years ago: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monday_....

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