https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed In an interview following his meeting with US President Trump, Friedrich Merz used a controversial phrase to blame immigrants for a rise in antisemitism in Germany. https://www.thelocal.de/20250606/german-chancellor-suggests-immigrants-have-imported-antisemitism Fri, 06 Jun 2025 14:27:41 +0200 german-chancellor-suggests-immigrants-have-imported-antisemitism A house once inhabited by a Nazi commandant of the Auschwitz extermination camp will be turned into a research centre fighting against anti-Semitism and extremism, a US non-profit said on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20250122/former-auschwitz-commandant-house-to-host-anti-semitism-research-centre Wed, 22 Jan 2025 17:53:37 +0100 former-auschwitz-commandant-house-to-host-anti-semitism-research-centre Any effort to combat anti-Semitism should be uncontroversial. But a resolution passed in Germany is under fire by many - including from the Jewish community - who say it will limit freedom of expression. James Jackson analyses what's going on. https://www.thelocal.de/20241113/why-germanys-resolution-against-anti-semitism-is-attracting-so-much-controversy Wed, 13 Nov 2024 17:23:43 +0100 why-germanys-resolution-against-anti-semitism-is-attracting-so-much-controversy The German parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly backed a resolution aimed at tackling a spike in anti-Semitism linked to the war in Gaza - despite several protests. https://www.thelocal.de/20241107/german-parliament-passes-controversial-anti-semitism-resolution Thu, 07 Nov 2024 17:51:38 +0100 german-parliament-passes-controversial-anti-semitism-resolution Germany's ruling parties have agreed a landmark resolution on combatting anti-Semitism that will be put to parliament this week, political sources said Saturday. https://www.thelocal.de/20241103/german-ruling-parties-agree-parliament-anti-semitism-resolution Sun, 03 Nov 2024 12:50:14 +0100 german-ruling-parties-agree-parliament-anti-semitism-resolution German prosecutors said Tuesday they had charged a 25-year-old man with plotting a deadly Islamist attack on a Jewish institution. https://www.thelocal.de/20241029/german-charged-with-islamist-attack-plot-against-jewish-institution Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:41:32 +0100 german-charged-with-islamist-attack-plot-against-jewish-institution Germany on Wednesday banned the Hamburg Islamic Centre, an association that has been under investigation for several months over its alleged support for Lebanon's Hezbollah group and its links to Iran. https://www.thelocal.de/20240724/germany-bans-islamist-group-over-alleged-links-to-hezbollah-and-iran Wed, 24 Jul 2024 18:30:41 +0200 germany-bans-islamist-group-over-alleged-links-to-hezbollah-and-iran Anti-Semitic acts rose sharply in Germany last year, especially after war broke out between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in October, according to new figures released on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20240625/germany-sees-sharp-rise-in-anti-semitic-acts Tue, 25 Jun 2024 19:03:03 +0200 germany-sees-sharp-rise-in-anti-semitic-acts Foreigners who want to naturalise as Germans will soon have to tackle a range of new questions that are being added to the citizenship test. Here's what to expect. https://www.thelocal.de/20240327/revealed-the-new-questions-being-added-to-germanys-citizenship-test Wed, 27 Mar 2024 10:10:47 +0100 revealed-the-new-questions-being-added-to-germanys-citizenship-test As part of its efforts to crack down on anti-Semitism, the German Interior Ministry will add multiple questions on Israel, the Holocaust and Germany's 'historic responsibility' to the citizenship test. https://www.thelocal.de/20240326/special-responsibility-why-germany-is-shaking-up-citizenship-test-questions Tue, 26 Mar 2024 19:00:24 +0100 special-responsibility-why-germany-is-shaking-up-citizenship-test-questions German officials will investigate how Berlin film festival winners were able to make "one-sided" comments condemning Israel's war in Gaza at the event's finale, a government spokeswoman said on Monday. https://www.thelocal.de/20240226/germany-launches-probe-over-berlin-film-festival-anti-semitism-row Mon, 26 Feb 2024 15:51:26 +0100 germany-launches-probe-over-berlin-film-festival-anti-semitism-row This week's Berlin international film festival is wrestling on and off screen with the weight of the Nazi past and the menace of a resurgent far right. https://www.thelocal.de/20240218/berlin-film-fest-grapples-with-nazi-past-and-far-right-threat Sun, 18 Feb 2024 13:03:33 +0100 berlin-film-fest-grapples-with-nazi-past-and-far-right-threat Several thousand people turned out to demonstrate against anti-Semitism and racism in Berlin on Sunday as the Israel-Hamas war stirred painful memories of the past in Germany. https://www.thelocal.de/20231210/thousands-protest-anti-semitism-in-berlin Sun, 10 Dec 2023 19:11:42 +0100 thousands-protest-anti-semitism-in-berlin The first reading of Germany's dual citizenship law saw plenty of mud-slinging across the chamber as politicians butted heads over the issue of anti-Semitism, while the Interior Minister insisted Germany needed the law to attract skilled workers. https://www.thelocal.de/20231130/german-politicians-clash-over-dual-citizenship-law-at-first-debate Thu, 30 Nov 2023 17:37:01 +0100 german-politicians-clash-over-dual-citizenship-law-at-first-debate Germany's long-awaited citizenship reforms have been put back onto the parliamentary agenda with a number of suggested changes around racism and anti-Semitism. Here's how the process for becoming German could be tightened up in future. https://www.thelocal.de/20231120/how-germany-wants-to-toughen-up-dual-citizenship-law-around-anti-semitism Mon, 20 Nov 2023 17:03:01 +0100 how-germany-wants-to-toughen-up-dual-citizenship-law-around-anti-semitism A bill that would see foreigners with an 'anti-Semitic attitude' lose their rights to German citizenship will be debated in the Bundestag on Friday, along with plans to revoke citizenship from foreigners convicted of anti-Semitic crimes. https://www.thelocal.de/20231116/could-germany-strip-citizenship-rights-from-foreigners-over-anti-semitism Thu, 16 Nov 2023 13:49:59 +0100 could-germany-strip-citizenship-rights-from-foreigners-over-anti-semitism Hundreds of police Thursday raided properties across Germany over suspected links to the Iran-backed Shiite Hezbollah group, authorities said, as Berlin moves to stem a rash of anti-Semitism amid the Israel-Hamas war. https://www.thelocal.de/20231116/german-police-raid-scores-of-properties-in-fight-against-anti-semitism Thu, 16 Nov 2023 11:32:37 +0100 german-police-raid-scores-of-properties-in-fight-against-anti-semitism Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged Thursday to protect Germany's Jews against a "shameful" upsurge in anti-Semitism in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, on the anniversary of the Nazi pogrom that began the Holocaust. https://www.thelocal.de/20231109/never-again-is-now-scholz-vows-to-protect-germanys-jews Thu, 09 Nov 2023 13:19:42 +0100 never-again-is-now-scholz-vows-to-protect-germanys-jews Levi Salomon has been documenting anti-Semitic slogans and acts at rallies in Berlin for 25 years, but never had he experienced such virulent expressions of hate against Jews in post-war Germany until October 7th. https://www.thelocal.de/20231108/hardly-any-taboos-left-anti-semitism-resurges-in-germany Wed, 08 Nov 2023 11:15:31 +0100 hardly-any-taboos-left-anti-semitism-resurges-in-germany A plan to drop the name Anne Frank from a German kindergarten sparked anger Monday, with critics saying it would send the "wrong signal" at a time of growing anti-Semitism. https://www.thelocal.de/20231106/why-a-row-has-broken-out-over-a-german-kindergarten-name-change-proposal Mon, 06 Nov 2023 18:28:14 +0100 why-a-row-has-broken-out-over-a-german-kindergarten-name-change-proposal