#199: Missing person, anti-activists, Wolt lawsuit, Bahn boom
Israeli ambassador eighty-sixed
Dear 20 Percent,
I’ll keep it short today: Maybe one of you out there can help solve this worrying missing persons case:
Maria Fernanda Sanchez Castaneda, a 24-year-old Mexican citizen residing in Treptow, has been reported missing since Saturday, writes Tagesspiegel. According to a police missing person announcement, she is 150 to 155 cm tall, has a slim figure and long, dark hair. The Polizei is asking anyone with a possible lead on her whereabouts to call the Missing Persons Unit at 030 4664-912444 or e-mail LKA124Hinweise@polizei.berlin.de.
Fingers crossed!
More news below.
Maurice
P.S. We try not to promote our own stuff too much here, but I think you’ll like this. As Andrew mentioned last week, I helped produce a documentary on “collapse anxiety” — and there’s a special screening in Berlin next Tuesday. More info and the trailer at the end of this newsletter.
Anti-activist attackers
About 100 drivers and passersby are under investigation by Berlin police for aggression against members of the climate activist group Letzte Generation, known for super-glueing themselves to our streets over the past year or so. According to RBB, possible charges include verbal abuse, glued hands being ripped away from the asphalt or people hitting protesters. Apparently, activists themselves haven’t filed a single complaint, so it’s up to the police to investigate attacks via video evidence on social media, since violence against protesters seldom takes place while cops are at the scene.
Delivery workers denied wages?
Two former Wolt riders are suing the company for several months of withheld wages, writes Taz. The riders, both from Pakistan, say they were hired by Wolt sub-contractor Mobile World, a phone shop in Neukölln’s Karl-Marx-Straße. One of the plaintiffs, Mohammad B., said he received Wolt onboarding documents at Mobile World. He gained access to the Wolt app and received delivery jobs over it but grew suspicious after not being paid. Wolt denies ever employing the riders or working with Mobile World. The riders’ lawyer Martin Bechert said the use of sub-contractors created a criminal environment that made possible wage theft. Gig platforms deliberately recruit immigrants, he said, because “many are afraid of losing their residence permit or do not know their rights.”
Deutschlandticket train boom
Rail passenger numbers in the capital region are up 10-20% this year, thanks to the €49/month Deutschlandticket, writes Tagesspiegel. Some rail lines are reaching maximum capacity. Despite the rising popularity of working from home, many Brandenburg commuters are using the ticket to get to work — and more Berliners are now exploring the country with the Deutschlandticket, using it to head to destinations like Dresden or the Baltic coast. “This is pushing the system to the limit,” said Joachim Radünz, spokesman for VBB, the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association.
Factoid
Approximately 10,000 Israelis call Berlin their home and many of are left-wing and critical of Israel’s policies. Why do I mention this? Because on Sunday, Avi Berg, the Israeli owner of Café Dodo, posted on Facebook that he’d kicked out the Israeli ambassador, Ron Prosor when he showed up with his bodyguards. “I had the honour, about an hour ago, of telling the Israeli ambassador to Germany, who was sitting in my Café Dodo, that since he represents Israel, and since he implements an invalid and manipulative policy, which claims that any criticism of Israel is antisemitism – a policy that claims that I and my peers are antisemitic - he is not welcome in my café.” More in Hareetz.
⭐⭐⭐Today’s sponsor event⭐⭐⭐
So, the documentary I mentioned above — it’s called We’re All Going to Die and it’s directed by Berlin Anglo-German journalist Ben Knight. Admittedly not the most cheerful title. Still, it’s truly an original, funny and touching film that takes you through the peculiar rabbit hole of civilisational collapse anxiety — and addresses the fear that many of us have that somehow the End Times are near. Next Tuesday, there’s a screening at Kino Central with a talk by “doomster” and “Deep Adaption” advocate Jem Bendell, who also features in the film. Info and tickets.