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 At the beginning of Pride Month, Germany's Christopher Street Day association warns about an increase in the number of hate crimes and calls for better reporting. https://www.thelocal.de/20250606/germanys-pride-parades-exposed-to-increasing-extremist-threats Fri, 06 Jun 2025 12:39:35 +0200 germanys-pride-parades-exposed-to-increasing-extremist-threats More complaints about discrimination were recorded last year than ever before, according to a recent report by Germany's anti-discrimination Agency, with many involving racism. https://www.thelocal.de/20250604/record-number-of-complaints-received-by-germanys-anti-discrimination-agency Wed, 04 Jun 2025 16:02:04 +0200 record-number-of-complaints-received-by-germanys-anti-discrimination-agency The number of reported acts of racism in Germany is on the rise, so what should foreign residents do if they are a victim of racial discrimination or they witness an incident? Lana O'Sullivan explains the actions you can take. https://www.thelocal.de/20250423/what-you-should-do-if-you-experience-racism-in-germany Wed, 23 Apr 2025 13:24:47 +0200 what-you-should-do-if-you-experience-racism-in-germany More than half of people from ethnic or religious minorities in Germany experience discrimination on a regular basis, a recent survey has revealed. https://www.thelocal.de/20250320/levels-of-racism-and-discrimination-in-germany-revealed-in-new-survey Thu, 20 Mar 2025 11:30:02 +0100 levels-of-racism-and-discrimination-in-germany-revealed-in-new-survey Since September, the Federal Police have been carrying out checks at all German land borders. The federal police commission has heard increasing complaints about officers allegedly racially profiling those that they check. https://www.thelocal.de/20250313/are-german-police-racially-profiling-people-at-the-border Thu, 13 Mar 2025 12:11:20 +0100 are-german-police-racially-profiling-people-at-the-border As part of its ongoing public sector negotiations, Verdi has called a nationwide strike in the so-called "women's professions" to coincide with Equal Pay Day. https://www.thelocal.de/20250307/german-nurseries-and-care-facilities-go-on-strike-ahead-of-womens-day Fri, 07 Mar 2025 10:32:34 +0100 german-nurseries-and-care-facilities-go-on-strike-ahead-of-womens-day An anti-migrant song made famous on the island of Sylt has since become a popular motif on neo-Nazi t-shirts and merchandise. But legal action from a German activist group could have just put an end to that. https://www.thelocal.de/20250213/german-activists-trademark-sylt-song-meme-in-fight-against-far-right Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:40:56 +0100 german-activists-trademark-sylt-song-meme-in-fight-against-far-right This slang word has been named Germany's 'non-word' or 'ugliest word' of the year for 2024, with judges slamming the phrase as thoughtless and discriminatory. https://www.thelocal.de/20250113/biodeutsch-why-this-is-germanys-ugliest-word-of-the-year Mon, 13 Jan 2025 16:43:37 +0100 biodeutsch-why-this-is-germanys-ugliest-word-of-the-year 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 From finding a flat and applying for jobs to dating, does having a foreign name make life harder in Germany? We spoke to our readers to find out. https://www.thelocal.de/20240917/no-one-will-offer-me-a-job-how-having-a-foreign-name-affects-life-in-germany Tue, 17 Sep 2024 12:53:45 +0200 no-one-will-offer-me-a-job-how-having-a-foreign-name-affects-life-in-germany Before the Pride parade by LGBTQ activists in the east German town of Altenburg even started, a small group had been hurling insults and flashing middle fingers at those present. https://www.thelocal.de/20240724/pride-parade-runs-the-gauntlet-in-german-far-right-stronghold Wed, 24 Jul 2024 10:57:15 +0200 pride-parade-runs-the-gauntlet-in-german-far-right-stronghold Is it harder for people to find a job or get an apartment in Germany simply because they don't have a German name? We'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences for a future article. https://www.thelocal.de/20240722/tell-us-is-having-a-foreign-name-a-disadvantage-in-germany Mon, 22 Jul 2024 16:50:16 +0200 tell-us-is-having-a-foreign-name-a-disadvantage-in-germany As a mother who is almost 40 and who was born in Iran, the new Miss Germany Apameh Schoenauer stood out at the beauty pageant. But those traits also exposed her to a wave of online abuse. https://www.thelocal.de/20240426/i-knew-it-would-happen-iranian-mum-suffers-abuse-after-winning-miss-germany Fri, 26 Apr 2024 11:55:55 +0200 i-knew-it-would-happen-iranian-mum-suffers-abuse-after-winning-miss-germany 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 Headed up by a man accused of right-wing extremism, the newly formed 'WerteUnion' is likely to tip the scale of German politics further to the right. https://www.thelocal.de/20240220/how-a-new-anti-migrant-party-could-cement-germanys-lurch-to-the-right Tue, 20 Feb 2024 15:46:33 +0100 how-a-new-anti-migrant-party-could-cement-germanys-lurch-to-the-right Germany has abandoned a plan to drop the term "race" from its constitution over legal concerns and reservations from the Jewish community, government sources told AFP on Friday. https://www.thelocal.de/20240209/germany-shelves-plan-to-drop-race-from-constitution Fri, 09 Feb 2024 17:31:47 +0100 germany-shelves-plan-to-drop-race-from-constitution At a time of deep division and rising Islamophobia, author and commentator Melina Borčak talks to The Local about silly stereotypes, Germany's response to the Israel-Gaza war and why Muslims shouldn't all be tarred with one brush. https://www.thelocal.de/20231215/interview-people-in-germany-only-know-about-muslims-from-the-media Fri, 15 Dec 2023 17:01:47 +0100 interview-people-in-germany-only-know-about-muslims-from-the-media A two-day conference focussed on Germany's Muslim community is being held in Berlin - but this year there are some notable absences. Here's what you need to know about the event and why Islamic groups say they've been sidelined. https://www.thelocal.de/20231121/what-is-germanys-islam-conference-and-why-is-it-controversial Tue, 21 Nov 2023 18:35:10 +0100 what-is-germanys-islam-conference-and-why-is-it-controversial After a story about hikers getting questioned by the police went viral on social media, German police have said people in border areas should expect to be stopped. What's going on? https://www.thelocal.de/20231110/why-are-german-police-carrying-out-checks-on-hikers-at-the-borders Fri, 10 Nov 2023 18:23:24 +0100 why-are-german-police-carrying-out-checks-on-hikers-at-the-borders