The Local Germany

Berlin journalist 'hunted by far-right thugs'

Mon, 02 Nov 2015 16:59:44 +0100

A journalist for Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel said on Facebook he was tracked down and physically attacked on the street by right wing thugs in Berlin on Friday after writing a column about xenophobia.

Germany's collective blame phobia

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:38:00 +0200

The Germans have a particular phobia – they live in constant fear of being blamed for something. A commentary by Der Tagesspiegel's Malte Lehming.

'Racism is in society's wallpaper'

Mon, 06 May 2013 17:42:00 +0200

As the start of Beate Zschäpe's trial made her the globally famous face of Germany's neo-Nazis, Der Tagesspiegel's Andrea Dernbach says the problem is so much bigger than one person, and even ten murders.

The morality of pope bashing

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:43:00 +0200

Members of The Left party are boycotting the pope's speech to the German parliament during an official visit to Berlin later this month. For Der Tagesspiegel’s Malte Lehming, leftist attitudes toward Catholicism are no different from right-wing populist bigotry against Islam.

Preserving our open society after Oslo

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:47:00 +0200

Norway’s mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik wanted the opposite of freedom. That's why open societies including Germany must resist xenophobia and isolationism in the face of terror. A commentary by Der Tagesspiegel’s Gerd Appenzeller.

The Women's World Cup is not over

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:53:00 +0200

Now that Germany have been tossed out of the World Cup and the black, red and gold flags are being packed away, we'll see whether women's football has really caught on, writes Robert Ide from Der Tagesspiegel.

Germany in 2011: Economic giant, political dwarf

Tue, 31 May 2011 14:25:00 +0200

Consigned to minor role at last week’s G8 summit, the economic power Germany is in danger of being sidelined politically, argues Gerd Appenzeller from Der Tagesspiegel.

Germany’s civilized killjoys

Mon, 09 May 2011 20:19:00 +0200

Are Germans right to criticize the joyous reaction to the killing of Osama bin Laden? Der Tagesspiegel’s Moritz Schuller detects a misplaced whiff of condescension.

A train ride to nowhere

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 12:21:00 +0100

Is it no longer safe to use public transport in Germany? Recent attacks in Berlin go hand in hand with the city’s decaying infrastructure, argues Werner van Bebber from Der Tagesspiegel.

A nation of free thinkers

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 18:19:00 +0100

Germans love free thinkers, but they're apparently not so hot on free speech. The reactions to the Giffords shooting in Arizona have revived the spectre of anti-Americanism in Germany, argues Malte Lehming from Der Tagesspiegel.

Jealous of an unsatisfied Germany

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 13:21:00 +0100

Success breeds resentment – so it's little wonder other countries including the United States are jealous of Germany's booming economy. But even Germans don't seem to like it when things are going well, says Malte Lehming from Der Tagesspiegel.

Traditions like smoking are not worth defending

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:13:00 +0200

The opponents of Bavaria’s strict smoking ban have lost, just like most people whose arguments are based on tradition rather than reason, argues Malte Lehming from Der Tagesspiegel.

A crisis of presidential proportions

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 18:22:00 +0200

Knowing Horst Köhler served Germany more as an administrator than a visionary tempers any sorrow over his surprise resignation, writes Der Tagesspiegel Editor-in-Chief Stephan-Andreas Casdorff.

Let’s keep our paws off Knut’s balls

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:54:00 +0100

Castrate Knut? Overzealous animal rights activists need to keep their paws off Berlin’s beloved polar bear, argues Bernd Matthies from Der Tagesspiegel.

Germany's new hatred

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:53:00 +0200

A Muslim woman is stabbed to death in a Dresden courtroom and nobody seems to care. Der Tagesspiegel's Andrea Dernbach comments on Germany’s problematic relationship to Islam.