RS Live: Million Euro Logo

A right-wing campaign of neighbourhood terror has been carrying on for years on the streets of Neukölln. For a long time, the police just seemed incompetent. Now there are accusations that some police may have had connections to suspected right-wing attackers. We talk to the Mobile Counsel Against Right-wing Extremism Berlin: www.mbr-berlin.de/

The next coronavirus wave is upon us. The city is well prepared, with lots of available hospital beds. But politicians aren’t taking chances, introducing more mask laws and shutting businesses at 11pm. But are we going back to morality over science?

An update on pop-up bike lanes: the Berlin city government has won an appeal against the AfD’s anti-bike lane court case. The pop-up bike paths are safe for now. There’s also a new initiative to ban cars from the city – Autofreiberlin: http://autofreiberlin.de

One of Berlin’s last real squats, Liebig34, was evicted in a massive police operation. The owner, the Padovicz family and company, owns hundreds of properties. They bought the building for €600,000, and have already collected €580,000 in rent from the residents, who wanted to stay and pay a reasonable rent.

Berlin has a new official logo – a simple black, red and white rectangular box, with san-serif Bauhaus-era font and a bear with no flicking tongue. The cost? €1.26 million euros (without VAT). A lot of money, but some of us think it’s an improvement on the old Be Berlin graphic mess.

Old Logo, New Logo

Dan recommends listening to the podcast People of Carmen by comedian Carmen Chraim: https://apple.co/35vqMbc

Also, check out Trevor Silverstein’s podcast The Boss: https://apple.co/2ZOtC9v

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Thanks to all our donors! Support us here: http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate

RS Live: Bike Lane Battle



The AfD has won a court battle to remove pop-up bike lanes. How can cyclists fight back? We meet Dirk von Schneidemesser from Changing Cities who says we can convince drivers to give up cars if we have better, safer bike paths. Become a supporting member of Changing Cities here: https://changing-cities.org

Football used to be banned for women in Germany. But for ten years the NGO Discover Football has been making soccer more female-friendly and empowering women. We talk to Johanna Small about their yearly football festival. More here: http://www.discoverfootball.de/

Maisie credits Exberliner for their detailed coverage of the Julian Assange show trial. Assange is a journalist threatened with a life in jail for exposing government crimes. Yet the media has abandoned him, focusing on his personality and now-dropped allegations. We should all be concerned about his fate. Follow Exberliner’s court reporting: https://www.exberliner.com/features/julian-assange-trial-2020

Do you have a dinosaur limb lying around in your garden? Better return it to Spreepark at Plänterwald. They are restoring the dinosaurs. The ferris wheel will soon be removed and repaired.

Clubs are reopening with temperature checks, distanced dancing and lots of sanitizer. Grießmühle has a new location, this one with working toilets, they say. Book your visit in advance here: https://griessmuehle.de

This episode was hosted by Daniel Stern, Maisie Hitchcock, Jöran Mandik and Joel Dullroy. Thanks to Trevor Silberstein of The Boss podcast for tech support. Listen to his show here: https://apple.co/2ZOtC9v

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RS Lockdown: Countering Covidiots

Maisie mingles mit medical misbelievers and miscellaneous misinformed masses. More updates on Coronavirus. Plus Berlin’s building and housing senator has been forced to resign… what does this mean for the rent freeze?

Berlin’s population has fallen for the first time in almost two decades. There are 3.7 million residents registered here. But 7000 moved away since the start of the year. The reason is because of fewer foreigners coming here – only 1000 moved here since the start of the year. Meanwhile 8000 Germans moved away. 

Köpenick is the new “Hasenhain”. That’s Joel’s clever new portmanteau. Police have been shutting down illegal parties in the woods around Köpenick, in Berlin’s east. The latest had 150 people. It was discovered by a police helicopter scoping out the woods.

Friedrichstraße has begun an experiment in car-free living. It has already met with typical resistance but also some success. Will it be given enough time to see the positive effects that bike and pedestrian friendly streets can have on a neighborhood? Plus we discuss the possibility that coronavirus regulations may affect this year’s winter markets.

The recent demonstration against mask regulations and other restrictions related to the pandemic drew a reported 38,000 people including Reichsflag waving “nationalists”, Qanon aligned conspiracy devotees and a menagerie of other groups connected by Querdenken 711. A group of protestors bum-rushed the Reichstag overwhelming the few police stationed in front of it. Maisie tells us what she saw during and after the demonstration. The immediate result of the demonstration is new rules requiring the use of masks during protests of over 100 people. The next Anti-Corona-Rules demo will not take place in Berlin but will instead be moved to Konstanz at the southern border of Germany. 

Numbers in August have been higher than in July with Tuesday seeing 81 new cases. The reproduction number rising 1.14, means that one of the three Corona traffic lights is now yellow. But Berlin hospitalization numbers remain low with 32 people currently being treated, 12 of which are in intensive care.

A few new pandemic related regulations have been put in place: Private gatherings of up to 50 people will have to have a hygiene concept and collect attendee names. Restaurants have to follow slightly stricter rules too, with the requirement for  customer data collection now including those at outdoor seating. A new nationwide rule allows authorities to charge fines of up to €50 for not wearing masks. 

The BVG has reported that 80,000 people have been reprimanded for not wearing masks since July. 470 people have been fined. 223 people claimed they had an exemption from the law. A study by Technisches Univesität has found that wearing a simple fabric mask on public transport can reduce infection risk by up to 50%. They said U-Bahn windows should be open to maximize airflow.

Mohrenstraße will finally be renamed Anton-Wilhelm Amo Straße. After years of petitions and renewed protests since the murder of George Floyd the Mitte Bezirks parliament has finally voted to go ahead with the name change. Anton Wilhelm Amo was an 18th century African born German philosopher.

An update on the corona-zuschuss, the money paid to freelancers and small businesses at the start of the lockdown in April. After a few technical hiccups, the system worked quickly to dispense €1.8 billion euros to over 200,000 recipients. All they had to do was put in a bank number and tax number and click a few boxes. Since then, around 2200 cases of fraud have been opened. An additional 10% of recipients also paid the money back after getting it. In a sign of economic recovery Berlin’s unemployment rate has decreased for the first time since the lockdown; albeit by only 1002 people.

Berlin’s government has seen a few shake ups in recent weeks including the resignation of Katrin Lompscher, and announcements by Health Minister Dilke Kalayci and Education senator Sandra Scheeres that they will not be seeking reelection. Mayor Michael Müller is seeking a seat in the Bundestag but SPD rival Kevin Kuhnert stands in his way.

In other news, Berlin is getting a new museum. The Exilmuseum – dedicated to people who have fled their countries of origin. It’s going to be built behind Anhalter Bahnhof. The old facade of the train station will remain as is. Behind it, a big curved building will be constructed for the museum. 

This episode was presented by Joel Dullroy, Maisie Hitchcock, Daniel Stern and Jöran Mandik. Thank you to our supporters and listeners. Donations help keep the show going and can be made at http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/.

RS Lockdown: Good Cop, Bad Ordnungsamt


Are you faking your details on restaurant sign-in sheets? Now the police are requisitioning venue contact lists for non-health-related investigations.

About 20,000 corona deniers marched through Berlin on Saturday, showing that covidiots aren’t only found in the US. At the same time, police brutally cracked down on a left-wing demo in Neukölln.

Hasenheide parties have become international news. Maisie was at a small gathering in the park and witnessed the policing strategy of banning bass frequencies. Concerned citizens are cleaning up the dirty park each Monday. If you’ve been to a party, perhaps you should lend a hand.

Berlin’s city districts should open controlled party zones in public spaces. And the government should pay 50% rent of all struggling nightclubs. Those are the recommendations from an unlikely source – Berlin’s CDU party. Will it win them any votes?

This episode was presented by Joel Dullroy, Maisie Hitchcock and Jöran Mandik. No live show this month due to weather and tear gas.

RS Live: Statistically Speaking


Why does the German media still use racist cliches, and focus on race in stories about coronavirus outbreaks? We meet Gilda Sahebi, journalist for Taz and Neue Deutsche Medienmacher*innen. She tries to help educate newsrooms about persistent casual racism. Follow Gilda at https://twitter.com/GildaSahebi

Can you film racist incidents and put them online? Only if you blur the faces, warns Joe von Hutch, a writer and lawyer. Joe says white allies should put their bodies on the line to protect people of colour at demonstrations. He’s also publisher of Daddy Mag: www.daddy.land

The mask law has been toughened – it now carries a €50 fine. More people are now observing it, although police aren’t widely issuing fines. The lesson for lawmakers – don’t pass a law without a punishment attached.

With clubs still closed, regular parties are now happening in Berlin’s parks, with little police intervention. Joel wonders if we’re entering a period of fatalism – corona realism? And with the law fluctuating so frequently, have we experienced totalitarianism or well-functioning anarchism?

Bumper car, dodgem car, or autoscooter? We’re recording in an old rink once used for fairground vehicles. It’s part of the Haus der Statistik, a huge abandoned building coming back to life as a creative community space. More at https://hausderstatistik.org

Some other podcasts we recommend:
Secret Place Berlin: https://open.spotify.com/show/3I1iO7xciEjb2Pme5vtTe7
Friends and Girls: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/friends-and-girls/id1445078782
The Low Season: http://thelowseason.podbean.com

Thanks to all our supporters! You can donate to keep us going here: http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/