#202: Body of missing woman found, Israeli tourist attacked, deportations, Wedding drug problem
Haircut prices up a lot
Dear 20 Percent,
Some very sad news: the body of the missing Mexican student, known as Maffy to her friends, has been found in the Teltow Canal, say Berlin police. According to the cops, an investigation is underway, including an autopsy. The police as well as several hundred members of Berlin’s Latin American community had been involved in a massive search for Maffy since she was reported missing on July 22, according to RBB. El País in English has a longer story on the tragic case.
“We support her family with respect and solidarity in this difficult and painful moment. We remain by their side,” Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena wrote on Twitter. “We will continue to follow the investigation into what happened. Our deepest condolences.”
As a parent with a daughter studying abroad, I can only barely begin to fathom the shock and pain her loved ones are going through. We don’t know what led to Maria’s death, but surely it underscores the need for internationals to be able to cope better with the mental health issues that often come with living in a foreign country, to check in with one another, form communities of care.
If you’re feeling alone and down as a foreigner in Berlin, there are places and people that can help. For example, as the Mexican ambassador recently tweeted, the embassy offers free mental health support at +49 170 975 7763. Berlin offers a number of hotlines offering crisis support for all kinds of folks in all kinds of situations — here’s a full list.
More news below.
Maurice
📣Today, a shoutout to a newsletter I recently discoverd. This one focuses on events in Berlin’s huge tech community, from AI meet-ups to networking get-togethers, festivals and pizza nights: FOMO Berlin.📣
Attack on Israeli tourist
Three men attacked a 19-year-old Israeli man who was walking with a companion on Hedemanstraße in Kreuzberg on Saturday, reports RBB. He had been speaking on his phone in Hebrew. The men punched him to the ground and then continued to kick him. The victim was treated for light injuries in a nearby hospital. The police say they’re investigating the attack as a case of grievous bodily harm with a possible anti-Semitic motive. The head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, tweeted: “This attack is shameful for a cosmopolitan European capital”.
Deportation of crime family members?
In an interview with Sueddeutsche Zeitung, German interior minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) introduced the idea of deporting members of crime families, known as “clans” in Germany, even if the invididuals haven’t been charged of a crime. Such a family, the Remmos, was behind spectacular heists like the robbery of a 100kg gold coin from the Bode-Museum in 2017. Right now, German law permits deportation of foreign nationals who belong to an organisation that has, for example, donated money to a known terrorist group abroad. The SPD’s coalition partner, the Greens, are skeptical of Faeser’s suggestion, warning of a law “which treats non-criminal relatives of criminals in the same way as criminals.” Others pointed out that many members of such families are German citizens and therefore cannot be deported.
Leopoldplatz drug scene
Mitte mayor Stefanie Remlinger (Green Party) told the Tagesspiegel (paywall) that the public consumption of hard drugs like crack and associated crime and homelessness is getting out of control on Leopoldplatz in Mitte sub-district Wedding. “The situation for residents and shops is catastrophic,” Remlinger said. She’s calling for a greater police presence and safe drug consumption spaces that are open 24/7 in order to keep users separate from the rest of the square. Currently a Drogenkonsummobil is present at Leopoldplatz 10am-1.30pm Monday-Friday.
Beer exports to Russia up
Funnily enough, there are no EU sanctions on exporting beer to Putin’s Russia. While US and UK beer brands have largely stopped shipping to Russia, German brewers apparently increased shipments by 46.4 per cent in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period last year, around 103 million litres, accounting for 58 percent of total Russian beer imports. The most popular German brands are cheap beers like Frankfurter and Fürstkeg. Russian newspaper Kommersant first reported the news, citing Russian distributors.
Factoid
Post-corona inflation has hit hair salons hard. The average price of a women’s cut in Berlin has risen by 20.5% since January 2020, according to the Berlin-Brandenburg statistics office, as reported by RBB. Prices for men’s and children’s cuts (no idea why these are lumped together) rose by a whopping 27.4%. No wonder I started cutting my own hair. The statisticians blame the price spikes on the war in Ukraine, rising energy costs and a higher minimum wage.
No price inflation here at 20% Percent. A subscription still costs €0. But feel free to help us get haircuts here, at our Patreon.
Appreciate your updates as always. Deeply saddening news about Maffy. I’m curious why the implications around her death are mental health related. Is there anything to indicate that?