Latest news with #LeftParty
Local Sweden
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Local Sweden
Swedish migration minister called to testify to parliament about relative's white supremacism links
Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell has been called to appear in front of a parliament committee to answer questions about his close relative's links to white power extremism. Advertisement The Left Party's migration spokesperson, Tony Haddou, told the Expressen newspaper that he had asked Forssell to answer questions from the social insurance committee (which among other things handles migration legislation) as soon as parliament is back in session. 'He can't hide, he has to put all the cards on the table,' said Haddou, adding that he didn't rule out also reporting Forssell to parliament's constitutional committee, the committee that scrutinises whether ministers and the government are acting in accordance with the law. 'We're not ruling anything out. But the most relevant thing right now is that we want to know, what did the minister know? Did he cover up something? And how has this affected asylum and migration policy? This is a minister who has to be held accountable, we're talking about Sweden's security,' he told Expressen. 'He's been very outspoken on issues of lack of good conduct, for example. Right now, when it comes to right-wing extremism, the government is trying to tone it down. It's double standards.' The move comes after anti-racist magazine Expo last week broke a story that a government minister, whose identity was kept anonymous at the time, has a close relative who is allegedly active in, and trying to recruit people to, extreme right and white supremacist movements. In an anonymous comment to the TT news agency, sent via the prime minister's press secretary in order to keep the minister's identity hidden, the minister said that they had only recently found out that their relative had been 'hanging out in completely the wrong circles' and that they had been working closely with the security police since then. 'I detest all kinds of political extremism and strongly distance myself from it,' read the comment. 'I have had long and frank conversations with the minor who is both remorseful and sad. All association with these circles is a closed chapter.' Advertisement Most mainstream newspapers initially kept Forssell anonymous, due to the young age of his relative and the fact that the Swedish press ethics strongly urge caution when publishing damaging information linked to a person who isn't a public figure (in this case his relative). But late last week, several local newspapers named Forssell, including Nyhetsbyrån Järva, Västerbottens-kuriren and Gefle Dagblad, citing among other things the public interest in a minister in charge of migration issues having links to the extreme right via a close relative, and the government's refusal to answer follow-up questions. On Wednesday, Expressen became the first national newspaper to name Forssell. The Local has contacted Forssell's office for a comment.
DW
06-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Germany updates: Thousands join Cologne's CSD parade – DW – 07/06/2025
The western German city has been preparing for this year's Pride event with some 60,000 participants expected. Meanwhile, Pride events also took place in eastern Germany, amid far-right protests. Follow DW for more. Cologne's annual Pride event, Christopher Street Day (CSD), kicked off on Sunday with hundreds of thousands of people expected to attend. The annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts people from around the a visit to NATO-member state Lithuania on Sunday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier assured the country of German support for its security. "With the stationing of a German brigade in Lithuania, we're giving a lasting promise: Your security is our security." Steinmeier was visiting Vilnius during its national day. The Baltic country, along with Estonia and Latvia, forms part of the NATO border with Russia. "Whoever defends Lithuania, is defending Europe and is defending European values," Steinmeier said. A German tank division is being stationed in Lithuania in 2027, including 5,000 soldiers. The number of people in monastic orders in Germany is sinking, with many convents and monasteries facing dissolution. But what happens to the buildings, traditions, and the communities they once housed? Read the full story on Germany's disappearing monasteries and convents. A report by the research services of the German parliament has expressed "substantial doubt" that strikes by Israel and the US on Iran can be legally justified. The report was produced at the request of Left Party lawmaker Ulrich Thoden. The research services said an "overwhelming number of experts in international law" consider the necessary criteria for Israel's claim of self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter as unfulfilled. The 54-page report said that Israel would have had to prove that Iran was directly about to build a nuclear weapon, not just that it had a sufficient amount of nuclear material. It also said Israel would need to prove Iran was planning to use a nuclear weapon against it. It did not exclude the option that Israel's secret service had further information. "Nevertheless, Israel is now obliged to legally justify its military actions against Iran," the report said. The German government did not immediately respond to the report, but Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave his outspoken support to the strikes, saying that Israel was doing the "dirty work for all of us" in Iran. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Following the decision of the German government to turn back migrants at the border, several individuals have launched lawsuits after their asylum applications were immediately rejected. Germany's magazine reported on Sunday that the government was facing three more lawsuits after a court in June ruled in favor of three Somali nationals who were turned back at a checkpoint on the German-Polish border. "There are currently three further court cases pending in connection with the rejection of asylum seekers," quoted a spokesman for the Interior Ministry as saying. A Berlin Administrative Court made its ruling, which was a blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, against the government argument that since they were coming from a safe third country — Poland — officials did not have to consider their application. The court found the immediate transfer of the Somali nationals back to Poland without an adequate review of their applications was unlawful. The government had feared that the ruling would result in a wave of lawsuits, however, this has not appeared to be the case. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said that Berlin would take the case to the European Court, saying he was "convinced that our actions are in line with European law." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Polish officials are set to begin carrying out checks on the border with Germany at midnight on Sunday, following German plans to increase spot checks on its side of the border. Germany had already been conducting spot checks on the border with Poland, but the new Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced in May, shortly after taking office, that the checks would be increased as a measure to tackle irregular migration. Poland said that for its side, no physical barriers would be set up, but signs would tell drivers to slow down and spot checks would be carried out with a focus on buses and cars with multiple passengers. Polish authorities will also introduce checks on the border with Lithuania. Both Poland and Germany are part of the Schengen Zone that allows cross-border travel without checks, however, countries are allowed to introduce temporary measures as "last resort" and "in exceptional situations." Germany introduced limited checks on the Polish border in October 2023, but has repeatedly renewed the temporary measures. Germany last extended its border checks until September 15, 2025 in March, citing "Serious threats to public security and order posed by continued high levels of irregular migration and migrant smuggling, and the strain on the asylum reception system." More than 1.4 million German pensioners are still working after having retired, according to a response from the Bundestag to a question from the Left Party and reported by the RND network. Almost 375,000 of those working pensioners were holding down jobs that counted as more than a small side job. The numbers provided by the Bundestag were dated to December 31, 2023. Dietmar Bartsch, from the Left Party, remarked that Germany is the biggest economy in Europe, but its pension level — the relation between the average income of workers and the average income of pensioners — is ten points lower than the EU average. "Austria, the Netherlands or Denmark are at more than 80%, we're below 50%, no wonder then that more and more old people continue working — many not because they want to, but because they must." Bartsch also called for a "major pension reform" in line with the Austrian is preparing for hundreds of thousands of people to show up for the Christopher Street Day (CSD) demonstration on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. (0930 GMT). Organizers and police are expecting around 60,000 participants. Some 90 floats are also expected to join the march. CSD traces its origins back to the Stonewall riot in New York on June 28, 1969, when people at the Stonewall LGBTQ+ bar fought back against a police raid. The incident is an important historical date for the LGBTQ+ community. The Stonewall bar was on Christopher Street, hence the name for the Cologne event. The motto for this year's CSD is "For queer rights. Many. Together. Strong." Cologne's CSD is one of the biggest Pride events in Europe and attracts people from around the world. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Several hundred people on Saturday celebrated the Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade to promote diversity and tolerance for the LGBTQ+ community in Falkensee, a town in the eastern German state of Brandenburg. On the same day, several dozen participants protested against Pride events. Police say both the march and the counter demonstration remained peaceful. Paris Saint-Germain have booked a spot in the Club World Cup semifinals after a tense 2-0 win over Bayern Munich — but the match was overshadowed by a gruesome injury to young German star Jamal Musiala. Desire Doue opened the scoring in the 78th minute after Joao Neves robbed Harry Kane near midfield and sparked a quick counter that ended with Doue's left-footed shot beating Manuel Neuer at the near post. PSG finished with nine men after late red cards for Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez, but clung on as Bayern threw everything forward. Ousmane Dembele sealed the win deep into stoppage time with a breakaway goal. Bayern had two goals ruled out for offside, including a Harry Kane header, and saw a late penalty overturned by VAR. Musiala's injury stunned both teams. In first-half stoppage time, PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma collided with Musiala's left ankle while diving for a loose ball, leaving the 22-year-old's foot hanging at an unnatural angle. Donnarumma was visibly shaken as Musiala was stretchered off. PSG will face either Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund in Wednesday's semifinal at East Rutherford, New Jersey. Saturday's quarterfinal drew 66,937 fans to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta — the city's biggest crowd yet ahead of next year's World Cup. A father and his child have gone missing after a boating accident on the Eibsee, an Alpine lake in southern Germany, police said on Saturday. The family of four was out on a pedal boat when the six-year-old fell into the water and the father jumped in to rescue them — but neither resurfaced. Emergency responders are caring for the mother and the couple's other child, aged four. Police said the family is from Bavaria. A major rescue operation is underway with helicopters and divers searching the lake. Firefighters and emergency personnel continue to battle the forest fire in the Gohrischheide region on the border between the eastern German states of Saxony and Brandenburg. The situation on the Saxony side remains more difficult. Around 700 firefighters were deployed on Saturday afternoon, according to a statement from the Meissen district office. The situation in the Saalfelder Höhe in Thuringia has been stabilized, according to authorities. Emergency services were able to prevent the fire from spreading overnight."Our emergency services have the situation under control," the Thuringian State Chancellery, which called the forest fire "the largest of its kind" in the state in over 30 years, posted on X. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party leader Alice Weidel says the cente-left Social Democrats' (SPD) push to consider banning her party reminds her of "very dark times." Speaking in Berlin on Saturday, Weidel compared the idea to Adolf Hitler's crackdown on other parties and the press. The SPD's party conference last weekend called for constitutional bodies to prepare conditions to file an application to have the AfD declared unconstitutional. Any party ban would have to be decided by Germany's Constitutional Court and requested by the federal government or parliament. Calls for a ban have gained momentum after Germany's domestic intelligence service upgraded its assessment of the AfD, citing "confirmed right-wing extremist tendencies." The party is challenging this label in court. Meanwhile, AfD lawmakers passed a new code of conduct on Saturday, with co-leader Tino Chrupalla aiming to polish the party's image ahead of any future term in office. The code calls for a united and moderate front in parliament, along with rules to prevent corruption and conflicts of interest. Germany captain Giulia Gwinn will miss the rest of the Women's Euros in Switzerland due to a left knee injury, the German football federation (DFB) announced on Saturday. "Our captain sustained a medial ligament injury in her left knee yesterday in the match against Poland. She is expected to be out for several weeks.", the DFB posted on X. Gwinn had to be helped off the field in tears in the 40th minute of Germany's opening 2-0 victory over Poland on Friday in St. Gallen. She suffered an injury after making a crucial tackle on Poland's striker, Ewa Pajor. It was originally feared that she had suffered a third anterior cruciate ligament tear since 2020. Anti-German graffiti has appeared on shops and cars on the Spanish island of Mallorca, a popular holiday destination for many Germans, the German-language newspaper reported on Saturday. The perpetrators defaced dozens of German-owned shops and cars with foreign licensed plates with slogans such as "Germans out" and "Foreign buyers go to hell" in the small southern village of Santanyi. Police have confirmed the incidents to German news agency "It is frightening to feel such a wave of hatred after 34 years on the island, where I pay taxes and currently employ nine people," one man affected was quoted as saying by the newspaper. In recent years, there have been rising tensions between tourists, foreign property owners, and locals on the holiday island. Thousands have protested at regular rallies against mass tourism and a housing shortage. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video from Bonn! We are continuing our coverage of news from Germany over the weekend. Anti-tourist graffiti was sited on the Spanish Mediterranean island of Mallorca, a beloved holidaying spot for Germans. Wildfires continued to rage in eastern Germany. Stick around for the latest on these stories and much more from DW.
DW
01-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
No Pride, no Palestine: Bundestag boss claims neutrality – DW – 06/30/2025
Julia Klöckner was seen as a surprise choice for Bundestag president — a role that traditionally requires a calm and neutral presence. Klöckner is an outspoken figure with a taste for pointed language. When she was elected to the post in March, Julia Klöckner — an archconservative who enjoys wading in to culture wars — was considered a surprising choice for president of the German parliament, and she has done little to allay those concerned since then. In late June, she angered progressive Bundestag members by announcing that the rainbow Pride flag would not fly from the parliament building, the Reichstag, on Christopher Street Day on July 26, as has traditionally the case. Klöckner also decided that queer members of the Bundestag administration were not to attend the CSD parade in an official capacity. Her stance prompted Green and Left Party parliamentarians to mount a protest by wearing color-coordinated clothes in the chamber to create their own rainbow. By that time, Klöckner had already shown that she was going to enforce a strict interpretation of the Bundestag's clothing rules — these state, rather vaguely, that members' clothing must simply be "appropriate to the dignity of the chamber." In early June, that rule provided the Bundestag president with enough justification to send Left Party member Cansin Köktürk out of a debate for refusing to remove a T-shirt bearing the word "Palestine." Two weeks earlier, she did the same to Marcel Bauer, also of the Left Party, when he refused to take off his black beret. A former agriculture minister under Chancellor Angela Merkel, 52-year-old Klöckner has long been a senior politician of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and a confidante to Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "I have firmly resolved to always fulfill my tasks impartially, calmly and undauntedly, stay clear on the matter, while connecting with others," Klöckner said in her acceptance speech. Impartiality is certainly a watchword for someone in her office: The president of the Bundestag is formally the second head of the German state (after the president and ahead of the chancellor). And, though there is no regulation stipulating this, the office is traditionally held by someone from the largest parliamentary group — in this case, the CDU/CSU. Klöckner is known as a feisty conservative who is not shy of pushing buttons. In the run-up to February's federal election, she caused a stir by posting a combative statement on Instagram: "You don't have to vote AfD for what you want. There is a democratic alternative: The CDU." This was seen by critics as both a trivialization of Alternative for Germany (AfD) and a tacit admission that the CDU had adopted the far-right party's extreme anti-refugee stance. It was not the first time that Klöckner had taken a hard line on immigration policy: In 2015, when refugees came to Germany in large numbers from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, Klöckner demanded that they be legally obliged to integrate into society. In 2023, she also reposted a false claim on social media that dental care for asylum-seekers had cost the German state €690 million ($746 million) in the previous year. Klöckner is not above calling for more reticence from others, especially the Christian church: In an interview with the newspaper in April, she said the church should talk less about day-to-day politics and more about spiritual matters. "I mean, sure, the church can express its opinion on the speed limit, but that's not necessarily why I pay church tax," she said. Nor was her appointment to the new Bundestag role without some detractors: Klöckner gave up her position as CDU treasurer after NGO Lobbycontrol pointed out that, as Bundestag president, she would be tasked with overseeing party donations. She said that she had planned to give up the post anyway before taking on the new job. Klöckner is the daughter of a winegrower from the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Among her prestigious early roles was as German Wine Queen in 1995, an office that involves more than 200 public appointments a year. Trained as a journalist, Klöckner led the CDU in her home state from 2010 to 2022, during which time she spent four years, from 2018 to 2021, as federal agriculture minister. Environmental organizations criticized Klöckner for ineffective policymaking and a perceived closeness to the food industry — particularly Nestle: In 2019, she was accused of openly advertising for the international food processing giant by posting a video on social media in which she appeared beside Nestle's Germany chief and praised it for reducing the amount of sugar in its food — campaigners have long called on Germany to introduce a sugar tax. The president chairs the Bundestag's plenary sessions and supervises the laws governing the parliament. He or she also represents the parliament as a whole, speaking at commemorative ceremonies such as the one held every year on January 27 to mark the Holocaust. The president sometimes also speaks during state visits by foreign heads of government or heads of state. The president is obliged to respect the rights of all parties, which is why the post is often held by someone with extensive parliamentary experience who is held in high regard by all parliamentary groups and parties. This was particularly the case with Wolfgang Schäuble, a CDU veteran of several Cabinet posts, who was Bundestag president from 2017 to 2021. Klöckner, by comparison, is a less experienced and some would say a more divisive 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.
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
SARAH VINE: Keir Starmer is a dishonourable, moral coward who openly loathes this country... and I've worked out the only thing he REALLY cares about
Another day, another humiliation for the Prime Minister. The Government's Welfare Bill, a much-needed piece of legislation designed to get a handle on the vast and unsustainable amounts of taxpayer money being dished out in PIP (personal independence payments) to people who, in the words of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall, are 'taking the Mickey', finally came to a vote. The opposition from the Left of the party had been incessant, aided and abetted by the usual interested parties and the handwringing liberal press.
DW
30-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
No Pride, no Palestine: Bundestag boss revels in provocation – DW – 06/30/2025
Julia Klöckner was seen as a surprise choice for Bundestag president — a role that traditionally requires a calm and neutral presence. Klöckner is an outspoken figure with a taste for populist provocation. When she was elected to the post in March, Julia Klöckner — an archconservative who enjoys wading in to culture wars — was considered a surprising choice for president of the German parliament, and she has done little to allay those concerned since then. In late June, she angered progressive Bundestag members by announcing that the rainbow Pride flag would not fly from the parliament building, the Reichstag, on Christopher Street Day on July 26, as has traditionally the case. Klöckner also decided that queer members of the Bundestag administration were not to attend the CSD parade in an official capacity. Her stance prompted Green and Left Party parliamentarians to mount a protest by wearing color-coordinated clothes in the chamber to create their own rainbow. By that time, Klöckner had already shown that she was going to enforce a strict interpretation of the Bundestag's clothing rules — these state, rather vaguely, that members' clothing must simply be "appropriate to the dignity of the chamber." In early June, that rule provided the Bundestag president with enough justification to send Left Party member Cansin Köktürk out of a debate for refusing to remove a T-shirt bearing the word "Palestine." Two weeks earlier, she did the same to Marcel Bauer, also of the Left Party, when he refused to take off his black beret. A former agriculture minister under Chancellor Angela Merkel, 52-year-old Klöckner has long been a senior politician of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and a confidante to Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "I have firmly resolved to always fulfill my tasks impartially, calmly and undauntedly, stay clear on the matter, while connecting with others," Klöckner said in her acceptance speech. Impartiality is certainly a watchword for someone in her office: The president of the Bundestag is formally the second head of the German state (after the president and ahead of the chancellor). And, though there is no regulation stipulating this, the office is traditionally held by someone from the largest parliamentary group — in this case, the CDU/CSU. Klöckner is known as a feisty conservative who is not shy of pushing buttons. In the run-up to February's federal election, she caused a stir by posting a combative statement on Instagram: "You don't have to vote AfD for what you want. There is a democratic alternative: The CDU." This was seen by critics as both a trivialization of Alternative for Germany (AfD) and a tacit admission that the CDU had adopted the far-right party's extreme anti-refugee stance. It was not the first time that Klöckner had taken a hard line on immigration policy: In 2015, when refugees came to Germany in large numbers from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, Klöckner demanded that they be legally obliged to integrate into society. In 2023, she also reposted a false claim on social media that dental care for asylum-seekers had cost the German state €690 million ($746 million) in the previous year. Meanwhile, the outspoken politician is not above calling for more reticence from others, especially the Christian church: In an interview with the newspaper in April, Klöckner said that the church should talk less about day-to-day politics and more about spiritual matters. "I mean, sure, the church can express its opinion on the speed limit, but that's not necessarily why I pay church tax," she said. Nor was her appointment to the new Bundestag role without some controversy: Klöckner gave up her position as CDU treasurer after NGO Lobbycontrol pointed out that, as Bundestag president, she would be tasked with overseeing party donations. She said that she had planned to give up the post anyway before taking on the new job. Klöckner is the daughter of a winegrower from the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Among her prestigious early roles was as German Wine Queen in 1995, an office that involves more than 200 public appointments a year. Trained as a journalist, Klöckner led the CDU in her home state from 2010 to 2022, during which time she spent four years, from 2018 to 2021, as Federal Agriculture Minister. Environmental organizations criticized Klöckner for ineffective policy making and an alleged closeness to the food industry — particularly Nestlé: In 2019, she was accused of openly advertising for the international food processing giant by posting a video on social media in which she appeared beside Nestlé's Germany chief and praised it for reducing the amount of sugar in its food — campaigners have long called on Germany to introduce a sugar tax. The president chairs the Bundestag's plenary sessions and supervises the laws governing the parliament. He or she also represents the parliament as a whole, speaking at commemorative ceremonies such as the one held every year on January 27 to mark the Holocaust. The president sometimes also speaks during state visits by foreign heads of government or heads of state. The president is obliged to respect the rights of all parties, which is why the post is often held by someone with extensive parliamentary experience who is held in high regard by all parliamentary groups and parties. This was particularly the case with Wolfgang Schäuble, a CDU veteran of several Cabinet posts, who was Bundestag president from 2017 to 2021. Klöckner, by comparison, is a less experienced and some would say a more divisive 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.
