Gagrule.net

Gagrule.net News, Views, Interviews worldwide

German court bans party hampering Armenian Genocide recognition

By

bans-party-hampering-genocideA German court has banned the activities of a political party conducting a campaign against the Armenian Genocide recognition, DHA reports.

The party, Union of German Democrats, was founded by two Turkish businessmen and two Turkish lawyers from the city Cologne.

According to Aydinlik, a similarity with the right-wing populist party’s logo AfD (Alternative for Germany) was cited as a reason for moving on to close down the political force.

The German Bundestag adopted the historic resolution to recognize the 1915 genocide against the Christian minorities of Ottoman Turkey on June 2, 2016.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier elected German President

By

frank-steinmeierGermany’s parliamentary assembly has elected Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a Social Democrat, as the country’s president, CNN reported.

The source reminds that the position of president in Germany is largely ceremonial, because the chancellor is the official head of government and has a higher profile on the world stage.

Steinmeier previously served as vice chancellor and foreign minister under current Chancellor Angela Merkel.

He was elected by the vast majority of the assembly, receiving 931 out of 1,253 votes. His predecessor, Joachim Gauck, did not seek another term and will step down on March 18.

“This country for many in the world has become an anchor of hope,” Steinmeier said after his election. “We give others courage, not because everything is good, but because we have shown that it can be better,” he said.

Germany: Schulz overtakes Merkel in opinion poll as favorite for German chancellor

By

SPD candidate Martin Schulz would receive 16 percent more votes than current CDU Chancellor Angela Merkel, a survey showed. The SPD has benefited since Schulz was nominated as the party’s candidate for the Chancellery.

German voters would elect the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Martin Schulz as chancellor if the country were to hold direct elections today, an opinion poll conducted for the German broadcaster ARD revealed on Thursday.

Schulz would receive 50 percent of votes cast while Angela Merkel, the current chancellor and head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), would receive 34 percent of the vote. However, even when they are called on to cast ballots in the September parliamentary elections, Germans will not directly vote for the chancellor.

Schulz’s capture of half of those surveyed amounted to an increase of 9 percentage points in comparison to the end of January; Merkel saw her share of the vote drop by 7 percentage points. Seven percent of those polled said they would choose neither Schulz nor Merkel as Germany’s next chancellor.

Overall, the poll results reflected broad political gains for the SPD since the left-leaning party announced Schulz, the former European Parliament president, as its chancellor candidate and successor to Sigmar Gabriel as party head.

In findings more representative of the German voting system,the SPD as a party has 28 percent of eligible voters’ support, their best result thus far in the current legislative period that began in late 2013. The CDU remains Germany’s strongest political party, leading with 34 percent support – down 3 percentage points from January.

Half of all participants polled also indicated a desire for the SPD to take over leadership of the federal government from the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union. Only 39 percent of those surveyed thought the federal government should continue to be led by a member of the so-called Union of CDU and CSU parties.

The poll, which surveyed 1,506 eligible voters from Monday to Wednesday, comes eight months ahead of the next German parliamentary elections set for September 24.

Mixed results for smaller parties

The closely watched Alternative for Germany (AfD), the populist, anti-immigrant and Islamophobic party that has made major political gains at regional levels, polled at 12 percent, down three points from January.

The Left and the Green Parties also lost one point each since January, leaving them equal at 8 percent.

The poll results brought good news to the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which saw its popularity increase one point to 6 percent; this puts them over the 5-percent hurdle needed to enter the Bundestag. The FDP has been absent from federal representation since 2013, when they fell just short of the entry threshold with 4.8 percent of the vote.

However, the poll’s margin of error means a re-entrance into the Bundestag is far from guaranteed.

Germany to scrap ‘lese majeste’ law after Erdogan row

By

The German government voted Wednesday (25 January) to scrap a “lese majeste” law that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had sought to employ against a popular German television satirist.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet decided to abolish by 1 January 2018 the rarely enforced section of the criminal code that prohibits insulting organs or representatives of foreign states.

“The idea of ‘lese majeste’ dates back to a long-gone era, it no longer belongs in our criminal law,” said Justice Minister Heiko Maas.

“The regulation is obsolete and unnecessary,” he added.

Maas said heads of state and government would still be able to defend themselves against slander and defamation “but no more or less so than any other person”.

Erdoğan had launched a criminal complaint under the law — which carries up to three years’ jail — against German TV comic Jan Boehmermann, who had insulted him in a so-called “defamatory poem”.

Germany: Turkish imams spied on teachers at German state schools

By

Imams in Germany have informed Turkish authorities of alleged supporters of cleric Fethullah Gulen, according to reports. Germany’s religious leaders have urged authorities to clarify the situation before it’s too late.

A state intelligence body has discovered that imams at one of Germany’s largest Islamic organizations have gathered intelligence at the behest of Turkey’s official religious authorities, the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” newspaper reported Tuesday.

The Office for the Protection of the Constitution in North Rhine-Westphalia found that imams at the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) submitted the names of alleged supporters of exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen to Turkish consulates in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Munich.

At least three lists, including up to 28 names and 11 institutions, had been given to religious attaches at Turkey’s diplomatic missions in Germany, the Cologne-based newspaper reported.

North-Rhine Westphalia’s Interior Ministry confirmed to the newspaper that the names of at least five teachers at state schools had been discovered on the lists. Turkey’s state religious authorities reportedly issued the order to spy on alleged Gulen supporters and gather intelligence on them.

According to local media, at least two preachers had been ordered to return to Turkey in an alleged bid to circumvent prosecution if they were caught spying on Gulen’s supporters.

Ankara has accused Gulen of orchestrating last July’s failed military coup from his base in the US in a bid to oust Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Since then, thousands have been rounded up in a nationwide crackdown on the cleric’s supporters.

In a visit to Mozambique on Tuesday, Erdogan warned that the group blamed for the coup attempt could infiltrate state institutions in other parts of the world where it operates.

ZdK: Clarification needed

Thomas Sternberg, the president of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), urged authorities to clarify the situation in a bid to prevent the Islamic organization from being unwittingly discredited by the reports.

“I can only warn against discrediting the entire DITIB,” he said.

“However, if DITIB does not succeed in becoming independent, to a greater extent than before, then the entire process of dialogue with [religious] associations will need to be reoriented and sorted,” he added.

Turkey’s religious affairs directorate, an official state institution, established DITIB in 1984 in a bid to influence public discourse on religious life for Turks abroad. DITIB funds nearly 900 mosques in Germany.

Herero and Nama people sue Germany over genocide

By

Representatives of indigenous Herero and Nama people of Namibia filed a lawsuit against Germany in New York. On July, Germany had acknowledged that Herero and Nama people were subjected to genocide.

Today’s Namibia was a colony of the German Empire and German troops killed over 100,000 people during the genocide that was carried out between 1904 and 1908 against Herero and Nama people.

After the joint declaration acknowledging the genocide, Namibia and Germany held meetings, but the descendants of the victims were excluded from the meetings.

Unlike with the victims of World War II atrocities, Germany refused to pay reparations to victims of Herero and Nama genocide and announced that it paid millions of dollars as development aid.

Descendants of Herero and Nama people filed a lawsuit against Germany in the US. According to Spiegel Online, victims demand reparations and involvement in the talks.

In the 22-page-long complaint, it is stated that German army invaded the lands of Herero and Nama people, carried out genocide, raped women and girls and the damage hasn’t been compensated.

Making a statement on the lawsuit, spokesperson of German Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that they have “reasonable grounds” for not meeting with the representatives of Herero and Nama people directly and noted that there are talks between governments without excluding NGOs.

The lawsuit states that Germany caused the following damages:

–          From 1885 to 1903, about a quarter of Herero and Nama lands were taken without compensation by settlers with official oversight. German descendants still farm some of that land today.

–          Colonial authorities ignored rapes of Herero and Nama women and girls as well as indigenous forced labour.

–          As many as 100,000 Herero and Nama people died after they rebelled in 1904 in a campaign led by Lieutenant General Lothar von Trotha

An Iranian-Armenian Musician in Germany: “Government in Armenia Must be Honest with the Diaspora”

By

Gagik Aghbalyan,

Singer and composer Masis Arakelyan was born in Iran, but moved to Germany after graduating from school.

Arakelyan says he continues to live encumbered with the mindset of an exile, always longing for Armenia.

Last May, he staged a solo performance in Iran, the proceeds of which went to Artsakh. He performed the Krounk Suite in Tehran, which deals with Armenian history and the Genocide. His music was a bit hit, even with foreigners, and the auditoriums were packed. But Armenians in Germany, Arakelyan says, aren’t interested.

Masis, you’ve lived in Germany for a long time, near the forest in a wonderful place. But you still feel homeless. Why?

Yes. I was raised in Iran. There, we thought that the culture wasn’t ours. You’d go out on the streets and see a foreign culture and language. Germany has a Christian culture, but it’s still foreign. Originally, I wanted to call the suite Antouni (Homeless), and not Krounk, because 7.5 million of the world’s 10 million Armenians live scattered all over. This work is also my story. When I walk down a street, I wonder which is my homeland, Iran, Germany or Iran.

No matter how many decades ago one’s ancestors migrated from the homeland, living on foreign shores is becoming torturous for Armenians. Why?

You must look for the reason in our history. They’ve always tried to change and destroy us. We’re afraid to live scattered about, to live in a foreign place, even though the history of the diaspora is quite old.

Look at my forbearers. Four hundred years ago, Shah Abbas used force and moved them to Persia, to benefit his country, so that the Armenians would develop the new capital Isfahan. That’s what happened. Armenians built churches, founded the first print house in Persia, and spurred advancements in the technical and cultural sectors. From that time on, Isfahan became one of the most beautiful and modern cities. But we lost Nakhichevan, the homeland of our ancestors.

But the possibility exists to return to Armenia. You do not return, and instead continue to live a confused life on foreign shores. Wouldn’t you feel more at ease if you moved to Yerevan?

I have thought about it. Globally, Armenians have attained high positions. If they moved to Armenia with their resources, imagine what the country would become. But they don’t return, because the country has lost its allure. In Iran, they say “homeland, homeland”, but coming to Armenia they see a tumbledown country and the dream vanishes.

The road of mass return must be for us to make Armenia attractive, like an 18-year-old beauty. The objective defines the road.

If you want the people to trust and support you, the government must first be truthful towards the people and not follow personal ambitions. It must be for the community. This is the only road of return.

Why isn’t the government honest with the diaspora? If it was, many would return. Living on foreign shores is a bad thing. Many in Armenia receive a great education and move to America. They deliver pizza or travel down crooked paths.

Those in government must much more for a mass return of Armenians.

You have encountered Armenian communities in many countries. Isn’t there, at least, unity in those communities?

No. There is constant bickering. They don’t support one another. You also find it in European communities. I’ve heard it’s the same for Armenian communities in America. Armenians think of their personal gain.

Why did our kingdoms fall apart? It was due to disunity. Persia retained its kingdom even though it was a multi-national country. We, despite being homogeneous, lost what we had. Look at what the Jews accomplished in a few decades. We have enriched the diaspora, but not the homeland.

Berlin is replete with an Arabic lifestyle. I haven’t noted any Armenian traces in the two weeks I have been here. Who is your audience for the national culture you present?

In Berlin, there are three Armenian communities. There’s the embassy as well. But they are scattered and remain apart. They even commemorate the Genocide separately. There are no Armenians at my concerts. Last year, I performed a concert in Berlin for the Krounk album. Europeans attended, but not Armenians. Sorry, there were three Armenians; a Turkish-Armenian father and son, and one person from Armenia. I advertise all the events within the Armenian communities. No one attends.

Masis, how can you make a living by presenting Armenian culture to non-Armenians?

I don’t only work with Armenian culture. I perform in Iran and other foreign countries. I performed my Persian project, Recital for Voice and Piano, at the famous Berlin Pergamon Museum in 2011. Now, I working on a piece for a symphonic orchestra and hope to stage it soon.

When I sing in Armenia, I bring money with me. Armenia doesn’t pay and I don’t expect any such thing. Just as long as they make Armenia attractive so that we can all return.

Germany: Greens size up coalition possibilities, choose election candidate

By

Germany’s Greens are electing candidates for September’s parliamentary elections. With the previously unthinkable idea of a Red-Red-Green coalition gaining traction, the choice is being watched carefully.

Four politicians gave their final pitches at a party meeting in Berlin on Saturday, with party chairwoman Katrin Göring-Eckardt already assured a place on the party’s ticket.

She will be joined by one of the following: co-chair Cem Özdemir (R), a Swabian with Turkish roots; Anton Hofreiter (L), a biologist from Bavaria, the parliamentary party chief and the only representative of the left of the party; and the writer Robert Habeck, Environment Minister and Deputy Premier of Schleswig-Holstein.

The results of the party primaries will be announced on January 18, after the party’s 60,800 members have cast their votes.

SPD to jump horses?

As the junior partner since 2013 in the so-called Grand Coalition, with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Social Democrats (SPD) are now expected to choose their party chairman, Sigmar Gabriel, to run against Merkel in the election, senior party sources said. Gabriel also serves as German Vice Chancellor and is thus currently Merkel’s deputy.

Gabriel previously told “Der Spiegel” magazine that his party would consider forming a three-way coalition with the Greens and the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP). A former major player in German politics, the FDP surprisingly failed to gain a single seat in the Bundestag in the 2013 elections for the first time in its seven-decade history. The classical liberal stalwarts may, however, be poised for a comeback in 2017.

The option would be an alternative to an SPD coalition with the Greens and the Left party – the so-called Red-Red-Green coalition – an option favored by the SPD’s left wing.

While not ruling out a coalition with the Left Party – a part of which is made up of the reformed successor to former East Germany’s Marxist-Leninist SED party – Gabriel questioned whether such a formation would result in a stable government.

“They have to decide whether they want to govern or remain firmly in opposition,” he said.

Combined, the Red-Red-Green parties have 320 seats in the Bundestag, compared with 311 for Merkel’s CDU/CSU bloc.

A poll by Infratest Dimap and German broadcaster ARD showed the SPD currently standing with 20 percent of the vote, compared to 37 percent for Merkel’s conservative bloc. The Greens and the Left are both hovering at around ten percent.

Changing electoral configurations

In December, the SPD won control of Berlin’s city government at the head of a three-way coalition that involves the Left and the Green party. The rise of the rightwing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) could push the parties to put their differences aside in order to combat its appeal.

The Berlin government is the second Red-Red-Green coalition to have ruled one of Germany’s 16 regions. The first – in Thuringia in 2014 – is led by the Left rather than the SPD and is seen as such as less of a national precedent than the coalition in Berlin.

With the AfD expected to enter parliament for the first time in 2017 and the FDP likely to return, there could be seven parties in parliament instead of the current five, making a Red-Red-Green majority less likely.

The Greens also pose problems for the SPD with promises to phase out fossil fuels – a bone of contention with the SPD, which has support in coal-mining regions.

DW, Web-videos ‘My grandfather had four wives, I have two’

By

A man with two wives: that is legal in Syria but not in Germany. DW’s Jaafar Abdul Karim talked with three Syrians – a man with two wives – to find out about their daily lives.

See full video it on: http://www.dw.com/en/my-grandfather-had-four-wives-i-have-two/av-37043746

German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel calls for ban on Islamist mosques

By

Social Democrats leader and German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel has called for tougher measures against Islamist trends in Germany. His demands come just weeks after the “Islamic State”-claimed terror attack in Berlin.

In an interview with German weekly Der Spiegel, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said that “Salafist mosques must be banned, communities dissolved, and the preachers should be expelled as soon as possible.”

“Those who encourage for violence do not enjoy the protection of religious freedom,” the Social Democrat (SPD) leader added, stressing that he had “zero tolerance” in combating Islamism.

‘Cultural fight’

Radical Islamism is regarded as the fastest-growing extremist movement in Germany. Its followers are convinced that Islam and modernity can not be reconciled.

“If we are serious about the fight against Islamism and terrorism, then it must also be a cultural fight,” Gabriel told Spiegel.

This means strengthening the cohesion of society and ensuring that “urban areas are not neglected, villages are not degenerate and people are not becoming more and more radicalized,” the vice chancellor added.

Half of the followers of the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) who have travelled to Syria, are Germans, often with German parents, Gabriel said.

Berlin IS attack

The vice chancellor’s calls for tighter measures against Islamists come just weeks after Berlin was victim to an IS-claimed terror attack. Twelve people were killed and almost 50 were wounded after IS-sympathizer Anis Amri rammed a truck into a Berlin Christmas market.

During his time in Germany, Amri, a Tunisian refugee, is believed to have mingled in Islamist circles. He was also linked with Iraqi preacher Abu Walaa, who was arrested in November along with others for seeking to recruit fighters for IS.

Despite German authorities’ originally monitoring the 23-year-old, surveillance was dropped in September after it was determined he did not pose a security threat.

Amid the apparent intelligence failure, Merkel pledged in her new year’s speech to conduct a “comprehensive” analysis on everything that has gone wrong in combatting Islamist terror.

ksb/kms (KNA, epd, dpa)