Tag: germany

Moscow Warns German Arms Factory In Ukraine Is ‘A Legitimate Target’

The Dusseldorf-based German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall this week announced that it has completed delivery of twenty more 20 Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) to Ukraine.

But its relationship with Kiev has gone much further, becoming among the very first major European arms companies to open a factory in Ukraine. This has provoked outrage among Kremlin officials, who are now warning that military action could be taken against the Rheinmetall plant.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told reporters in a briefing that “A plant of Rheinmetall, a German arms manufacturer, launched in Ukraine, is a legitimate military target for the Russian Armed Forces.”

“Certainly it is,” he emphasized in response to a question on whether the factory is now a target by being established inside Ukraine.

Not only is the German company going to produce armored vehicles, and maintain and repair them from inside the war-ravaged country, but it is even seeking to develop a local gunpowder and munitions plan.

TASS notes that Rheinmetall is NATO member Germany’s largest defense contractor. “It substantially profits from the Ukrainian conflict and anticipates further increased revenues. In 2023, its turnover went up by 12%, to 7.1 bln euros, with its net income growing by 9%, up to 0.6 bln euros,” the report reviews.

Rheinmetall has indicated it eventually plans to open no less than four military production installations inside Ukraine, with the ammo side expected to begin within the next two years.

The company downplayed the Tuesday threat from Peskov, saying the “production of weapons in Ukraine is well protected and this is not the first time they have heard threats from the Kremlin.” It plans to move forward despite the threats.

Among Russia’s key rationales for the February 2022 invasion was to ‘demilitarize’ Ukraine amid accusations that NATO is building up its military infrastructure inside the country which shares a large border with Russia. But now it appears the Western military alliance is rushing to do just that.

CEO of Rheinmetall AG, Armin Papperger, issued the following statement earlier this week: “Things are progressing. The first plant is already ready. The second one is on the way. And now I insist on speeding up all of this work, because we don’t have much time, we shouldn’t waste it.”

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On the Constant, Unrelenting and Unhinged Anti-Trump Propaganda of the German Media

Pollsters periodically ask Germans which American presidential candidate they would support, were they in a position to vote. Last July, 79% said they would vote for Kamala Harris; only 13% would vote for Donald Trump. The numbers are typical: Barack Obama claimed 71% support in a similar poll from 2008 and Hillary Clinton enjoyed 82% support in 2016. Right now, Green voters split 99% for Harris, Social Democrat voters 92%, nominally centre-right CDU/CSU voters 89%, market-liberal FDP voters 85%, and voters for the old-school leftist Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht party 52%. Across the entire German political landscape, only Alternative für Deutschland voters would support Trump by a thin majority of 51%. Even here, one-in-four are undecided, and the remaining one-in-four would vote for Harris.

You might be tempted to argue that differing national interests explain this, but I don’t think that argument works. It’s far from obvious that a Harris administration would further the interests of the German people. The war in Ukraine and the associated bombing of Nord Stream, for example, were both enthusiastically supported by Joe Biden specifically, and they proved catastrophic for the Federal Republic. What is really going on here is much subtler: Many Germans know English, but consuming foreign-language material is a pain and relatively few have any direct contact with Trump’s debates, his speeches or sympathetic English-language reporting. We learn about American presidential campaigns primarily through our media, and Germany has a vast state-adjacent media industrial complex in much the same way that the United States has a vast state-adjacent military industrial complex.

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‘I’m definitely upgrading my security’: Leftist German Magazine Der Spiegel Calls Elon Musk ‘Enemy Number Two’ – Tech Billionaire Comments on the ‘Vitriolic Hatred’

With his electric cars and rockets, Elon Musk was once a very well-liked figure in liberal circles.

But his work for free-speech on social platform X and his ‘all-in’ support for Donald J. Trump’s Presidential campaign have put him in the crosshairs of the planetary leftist hatred.

Now the leftist German Magazine Der Spiegel has crystalized this hatred in a strong cover story: ‘Elon Musk, Enemy Number Two’. Elon Musk: Staatsfeind Nummer Zwei – DER SPIEGEL (behind a paywall).

This took the internet by Storm, especially the X social media platform.

On Sunday (20), during town hall discussion in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Musk commented on the ‘vitriolic hatred’ by the left, and said that he planned to upgrade his security after the Der Spiegel quite literal hit-piece.

On his event in support of Donald Trump’s candidacy, the talked about the heightened political atmosphere.

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German News Publication Claims Ukraine Could Have Nuclear Weapons WITHIN WEEKS — Report

German news publication Bild reported Thursday that Ukraine could have nuclear weapons within weeks, citing a statement they reported Ukrainian ruler Vladimir Zelensky said.

“Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons, and then they will be our defense. Or we have to enter into a kind of alliance. Apart from NATO, we do not know any effective alliances today,” Zelensky allegedly said while in a conversation with Donald Trump a few weeks ago, according to Bild and translated from German into English.

According to RT, Zelensky claimed that Trump agreed with him on the Ukrainian nuclear desire, although no evidence exists to indicate Trump actually agreed with it, as Trump only spoke of ending the war to avoid nuclear war, a contradiction to Zelensky’s claim.

According to Bild and translated to English from German, a high-ranking Ukrainian official specializing in arms procurement ‘hinted’ to Bild, politicians and officials a few months ago that the technical requirements to accomplishing this atomic goal are present.

“We have the material, we have the knowledge. If there is an order, we will only need a few weeks until the first bomb,” the source allegedly said according to Bild.

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Survey Reveals Over One in Six Germans Report Side Effects from COVID-19 Vaccination

As the world reflects on the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, alarming new data from Germany reveals that the experimental COVID vaccines, may have left far more harm in their wake than originally acknowledged.

A recent survey conducted by the Forsa Institute shows that over one in six Germans report experiencing side effects from their vaccination—an undeniable red flag that mainstream media continues to downplay.

The representative survey conducted on behalf of the German newspaper “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (NOZ) and the online magazine “Multipolar,” polled 1,002 individuals on October 7 and 8.

According to the survey results, more than one in six Germans has experienced side effects due to the COVID-19 vaccine.

A significant 17 percent of respondents openly stated they did not “tolerate the COVID vaccination well overall.” This figure challenges the widespread narrative of “safe and effective” vaccinations promoted by health agencies worldwide.

Meanwhile, 10 percent of respondents reported not receiving the vaccine.

Though 73 percent reported no adverse reactions, the data still leaves a considerable group of Germans facing unsettling vaccine side effects.

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Berlin Freezes School Budgets While Allocating Billions For Migrant Housing

Berlin’s public schools are facing a budget freeze that has halted spending on key activities, including school trips, as the city contends with major financial challenges.

The freeze follows the Berlin House of Representatives’ decision to allocate an additional €1.3 billion for the accommodation of migrants, raising concerns about the city’s spending priorities.

In a letter issued on Wednesday, Education State Secretary Christina Henke (CDU) informed school administrators that they are no longer allowed to enter into “financially effective” contracts that extend into the next financial year. According to Tagesspiegel, this restriction includes school trips, where teachers’ travel expenses — typically reimbursed by the state — will no longer be covered.

Sven Zimmerschied, head of Friedensburg High School in Charlottenburg and board member of the Berlin Secondary School Heads’ Association, expressed his concerns over the sudden halt.

“On Monday I signed the leasing contract for a new copier,” he said, ahead of the ban.

The budget freeze, he explained, will disrupt many routine activities, though he noted that exceptions could be made in cases of “indispensability and urgency.”

The move comes as the city struggles to balance its budget following the House of Representatives’ decision in June to spend an additional €1.3 billion on the accommodation of asylum seekers. This includes expanding tent cities at former airports in Tegel and Tempelhof, renting more hotel space, and setting up 16 new locations for container housing.

During the summer, Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) warned that Berlin’s capacity to accommodate more refugees was nearing its limit.

“The pressure is increasing. We already have no places,” Wegner said.

The billions set aside have funded new emergency housing but at the cost of cuts to other areas, including education.

The budget freeze has drawn criticism, with many wondering why funds are available for migrant accommodation but not for school activities.

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Top German neo-Nazi plummets 200 feet to his death while hiking on Hitler’s favorite mountain

A top German neo-Nazi plummeted nearly 200 feet to his death while hiking on what is believed to be Adolf Hitler’s favorite mountain.

Andreas Münzhuber, 37, a senior member of the Bavaria faction of neo-Nazi group The Third Way, was climbing Untersberg mountain on a 30-person tour when he tripped on an exposed wet root and fell 196 feet down rocky terrain to his death on Sept. 29, German news outlets reported.

Rescue teams rushed to the scene after the fall but the far-right radical was killed instantly, Merkur reported. 

Untersberg — a nearly 6,500-foot high summit in Germany — was considered Hitler’s favorite view, with the Nazi dictator constructing his infamous Eagle’s Nest retreat in the same area, according to The Telegraph. 

The site has since become an attraction for tyrants to visit. 

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American Author Could Face Prison in Germany Over Satirical Swastika

A German court has found CJ Hopkins, an American writer living in that country, guilty of hate speech, which is treated as an unconstitutional activity. This overturned a previous acquittal by the Tiergarten District Court.

“Hate speech” in the case amounts to Hopkins using Nazi imagery to express his protest about Germany’s Covid-era policies, including what he called “New Normal Germany” – a satirical take on how that compares to Nazi Germany.

The imagery that caught the authorities’ attention was posted on X, including an illustration showing a white face mask with a white swastika superimposed on it.

Even though a lower court in January found this did not represent “hate speech,” on the last day of September, the Berlin Appellate Court disagreed. In a blog post, Hopkins, who has been residing in Germany since 2004, says that “the New Normal German authorities (…) were determined to punish me.”

To highlight the absurdity of the situation, Hopkins told the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) that the second trial went with anti-terrorism measures in the courtroom. This meant a small number of people were allowed to attend, behind a glass panel, while journalists could not bring in laptops or even notebooks and pens.

Now, the case is back at the Tiergarten Court which is supposed to sentence him – the author is looking at up to three years in prison. And while the Berlin court’s decision itself can’t be appealed, Hopkins told FIRE he would go to the highest legal instance in Germany – the Federal Constitutional Court (ostensibly after the district court rules again).

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Germany Rushes to Expand Biometric Surveillance

Germany is a leader in privacy and data protection, with many Germans being particularly sensitive to the processing of their personal data – owing to the country’s totalitarian history and the role of surveillance in both Nazi Germany and East Germany.

So, it is disappointing that the German government is trying to push through Parliament, at record speed, a “security package” that would increase biometric surveillance at an unprecedented scale. The proposed measures contravene the government’s own coalition agreement, and undermine European law and the German constitution.

In response to a knife-stabbing in the West-German town of Solingen in late-August, the government has introduced a so-called “security package” consisting of a bouquet of measures to tighten asylum rules and introduce new powers for law enforcement authorities.

Among them, three stand out due to their possibly disastrous effect on fundamental rights online. 

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German Citizens’ Forum Proposes Criminalizing “Disinformation”

A citizens’ council – established by Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser to help combat what she sees as “fake news,” has come up with a number of recommendations, including criminalizing whatever the authorities decide to consider to be the “spread of disinformation.”

The proposal is in line with Faeser’s own policies, which opponents see as strongly pro-censorship (and that includes trying to ban a magazine critical of the government).

No surprise also that Faeser’s ministry is open to the suggestions – a statement said it would be “analyzed.” Furthermore, the Interior Ministry will “examine the extent to which (the recommendations)” can be incorporated into its work.

All this is already being interpreted in the context of the previous conduct of Germany’s government, which critics say is not only free speech and media freedom-unfriendly – but is also, while declaratively fighting disinformation, giving a leg up to those media outlets that actually spread disinformation (the implication being, the kind of disinformation that suits the government.)

In a world where war is peace, freedom is slavery, etc., Faeser’s council’s full name is, “Forum against Fakes—Together for a Strong Democracy.” But it’s questionable how German democracy could benefit from an even more draconian clampdown on speech than what is currently happening.

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