1. Run away to jail
The trial of left-wing extremist Lina E lasted almost 100 days. She and other defendants were accused of assaulting several suspected neo-Nazis and carrying out attacks on facilities frequented by actual or alleged right-wing extremists. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland took over the proceedings at an early stage, which made the trial even more explosive. After more than two years in pre-trial detention, the Higher Regional Court sentenced the 28-year-old today to five years and three months in prison. The three co-accused men have to go to prison for between two years and five months and three years and three months.
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Lina E. (and other defendant hidden behind Leitz folders) with lawyers
Photo: Jens Schlueter / AFP
My colleague Wiebke Ramm has been following the process from the very beginning. When I called her briefly in the courtroom today, tumultuous scenes were taking place. The mother of the convict, who was present, had a nervous breakdown, supporters of Lina E. were expelled from the room, and loud protests formed in and in front of the building. The presiding judge was declared a "fascist" friend and the alleged "shitty class justice" was castigated.
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We're all 129," some in the audience chant. "129" refers to Section 129 of the Criminal Code: membership in a criminal organization. » The solidarity of the left-wing radical scene with the defendants and the accusations of the defense against the court may be one reason why the judge seems to recapitulate the entire evidence in excessive detail, even extensively," says Wiebke. The verdict in the NSU trial was long, the verdict in the trial against Lina E. could be longer.
The sympathizers had already announced that they wanted to cause property damage of one million euros for each year that the defendants have to be imprisoned. If the Federal Prosecutor's Office had prevailed, at least 18 years would have come out, eight years for Lina E. alone, she demanded.
It can hardly be assumed that the left-wing scene can be appeased by the lower sentence and now estimates the planned damage somewhat lower. According to the verdict, riots are feared at rallies. Demonstrations are planned for Wednesday evening in Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz, and nationwide calls are being made for Saturday. The police are preparing for a large-scale operation. In the run-up to the verdict, my colleague Steffen Winter summed up how militantly the scene expressed its sympathy for E.
Above all, the case of Lina E. shows that even activists who are committed to combating right-wing extremism are not immune to getting lost ideologically. It was also important for the judge to pay tribute to anti-fascist commitment – "as long as it is not about violent attacks," says Wiebke.
Read the full story here: Left-wing extremist Lina E. sentenced to more than five years in prison
2. Clear messages
For those people who lived in the east of divided Germany until 1989, the DSF was omnipresent – the German-Soviet Friendship, a mass organization that was supposed to bring the advantages of its big socialist brother closer to the GDR citizens. The aftermath of this indoctrination may also explain why East Germany has a more understanding view of today's Russia than the West.
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Consulate General of Russia in Leipzig.
Photo: LausitzNews.de/Erik-Holm Langhof / imago images/lausitznews.de
In any case, Vladimir Putin went on record as saying that the collapse of the Soviet Union was the worst experience of his life – since then he has been doing everything he can to rebuild the old Soviet empire. It is unlikely that there will be a new edition of the DSF. If diplomatic relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and Russia were no longer very resilient, they have almost been severed as of today.
A few days ago, Russia limited the number of German civil servants allowed in Russia to 350 people. In response to Russian restrictions on German diplomats and cultural representatives, the German government decided today that four out of five Russian consulates in Germany will have to close by the end of the year. Russia will only be able to operate the embassy in Berlin and a consulate.
Germany itself is closing the consulates general in Kaliningrad, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk, the Foreign Office announced. With the Russian restriction on the number of personnel, consular assistance is no longer possible there. "Service operations are already being significantly reduced and will be discontinued by November." This is the biggest cut in diplomatic relations between the two countries in decades.
A spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office described the events as "regrettable" and at the same time stressed: "It is the behavior of the Russian side that has brought us into this situation."
Read the full story here: German government closes four out of five Russian consulates
News and background information on the war in Ukraine:
Fire in Russian refinery near Crimea – Moscow threatens retaliation: Probably after a drone attack, an oil refinery in southern Russia caught fire. Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov is furious after the attacks on Moscow. And: Zelensky thanks Scholz.
Here you will find all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine: The news update
3. Eating ice cream for a family of four: 21.60 euros
Soon the summer holidays will begin in North Rhine-Westphalia, the first federal state is looking forward to holidays, sun and travel. All those who have been busy exploring destinations and researching accommodations in the past few weeks will have rubbed their eyes: Um, I just wanted to rent the apartment, not buy it? What do they want for half board? How much should the ice cream cost? With three balls for 1.80 euros each, you now end up with four people at over 20 euros.
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Ice cream in Germany has become 20 percent more expensive.
Photo: Jens Kalaene / dpa
If you were pleased with the latest news that inflation has fallen for the third time in a row – to plus 6.1 percent compared to the same month last year – I have to take the joy away from you right away. After all, holidays in particular remain more expensive than average.
Package holidays, for example, rose in price in Bavaria and Saxony by 13.6 percent each. "It turns out that after the pandemic, Germans want to enjoy life again and really go on holiday despite tight budgets," said Holger Schmieding, Chief Economist at Berenberg Bank. "This makes it easier for providers to pass on higher costs to consumers in these areas."
You can put it another way: it makes it easier for suppliers not to pass on lower costs to consumers, but simply to keep prices high and maximize profits, as hungry as people are for distraction. This is because the development of energy prices in particular eased the situation, rising by an average of only 2.6 percent (April: 6.8 percent). And in the past, the tourism industry has also argued why prices have risen so much with high energy costs.
Maybe people just don't go on holiday in Bavaria or Saxony, but in Italy or Spain again. A holiday in southern Europe can be up to 56 percent cheaper than in Germany, according to the Federal Statistical Office yesterday in its price comparison for hotel and restaurant services for popular holiday destinations. Wherever you book: Have a good rest!
Read more here: Plus 6.1 percent – Inflation rate falls to lowest level in a year
What else is important today
Large-scale raid against suspected IS supporters – seven arrests: They are said to have collected donations for the terrorist group "Islamic State", and now the police have intervened: In Germany-wide searches, investigators have arrested seven suspected supporters of the network.
Railway union rejects "inadequate" offer from the railways: The wage dispute continues: The railway and transport union has rejected the latest offer from the railway. This means that renewed warning strikes or even a ballot cannot be ruled out.
Japan decides on potentially unlimited lifespans of nuclear reactors: To reduce emissions, Japan is turning to nuclear power. Until now, reactors were supposed to be taken off the grid after 60 years – but this restriction has now been lifted by Parliament.
Suspect allegedly hit 15-year-old from behind against the head: The teenager who was attacked on a soccer field in Frankfurt am Main is dead. An arrest warrant was issued against the suspected peer from France. New details about the possible course of events are becoming known.
What we recommend today at SPIEGEL+
These people have come close to the atomic bomb. Very close: An ex-missile base in Ukraine, a uranium mine in Saxony, contaminated fields in Spain: Everywhere in Europe, people had to and still have to live with nuclear weapons. How do they deal with it? A journey to three restricted areas.
Why Tesla is so far ahead – and who is catching up now: Despite autopilot breakdowns and sales problems, Tesla is by far the most successful electric car manufacturer in the world, according to a study by the research organization ICCT. Behind it, however, something amazing is happening.
Our last attempt and a 1620 gram happy ending: After a multitude of setbacks and disappointments, after years of grief, despair and anger, we made it: I got pregnant. But with the end of one drama, the next began.
The trappers from Köpenick: How did Union Berlin qualify for the Champions League? The key is a potentially visionary tactical trick in which large parts of the playing field become irrelevant to the Unioners.
What is less important today
Photo: EDUARDO MUNOZ / REUTERS
The Godfather IV: So far, there are three parts of Al Pacino's film series "The Godfather", now a fourth part is being added and the Hollywood legend plays a completely different role in it: The 83-year-old actor is apparently expecting his fourth child in a few weeks. His girlfriend Noor Alfallah (29) is said to be eight months pregnant. In a 2014 interview with »The New Yorker«, Pacino said that he never wanted to be like his own father. I wanted to be there. I am responsible for my children, I am part of their lives. If I don't, it's annoying for both me and them. And being a father gives me a lot."
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Cartoon of the Day
And tonight?
Last year, 1990 people died in Germany as a result of the use of illegal drugs, 164 more than a year earlier. The increase has been going on for years, in 2012 944 victims were counted, about 1000 fewer than now. Now drug-related deaths are extreme cases, but many people seem to endure their everyday lives only by fogging themselves. Especially the 14- to 29-year-olds in Germany suffer greatly from stress, as a youth study recently found. They feel more burdened by the consequences of the corona pandemic, climate crisis, war in Ukraine and high inflation than the middle and older generation. Where it can lead when politicians ignore the worries and problems of young people can be seen again in the documentary "Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo: Lost Generation", which was broadcast for the first time in 2021 and will be shown again tonight on Arte.
The story of Christiane F. and her friends tells the misery of children and adolescents who were drug addicts at the time and slowly perished in the train stations and public toilets of major German cities. The children resorted to drugs in order to cope with the despair of the hopelessness in the Federal Republic of Germany at that time. Claire Laborey's film paints a fascinating and cruelly real portrait of a lost generation.
Have a nice evening. Heartily
Yours, Janko Tietz, Head of Department Germany/Panorama