CDU votes for return to compulsory military service

The Christian Democrats (CDU) have voted at their party conference for the return of compulsory military service in Germany. 

Conscription was suspended in 2011 by a government led by then Chancellor Angela Merkel of the CDU. But at its party conference in Berlin on Tuesday, the CDU called for a gradual return of the policy. 

They cited the lack of personnel in the Bundeswehr (German army) and concerns about Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The debate over conscription surfaces often in Germany. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, of the Social Democrats, said in an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung last year that getting rid of conscription in 2011 had been a “mistake”.

READ ALSO: Fact check – could Germany bring back military conscription?

The CDU are in opposition currently but have been flying high in the polls.

German Wahl-O-Mat out for European elections

The quiz that many Germans use to figure out who to vote for – the Wahl-O-Mat – has been released for European elections, coming up on June 9th in Germany.

Users respond to a series of questions, which can be weighted by priority – and then the quiz gives an assessment over which party the user sides with most.

Wahl-O-Mat: The quiz helping Germans make up their minds in elections

German MEP’s offices searched in China spying probe

Investigators searched the Brussels office of German MEP Maximilian Krah on Tuesday as part of a probe into his aide, who is suspected of spying for China, German prosecutors said.

Krah’s offices at the European Parliament, where the suspect named as Jian G. worked, was searched “on the basis of orders issued by the investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice and a European Investigation Order”, prosecutors told the press.

Jian G., a German national, was arrested in April on suspicion of sharing European Parliament information with a Chinese intelligence service and of spying on Chinese opposition figures in Germany.

He was suspended from his position when the allegations came to light.

The allegations involving China are among a series of controversies to hit Germany’s AfD in recent months, including claims that some of its members have links to Russia.

German prosecutors said in April they had launched a preliminary probe into Krah over reports that he had received suspicious payments from Russia and China.

The 47-year-old has vowed to continue as the AfD’s top European Parliament candidate in spite of the scandal.

PODCAST: Berlin’s €29 travel pass relaunch, spy scandal and how attractive is Germany to foreign workers?

Former Berlin mayor injured after attack

In the latest of a spate of assaults on politicians and campaign workers in Germany, Berlin’s Senator for Economic Affairs, Franziska Giffey, was injured by an unknown assailant in Berlin.

The former mayor of the capital suffered head and neck injuries in an assault at a library in the district of Rudow on Tuesday afternoon, according to police.

A man suddenly attacked the SPD politician ‘from behind with a bag filled with hard contents and hit her on the head and neck’, they said. 

Less than three hours later in Dresden, there was another attack on a Green Party politician – whose name was initially unknown – while the conference of interior ministers was meeting at the same time.

It was not initially stated whether the suspect, who was initially on the run, could later be arrested. The police also did not comment on possible motives when asked.

The attack on Giffey came on the heels of a special meeting of interior ministers to discuss the growing problem of violence against politicians in the run-up to the European elections.

Last Friday, the SPD politician Matthias Ecke was beaten up by four young men aged 17 and 18 while attempting to put up campaign posters in Dresden.

German exports up in March but weak orders spoil party

German exports picked up in March but industrial orders fell unexpectedly, official data showed this week, reflecting a mixed picture for Europe’s biggest economy.

Exports rose by 0.9 percent month-on-month after a decline of 1.6 percent in February, federal statistics agency Destatis said, defying expectations of a continued downward trend.

But new orders, closely watched as an indicator of future business activity, fell by 0.4 percent month-on-month.

ING bank analyst Carsten Brzeski said the figures confirmed “the return of the export-driven German growth model”.

Police break up pro-Palestinian demos in Berlin

Police on Tuesday broke up pro-Palestinian demonstrations at universities in Berlin and Amsterdam, which were inspired by similar demonstrations on campuses around the world.

Police cleared a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Berlin’s Freie Universität, after up to 80 people set up a protest camp in a courtyard of the campus early on Tuesday.

The protesters, some of whom wore the keffiyeh scarf that has long been a symbol of the Palestinian cause, sat in front of tents and waved banners.

They later tried to enter rooms and lecture halls and occupy them, according to the university, which said it then called in the police to clear the protest.

Videos on social media showed students being violently cleared from the makeshift camp by police, with some being carried away by officers.

Police evict pro-Palestine encampment at Berlin’s Freie Universität, reportedly after being called by the Uni’s president pic.twitter.com/c0ijcLUBSx

— James Jackson (@derJamesJackson) May 7, 2024

Property was damaged and charges have been filed while teaching in some buildings was suspended for the day, the university said.

Berlin police said some arrests were made for incitement to hatred and trespassing.

Pro-Palestinian student demonstrations have generally been more muted in Germany than elsewhere. Germany is one of Israel’s most staunch backers and has instigated numerous crackdowns on expressions of support from Palestine in the aftermath of the October 7th attacks. 

The protests in Europe followed similar actions at universities around the world, notably in the United States, where some schools have cancelled graduation ceremonies.

The war in the Gaza Strip was sparked by the October 7th attack on Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians.

Militants also seized around 250 hostages, with an estimated 128 remaining in Gaza, including 35 the Israeli military says are dead.  

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched an offensive that has killed at least 34,789 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The resulting destruction, including attacks on hospitals and key civilian infrastracture, has displaced millions from their homes and placed the population on the brink of starvation.