#254: Lufthansa strike, AfD invited to Berlinale, hospital hack

It's been 40 years since Nick Cave teamed up with West Berliner Blixa Bargeld.

Why is Angie still in the promo graphic? Nobody knows.

Dear 20 Percent,

It’s been a slow news week so far, but that’s no reason not to show up to our next Berlin News Quiz at Comedy Cafe Berlin in Neukölln tomorrow (Wednesday night). If the Christmas edition is anything to go by, this one stands to be freaking hilarious — not least because it’s hosted by my co-writer, Andrew Bulkeley, a bonafide stand-up comedian who’s constantly criss-crossing this nation to tickle ze funny bones of Germans and expats alike.

I’ll be there too, offering the odd lame heckle from the sidelines.

Join us for a drink after the show. And remember, paying subscribers get a drink on us!

See you there.

Maurice

Many thanks to today’s awesome sponsor, Ironhack. Be sure to download their new State of German Tech Report.

AfD@Berlinale?

Amidst nationalwide street protests against the far-right AfD, the Berlin Film Festival, aka the Berlinale, confirmed to Hollywood Reporter that two local AfD politicians, Kristin Brinker and Ronald Glaser, had been invited to its opening ceremony on February 15th. It’s long-standing protocol is to invite elected officials, the festival said, even if it “clearly rejects right-wing extremist or right-wing populist thinking.” The backlash came quick: On Friday, hundreds of film professionals, both German and foreign, published an open letter stating the invitations were “incompatible” with the Berlinale’s stated aim of being a place of “empathy, awareness and understanding”. “We don't believe the opening ceremony can be considered a safe place for Jews, women, members of the BIPOC, LGBTI+, disabled, Roma and Sinti, or Jehovah's Witness communities, who, among others, faced persecution and genocide at the hands of another far-right, national-conservative movement in Germany.” For unknown reasons, the letter had been taken down from openletter.earth by Sunday. FYI, Berlinale tickets go on sale at 10am on February 12.

Lufthansa strike

Another day, another strike. Lufthansa ground staff will be holding a one-day “warning strike” at airports across Germany on Wednesday, including BER, where 46 Lufthansa flights are scheduled, according to Tagesspiegel. Lufthansa estimates 10-20% of flights will take place during the strike, which is set to last from 4am Wednesday through 7:10am Thursday.

FU considering ban for antisemitic attack

The Freie Universität is considering banning a 23-year-old student from its campus after his alleged antisemitic attack on a fellow 30-year-old student last weekend, according to RBB24. Police said the duo argued in a bar on Rosenthaler Platz before the 23-year-old, who police said had “pro-Palestinian views”, punched and kicked Lahav Shapira, who was then hospitalized. Shapira’s brother, German-Israeli comedian Shahak Shapira, said on X there had been no argument — the attacker recognized Shapira and then attacked him. Berlin universities no longer have the power to expel students after the corresponding law was repealed by the previous Berlin government — they can just ban them from campus.

Hospital’s phones up after hack

A Reinickendorf hospital says its phones were working again Monday, after its IT and communication systems were brought down by hackers last week. For several days, the Caritas-Klinik Dominikus could only be reached via a single emergency mobile phone. Apparently, patient care was unaffected by the hack and all operations could go ahead as planned. However, the clinic’s emergency room was out of service for several days. Management said digital forensics experts were analysing the hospital’s network to see if hackers had stolen data or implanted malware.

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Some events curated by our friends over at The Next Day Berlin:

Party: KEYI Magazine x Fashion Week
Thursday, 08.02, 6 pm - 6 am. OXI, Wiesenweg 1-4. Ticket: €13.20 before 9 pm / €22 after.
The official party of Berlin Fashion Week with a chic and predominantly FLINTA lineup that gripped us. DJs 🎧 Helena Hauff, GIA, Berlin Bunny Gościńska, Ludmila Houben, Hara Katsiki, and FLORA (PL) will command the decks. #electro #acid

Music: Jazzanova Live: In Between Revisited
Friday, 09.02, 8 pm. Kesselhaus & Maschinenhaus, Kulturbrauerei. Tickets: €33.60.
The Berlin-based Jazzanova, pioneers of nu-jazz and broken beat, celebrate their debut album 🎧 "In Between" with an exclusive live performance 22 years later.

Cinema: Final Girls Film Festival
Until 11.02. City Kino Wedding, Müllerstraße 74. Tickets: €8.80€/€66 all-access pass. With English subtitles.
Final Girls Berlin film festival is dedicated to horror written, directed, and/or produced by women and non-binary filmmakers. The 9th edition delves into horror in its darkest forms, featuring psychological thrillers, traumas, and terror. On our list are "Somewhere Quiet" by Olivia West Lloyd and "Where the Devil Roams," by Zelda Adams, Toby Poser, and John Adams.

For more culture and nightlife, sign up to The Next Day Berlin!

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Factoid

Post-punk Australian music-maker Nick Cave spent much of the 1980s in Kreuzberg. The Bad Seeds’ debut album From Her to Eternity is largely the result of creative collaboration with guitarist Blixa Bargeld (of Berlin’s experimental Einstürzende Neubauten) who remained in the band through 2003. The song was performed on stage in Wim Wenders’ 1987 film Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire). Slow Travel Berlin has a nice deep dive on Cave’s Berlin period.

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