Latest news with #KarinPrien
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Gender-neutral pronouns banned in German civil service
Germany's education minister has banned civil servants from using gender-neutral language in documents, in a pushback against a new trend recognising non-binary people. Karin Prien has told officials that they must stop inserting the so-called 'gender asterisk' into nouns, a means of referring to someone without assuming their gender. The new rules mean that her civil servants can no longer use words such as 'Kolleg*in [a gender-neutral colleague]' or 'Polizist*in [a gender-neutral police officer]' in written correspondence. It comes after Italy banned gender-neutral symbols in schools in a similar move last May, arguing that the practice undermined traditional and correct grammar. In standard German, nouns such as jobs must have a feminine or masculine form (e.g 'Lehrer' for a male teacher and 'Lehrerin' for a female teacher). When referring to a group of all-female teachers, the feminine 'Lehrerinnen' is used. However, when referring to a group of female and male teachers, the standard grammatical rule is to use the male 'Lehrer' with a plural article. As a way to make the language more equal between the sexes, and to include and signal support for non-binary people, some Germans have begun adding an asterisk to certain words (e.g 'Lehrer*innen') to make them appear gender-neutral. Others insert capital letters or an underscore into the middle of a word (e.g Lehrer_in) to achieve the same effect. 'Politically charged gender ideology' Critics of the practice claim it is confusing and alienates older people, who may not be familiar with modern gender politics. Some politicians have also warned that the practice is an attempt to impose a politically charged gender ideology onto everyday speech. According to the German tabloid Bild, which first reported the new rule, Ms Prien told colleagues: 'It will come as no surprise to you that the new house instruct that our communication follows the rules of the German Spelling Council and that we write inclusively, but without asterisks and capital letters.' Germany's Spelling Council is the official body which regulates the spelling of modern standard German and is the final authority on whether the spelling of a word may be changed. It does not currently recognise the use of gender asterisks, meaning they are not officially part of the German language. 'Should not be taught' Ms Prien has previously called for an end to gender-neutral spellings in schools on similar grounds. 'Gender-sensitive language is important, but special characters such as asterisks, colons and underscores should not be taught and used in school,' she said. Five regional governments in the German states — Bavaria, Saxony, Hesse, Schleswig-Holstein, and Saxony-Anhalt — have already banned the use of gender-neutral language in official documents. A German civil servant told The Telegraph that although they are not allowed to use the 'gender asterisk', they are instructed to keep the language as inclusive as possible while adhering to traditional grammar rules. [When referring to teachers that could be male or female] 'I mostly write 'Lehrerinnen und (and) Lehrer,' they said.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Post-WWII Germany's first Jewish cabinet member on past lessons, new risks
Berlin — When Karin Prien's mother brought her to Germany as a little girl in the late 1960s, she gave her one urgent warning: "Don't tell anyone you're Jewish." Nearly six decades later, Prien is now post World War II Germany's first Jewish federal cabinet member, having been selected as the Minister for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. Prien told CBS News she intends to use her platform to confront the rise of antisemitism in Germany and further afield, and the fragility of democracy in a country still reckoning with its past. "Well, in a way, I'm proud," the minister told CBS News in a candid interview. "Proud to be a minister in the federal government, but also that I'm recognized as Jewish and that German society is now so far [advanced] as to accept that Jewish people have a right to be a self-conscious part of this society." Prien's political career, and her personal story, represent an arc of conflict, tension and reconciliation that echoes that of post-Holocaust Germany itself. "A question of responsibility" Born in the Netherlands to Holocaust survivors, Prien moved to Germany at the age of 4. Even as a child, she was heavily aware of the silence surrounding her family's identity. Her mother's warning that it was still too dangerous to talk about being Jewish — more than two decades after the war ended — shaped her early years. "There was always fear. My mother was afraid that there were too many Nazis still around," Prien said. "It wasn't taken for granted that you could talk about being Jewish. It was something you kept inside the home." But that silence eventually became intolerable. As a young teen, she said she began to understand that the democratic values she cherished — freedom, human dignity, anti-discrimination—- required defending. "I decided, 'I have to do something about it. Democracy is not something you can take for granted,'" she said. But Prien still waited decades before publicly acknowledging her Jewish identity. The turning point came in the early 2010s, when she was already a member of state parliament in Hamburg. Prien began pushing for systematic documentation of antisemitic incidents in schools. When a journalist asked why the issue mattered so much to her, she paused and then told him: "Because I'm Jewish." "That was the moment I realized I had a political voice," she recalled. "I had some kind of influence. And for me, it was a question of responsibility." Lessons from the past for the threats of today That sense of responsibility weighs heavily on Prien in today's Germany, where she said antisemitism is no longer confined to the political fringes. "We see rising antisemitism all over the world," Prien said. "They dare to be openly antisemitic. I think it's now more than after the end of World War II. They dare to be openly antisemitic, and that's also in Germany getting stronger and stronger. That has changed. And so we have antisemitic tendencies on the margins, but we also have it in the middle of society." While Germany once appeared to be a model of historical reckoning, Prien said she fears complacency is setting in. After some "honest decades," during which Prien says Germans confronted themselves with the stark realities of their country's history, "now, people are dying. And now we have to find new ways to talk about that." Prien thinks that should include a shift in Holocaust education. She wants German schools to expand from their current focus on the atrocities of World War II to also teach the history of Israel, the cultural contributions of Jewish Germans, and the origins of antisemitism. "Jewish identity is part of German identity," she told CBS News. "Young people need to know that Jews are not only victims. Jewish people are diverse. They have a voice. They are part of this society." Prien said she draws inspiration from figures including Margot Friedländer, a Holocaust survivor who famously coined the phrase: "Be Human." That, Prien said, should be the foundation of any education system in a democracy: teaching empathy and human dignity. But it's not only historical facts and universal dignity that need defending, she said, it's also Germany's democratic fabric. "We are an immigration society," Prien said. "But we're not very good at having fair and equal chances for children who start with more difficult conditions." She sees educational equity and national democratic resilience as intrinsically linked. Prien is now leading efforts to limit mobile phone use in German elementary schools, warning that parents and policymakers have been too naive about the risks of digital exposure for young people. "We are anxious about the real world. We drive our kids to school and into the classrooms but we are not anxious about the stuff online," she said. "That has to change." Asked what message she has for young Jews with political ambitions in Germany today, Prien didn't hesitate: "Stay. Don't pack your luggage. This is a different Germany. This is a country where you can live safely. And it's our job to make that promise true every day." SpaceX loses contact with its Starship, spins out of control Post-WWII Germany's first Jewish cabinet member on finding her "political voice," facing the past Elon Musk says he and Trump administration sometimes have "differences of opinion"
CBS News
29-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Post-WWII Germany's first Jewish cabinet member on embracing her roots, countering rising antisemitism
Berlin — When Karin Prien's mother brought her to Germany as a little girl in the late 1960s, she gave her one urgent warning: "Don't tell anyone you're Jewish." Nearly six decades later, Prien is now post World War II Germany's first Jewish federal cabinet member, having been selected as the Minister for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. Prien told CBS News she intends to use her platform to confront the rise of antisemitism in Germany and further afield, and the fragility of democracy in a country still reckoning with its past. "Well, in a way, I'm proud," the minister told CBS News in a candid interview. "Proud to be a minister in the federal government, but also that I'm recognized as Jewish and that German society is now so far [advanced] as to accept that Jewish people have a right to be a self-conscious part of this society." Prien's political career, and her personal story, represent an arc of conflict, tension and reconciliation that echoes that of post-Holocaust Germany itself. Karin Prien, Germany's federal minister for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. Christoph Soeder/picture alliance via Getty Images "A question of responsibility" Born in the Netherlands to Holocaust survivors, Prien moved to Germany at the age of 4. Even as a child, she was heavily aware of the silence surrounding her family's identity. Her mother's warning that it was still too dangerous to talk about being Jewish — more than two decades after the war ended — shaped her early years. "There was always fear. My mother was afraid that there were too many Nazis still around," Prien said. "It wasn't taken for granted that you could talk about being Jewish. It was something you kept inside the home." But that silence eventually became intolerable. As a young teen, she said she began to understand that the democratic values she cherished — freedom, human dignity, anti-discrimination—- required defending. "I decided, 'I have to do something about it. Democracy is not something you can take for granted,'" she said. But Prien still waited decades before publicly acknowledging her Jewish identity. The turning point came in the early 2010s, when she was already a member of state parliament in Hamburg. Prien began pushing for systematic documentation of antisemitic incidents in schools. When a journalist asked why the issue mattered so much to her, she paused and then told him: "Because I'm Jewish." "That was the moment I realized I had a political voice," she recalled. "I had some kind of influence. And for me, it was a question of responsibility." Lessons from the past for the threats of today That sense of responsibility weighs heavily on Prien in today's Germany, where she said antisemitism is no longer confined to the political fringes. "We see rising antisemitism all over the world," Prien said. "They dare to be openly antisemitic. I think it's now more than after the end of World War II. They dare to be openly antisemitic, and that's also in Germany getting stronger and stronger. That has changed. And so we have antisemitic tendencies on the margins, but we also have it in the middle of society." While Germany once appeared to be a model of historical reckoning, Prien said she fears complacency is setting in. After some "honest decades," during which Prien says Germans confronted themselves with the stark realities of their country's history, "now, people are dying. And now we have to find new ways to talk about that." Prien thinks that should include a shift in Holocaust education. She wants German schools to expand from their current focus on the atrocities of World War II to also teach the history of Israel, the cultural contributions of Jewish Germans, and the origins of antisemitism. "Jewish identity is part of German identity," she told CBS News. "Young people need to know that Jews are not only victims. Jewish people are diverse. They have a voice. They are part of this society." Prien said she draws inspiration from figures including Margot Friedländer, a Holocaust survivor who famously coined the phrase: "Be Human." That, Prien said, should be the foundation of any education system in a democracy: teaching empathy and human dignity. But it's not only historical facts and universal dignity that need defending, she said, it's also Germany's democratic fabric. "We are an immigration society," Prien said. "But we're not very good at having fair and equal chances for children who start with more difficult conditions." She sees educational equity and national democratic resilience as intrinsically linked. Prien is now leading efforts to limit mobile phone use in German elementary schools, warning that parents and policymakers have been too naive about the risks of digital exposure for young people. "We are anxious about the real world. We drive our kids to school and into the classrooms but we are not anxious about the stuff online," she said. "That has to change." Asked what message she has for young Jews with political ambitions in Germany today, Prien didn't hesitate: "Stay. Don't pack your luggage. This is a different Germany. This is a country where you can live safely. And it's our job to make that promise true every day."
DW
27-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Nazi slogans trigger scandal at German high school – DW – 05/26/2025
A report of an antisemitic incident at a high school in central Germany last week coincided with the arrest of teenage right-wing extremists. Are deeply right-wing extremist views resonating with more and more youth? Ideally, a graduation motto is a phrase one fondly remembers for a lifetime. It decorates the senior class's T-shirts, serves as inspiration for numerous graduation parties, and is the title of the graduation newspaper, marking the ceremonial end of school life for 18- and 19-year-olds. For some students at the Liebig School in the town of Giessen in central Germany, the whole topic of picking a graduation motto is now something they would rather quickly forget. Or, as student representative Nicole Kracke told German news magazine, Der Spiegel: "We're now the ones with the Nazi label. That hurts." 'Abi macht frei' (a reference to the infamous 'Arbeit macht frei' signs above the gates of Nazi extermination camps), and 'NSDABI — Burn the Duden' (referring to the Nazi party NSDAP, Nazi book burnings, and Jewish persecution) were among the proposals in an anonymous online vote for the 2026 graduation motto. Some students reacted immediately and reported the incident to the school administration. Access to the portal was deleted, the entire graduating class was summoned, and a prepared statement was presented to them: 'In our school community, there is no place for racism, antisemitism, or discrimination. We stand together against it!' The police are now investigating on suspicion of incitement to hatred. Fighting extremism at school To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Provocation or far-right extremist mindset? Was it just a provocation and a lapse by a few immature high school graduates, a silly prank, or perhaps the ultimate proof of how deeply right-wing extremist views are resonating with more and more young people? The Nazi slogans proposed as a graduation motto caused such an uproar in Germany that the new Minister of Education, Karin Prien of the center-right Christian Democratic Union party (CDU), called for mandatory visits to concentration camp memorials for all students in Germany. There are frequent antisemitic incidents among students: In front of the Auschwitz extermination camp, where the National Socialists murdered over a million people, ninth-grade students from Görlitz, Saxony, displayed a neo-Nazi salute. In Oelsnitz, also in Saxony, a secondary school teacher requested a transfer after being threatened by far-right students. And in Wiesbaden, in the state of Hesse, students applauded during an educational film about the murder of millions of Jews. Tina Dürr was therefore not particularly surprised when she learned about the incident in Giessen. She is the deputy director of the Democracy Center Hesse, which assists and advises schools, municipalities, and organizations in the fight against right-wing extremism. "Provocations and right-wing extremist statements, such as this graduation motto, have generally increased in schools — we receive more and more reports about it," she told DW. "There are swastikas and right-wing extremist graffiti, Hitler salutes, racist or right-wing extremist songs being sung on school trips." In Germany, young and old bear witness to Holocaust horrors To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Rightward shift: Schools reflect society The federal states do not have a uniform way of recording far-right hate crimes in schools, but a survey conducted by the German weekly , Die Zeit, among German state ministries revealed a worrying picture: In 2024, right-wing extremist incidents increased by at least 30% compared to the previous year. In German society, such positions and provocations are becoming more acceptable. Tina Dürr has explored the ways how young people are being engaged: "Young men are being deliberately drawn into pre-political activities through martial arts, in order to recruit them for nationalist ideas and toxic masculinity ideals." On social media, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) particularly focuses on the issue of misogyny. "The devaluation of women and a return to a traditionally conservative gender role model — both elements of right-wing extremism — are experiencing a resurgence. Confident women are devalued, queer people are devalued, leading up to acts of violence and femicide," explains Tina Dürr. Above all, this presents an enormous challenge for teachers. Two years ago,a case in Brandenburg drew national attention when two teachers publicly exposed right-wing extremist incidents at their school. They were subsequently subjected to massive hostility — and ultimately left the school in frustration. A response from teachers is more necessary now than ever, says Dürr, otherwise far-right and racist provocations could become socially acceptable. "If right-wing extremist incidents are not addressed and the perpetrators are allowed to act unchecked, it sends a subtle message to students that such behaviour is normal. What is crucial: We must support those who have the courage to stand up for democratic values, and who identify extremism as a problem." How Gen-Z see Germany's election results To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Holocaust feels increasingly distant Stefan Düll knows this issue all too well from personal experience. The President of the German Teachers' Association is also the principal of a high school in Neusäss, Bavaria. He advocates for the toughest possible response to right-wing extremist misconduct by students: involving the police, filing charges, and emphasizing that public officials are legally obligated to take action. "We cannot sweep crimes under the carpet and say, 'We'll just handle this with a personal discussion, and that will be enough.' Even if the perpetrator is only 13 years old, we must report it to the police. And when the police visit the perpetrator and issue a formal warning, it carries a different weight than school disciplinary measures, which must also be imposed," he told DW. Düll supports the Federal Education Minister's plan to make visits to concentration camp memorials mandatory — 90% of schools already do this. However, educational institutions are finding it increasingly difficult to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive, he said. According to a study by the Jewish Claims Conference, approximately 40% of surveyed Germans aged 18 to 29 did not know that approximately six million Jewish men and women were murdered during the Nazi era. Eyewitnesses who visit schools, such as the recently deceased Margot Friedländer, will soon no longer be around. And as time passes, the historical distance grows: students live in the here and now, Düll explained. "Right-wing extremist incidents in schools are increasing because the direct connection, even through one's own family, is no longer present. We also have students whose families have no connection to the history of Nazi Germany because they did not live in Germany during that time," Düll explains. This article was originally written in German. While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.
DW
26-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Nazi slogans trigger scandal at German school – DW – 05/26/2025
A report of an antisemitic incident in a high school coincided with the arrest of teenage rightwing extremists last week. This has triggered a debate over whether Germany's youth is embracing Nazi ideology. Ideally, a graduation motto is a phrase one fondly remembers for a lifetime. It decorates the senior class's T-shirts, serves as inspiration for numerous graduation parties, and is the title of the graduation newspaper, marking the ceremonial end of school life for 18- and 19-year-olds. For some students at the Liebig School in the town of Giessen in central Germany, the whole topic of picking a graduation motto is now something they would rather quickly forget. Or, as student representative Nicole Kracke told German news magazine, Der Spiegel: "We're now the ones with the Nazi label. That hurts." 'Abi macht frei' (a reference to the infamous 'Arbeit macht frei' signs above the gates of Nazi extermination camps), and 'NSDABI — Burn the Duden' (referring to the Nazi party NSDAP, Nazi book burnings, and Jewish persecution) were among the proposals in an anonymous online vote for the 2026 graduation motto. Some students reacted immediately and reported the incident to the school administration. Access to the portal was deleted, the entire graduating class was summoned, and a prepared statement was presented to them: 'In our school community, there is no place for racism, antisemitism, or discrimination. We stand together against it!' The police are now investigating on suspicion of incitement to hatred. Fighting extremism at school To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Provocation or far-right extremist mindset? Was it just a provocation and a lapse by a few immature high school graduates, a silly prank, or perhaps the ultimate proof of how deeply right-wing extremist views are resonating with more and more young people? The Nazi slogans proposed as a graduation motto caused such an uproar in Germany that the new Minister of Education, Karin Prien of the center-right Christian Democratic Union party (CDU), called for mandatory visits to concentration camp memorials for all students in Germany. There are frequent antisemitic incidents among students: In front of the Auschwitz extermination camp, where the National Socialists murdered over a million people, ninth-grade students from Görlitz, Saxony, displayed a neo-Nazi salute. In Oelsnitz, also in Saxony, a secondary school teacher requested a transfer after being threatened by far-right students. And in Wiesbaden, in the state of Hesse, students applauded during an educational film about the murder of millions of Jews. Tina Dürr was therefore not particularly surprised when she learned about the incident in Giessen. She is the deputy director of the Democracy Center Hesse, which assists and advises schools, municipalities, and organizations in the fight against right-wing extremism. "Provocations and right-wing extremist statements, such as this graduation motto, have generally increased in schools — we receive more and more reports about it," she told DW. "There are swastikas and right-wing extremist graffiti, Hitler salutes, racist or right-wing extremist songs being sung on school trips." In Germany, young and old bear witness to Holocaust horrors To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Rightward shift: Schools reflect society The federal states do not have a uniform way of recording far-right hate crimes in schools, but a survey conducted by the German daily, Die Zeit, among German state ministries revealed a worrying picture: In 2024, right-wing extremist incidents increased by at least 30% compared to the previous year. In German society, such positions and provocations are becoming more acceptable. Tina Dürr has explored the ways how young people are being engaged: "Young men are being deliberately drawn into pre-political activities through martial arts, in order to recruit them for nationalist ideas and toxic masculinity ideals." On social media, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) particularly focuses on the issue of misogyny. "The devaluation of women and a return to a traditionally conservative gender role model — both elements of right-wing extremism — are experiencing a resurgence. Confident women are devalued, queer people are devalued, leading up to acts of violence and femicide," explains Tina Dürr. Above all, this presents an enormous challenge for teachers. Two years ago,a case in Brandenburg drew national attention when two teachers publicly exposed right-wing extremist incidents at their school. They were subsequently subjected to massive hostility — and ultimately left the school in frustration. A response from teachers is more necessary now than ever, says Dürr, otherwise far-right and racist provocations could become socially acceptable. "If right-wing extremist incidents are not addressed and the perpetrators are allowed to act unchecked, it sends a subtle message to students that such behaviour is normal. What is crucial: We must support those who have the courage to stand up for democratic values, and who identify extremism as a problem." How Gen-Z see Germany's election results To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Holocaust feels increasingly distant Stefan Düll knows this issue all too well from personal experience. The President of the German Teachers' Association is also the principal of a high school in Neusäss, Bavaria. He advocates for the toughest possible response to right-wing extremist misconduct by students: involving the police, filing charges, and emphasizing that public officials are legally obligated to take action. "We cannot sweep crimes under the carpet and say, 'We'll just handle this with a personal discussion, and that will be enough.' Even if the perpetrator is only 13 years old, we must report it to the police. And when the police visit the perpetrator and issue a formal warning, it carries a different weight than school disciplinary measures, which must also be imposed," he told DW. Düll supports the Federal Education Minister's plan to make visits to concentration camp memorials mandatory — 90% of schools already do this. However, educational institutions are finding it increasingly difficult to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive, he said. According to a study by the Jewish Claims Conference, approximately 40% of surveyed Germans aged 18 to 29 did not know that approximately six million Jewish men and women were murdered during the Nazi era. Eyewitnesses who visit schools, such as the recently deceased Margot Friedländer, will soon no longer be around. And as time passes, the historical distance grows: students live in the here and now, Düll explained. "Right-wing extremist incidents in schools are increasing because the direct connection, even through one's own family, is no longer present. We also have students whose families have no connection to the history of Nazi Germany because they did not live in Germany during that time," Düll explains. This article was originally written in German. While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.
