Germany edition

Sarrazin

The following articles have been tagged with "Sarrazin":

Critics slam 'recycling' of notorious Sarrazin book

National: 14 Jan 12
Thilo Sarrazin’s book “Germany Abolishes Itself” is once again the focus of controversy. Plans by a Czech artist to recycle copies of the book have been severely criticized for perceived Nazi connotations. READ »

'Turks are a part of German culture'

Society: 28 Oct 11
Fifty years after the first Turks came to Germany, Michael Hofmann, an expert in Turkish-German relations, measures the influence the immigration has had on Germany. READ »

A dual citizenship double standard in Germany

Analysis & Opinion: 26 Oct 11
As Germany this week marks a half century of mass Turkish immigration, The Local’s Marc Young explains why it’s time to end the country’s hypocritical stance towards dual citizenship. READ »

Germany looks back at 50 years of Turkish immigration

Society: 26 Oct 11
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the treaty bringing hundreds of thousands of Turkish "guest workers" to Germany, a move which dramatically altered the fabric of German society. READ »

Official blames Sarrazin for hindering integration

Society: 30 Aug 11
The German government’s integration commissioner said Tuesday that former central banker Thilo Sarrazin damaged efforts to integrate immigrants with his controversial book “Germany Abolishes Itself,” which was published a year ago. READ »

Neo-Nazis slammed for 'gas' campaign poster

Politics: 11 Aug 11
The neo-Nazi National Democratic Party is being accused of deliberately invoking the Holocaust in a Berlin election poster that shows leader Udo Voigt on a motorcycle with the slogan “Gas geben!” READ »

German Muslims worried after Norway massacre

Society: 26 Jul 11
Top Muslim leaders in Germany are calling on the federal government to take immediate action to stamp out growing anti-Islamic sentiment in the wake of the Norway massacre. READ »

Court rules 'kiss my ass' insulting

Society: 30 May 11
The German phrase “Leck mich am Arsch,” the equivalent of “kiss my ass,” has been officially ruled an insult by a court in Kaiserslautern. READ »

Sarrazin blasts SPD immigrant quota plan

Politics: 4 May 11
Former Bundesbank executive Thilo Sarrazin has made further inflammatory remarks about immigrants just days after he was given a reprieve by his own Social Democratic Party. READ »

Berlin braces for surges in May Day violence

Society: 28 Apr 11
The anarchist uproar following the eviction of a Berlin squat in January could mean the city faces more violence than usual during this year’s May Day. Exberliner's Anne-Lena Mösken spoke to a member of the leftist scene. READ »

Sarrazin pardon sparks fierce SPD backlash

Politics: 26 Apr 11
There was mounting resentment Tuesday among centre-left Social Democrats against the party’s decision not to expel Thilo Sarrazin over his incendiary statements on immigration. READ »

Sarrazin remains SPD member

Politics: 22 Apr 11
Thilo Sarrazin, former Bundesbank board member and author of a book on immigration which caused controversy and outrage, will remain a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) it was decided on Thursday night. READ »

Schäuble says Islam is part of Germany

Society: 22 Mar 11
Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble on Tuesday warned Germany must not discriminate against its Muslim population, saying that Islam was a part of its society. His comments contrast starkly with those of Interior Minister Friedrich. READ »

FDP's Lindner compares Bavaria's CSU with Islam

Politics: 9 Mar 11
Bavaria’s conservative Christian Social Democrats are no strangers to anti-Islam sentiment, but a recent remarks by Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich has inspired a political rival to suggest that his party needed to integrate as well. READ »

Interior Minister Friedrich reignites Islam debate

Politics: 4 Mar 11
Germany’s new Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich reignited a bitter debate over Islam this week after he said the religion did not “belong” in the country, prompting calls for him to give up charge of the government's Islam conference. READ »

Sarrazin's wife mulls book on education

Society: 23 Jan 11
Taking a cue from her husband, ex-Bundesbank official Thilo Sarrazin – who wrote a controversial bestseller on immigration and integration – Ursula Sarrazin has said she is considering penning her own book on education. READ »

A nation of free thinkers

Analysis & Opinion: 12 Jan 11
Germans love free thinkers, but they're apparently not so hot on free speech. The reactions to the Giffords shooting in Arizona have revived the spectre of anti-Americanism, argues Malte Lehming from Der Tagesspiegel. READ »

2010: The year in review

National: 29 Dec 10
As 2011 prepares to kick off, The Local takes a look back at some of the stories that caught our attention during the past year in Germany. READ »

‘Wutbürger’ named word of the year

Society: 17 Dec 10
The German Language Society (GfdS) on Friday crowned Wutbürger, or “enraged citizen,” as the most important German word of 2010. The choice reflected a year in which the angry masses took to the streets in protest of several issues. READ »

Sarrazin earns millions with anti-immigration book

Society: 17 Dec 10
Former Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin has become a millionaire many times over thanks to the proceeds of his inflammatory book attacking Muslim immigrants. READ »

Importing talent for an export-driven future

National: 10 Dec 10
A new law should help 300,000 foreigners in Germany have their qualifications recognised. But as David Wroe reports, much more needs to be done to safeguard the German economy from a looming demographic implosion. READ »

Islamic centre hit by arson attack

Society: 9 Dec 10
An Islamic centre in Berlin was hit by an arson attack on Thursday, with an assailant hurling a petrol bomb against the building’s facade. It was the third such incident involving a Muslim building in the capital in a fortnight. READ »

Minister slams 'macho' Muslim culture

Politics: 26 Nov 10
Family Minister Kristina Schröder slammed on Friday what she sees as a growing tendency to violence stemming from a “macho culture” among young Muslim men. READ »

Merkel: Public service needs more immigrants

National: 1 Nov 10
Only two weeks after saying attempts to forge a multicultural society had failed, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for more immigrants in the country's civil service and deplored discrimination in employment. READ »

Giving German schools an 'F' for integration

Society: 28 Oct 10
When children of immigrants do worse at school than their German peers, it provides fodder to xenophobes. But as David Wroe reports, schools are failing to help kids integrate into society. READ »

From cleaning woman to doctor: Brandenburg recruits foreign physicians

National: 20 Oct 10
As a noisy debate about immigration grips Germany, the country is hoping new plans to recognise diplomas gained abroad will lure highly qualified foreign professionals looking for a new home. Brandenburg is already recruiting doctors. READ »

Wulff urges Turkey to respect Christians

Politics: 19 Oct 10
German President Christian Wulff on Tuesday urged Turkey to respect the religious freedoms of Christian minorities and offered a conciliatory message to Turks living in Germany. READ »

German media roundup: Merkel's convoluted immigration policy

Analysis & Opinion: 18 Oct 10
Chancellor Angela Merkel has declared “multiculturalism” dead but also wants to lure qualified immigrants to Germany. The conflicting messages left some newspapers in The Local’s media roundup on Monday confused. READ »

The new anti-Semitism

Analysis & Opinion: 15 Oct 10
Having seen the disastrous consequences of virulent anti-Semitism firsthand, Germany must lead the fight against Europe’s rising intolerance towards Muslims, writes The Local’s Marc Young. READ »

CSU hardens stance against immigration

Politics: 14 Oct 10
The general secretary of the Christian Social Union has declared that “Germany is not an immigration country,” signalling that the Bavarian conservatives were defiantly standing their ground over recent attacks on immigrants. READ »

Xenophobia takes root in German mainstream

National: 13 Oct 10
The acrid immigration debate sparked this summer by Thilo Sarrazin has had an effect on the German public. A poll released Wednesday showed that one-tenth want a “Führer,” and one-quarter had strong xenophobic attitudes. READ »

Stranger at the feast: Navigating the Frankfurt Book Fair

Lifestyle: 11 Oct 10
How do you navigate the planet’s largest shindig dedicated to the printed word while avoiding the likes of Jonathan Franzen and Thilo Sarrazin? Berlin-based US author Ralph Martin offers an insider’s account of the Frankfurt Book Fair. READ »

Turkish group demands apology from Seehofer

Politics: 11 Oct 10
Outraged Turkish groups and German politicians on Monday demanded an apology from Horst Seehofer after the conservative Bavarian state premier suggested over the weekend Germany put a stop to immigration for Turks and Arabs. READ »

Fear of an Islamic Fatherland

Analysis & Opinion: 7 Oct 10
The current debate about Islam’s place in German society is often skewed by a perverse interpretation of the religion that most average Muslim citizens do not recognize, writes Thomas Seibert from Der Tagesspiegel. READ »

Muslim group lauds Wulff's remarks on Islam

Society: 4 Oct 10
A senior Muslim representative in Germany praised on Monday comments by President Christian Wulff that Islam was integral part of the country's society, aimed at cooling a heated debate on integration. READ »

Most Germans see Muslims as a burden

Politics: 30 Sep 10
More than half of Germans see Muslim immigrants as a drag on the country, a poll published Thursday has found. READ »

Merkel under pressure to refresh year-old coalition

Politics: 26 Sep 10
A year into the current government, Angela Merkel’s attempts to give her fractious coalition a fresh start seem destined to fail, stymied by regalvanised opposition to nuclear power and a bitter national row on immigration. READ »

Turkish scholar warns of racist '19th century' views

Society: 22 Sep 10
A leading Turkish scholar has likened elements of the latest German debate on integration to racist 19th century notions of “primitive” immigrants who breed uncontrollably. READ »

De Maizière calls for more tolerance towards immigrants

National: 20 Sep 10
Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière on Monday said German society needed to be more tolerant and accepting of immigrants. Meanwhile SPD boss Sigmar Gabriel suggested getting tough with foreigners unwilling to integrate. READ »

The streets of Neukölln: Has integration failed?

Society: 16 Sep 10
Thilo Sarrazin’s controversial book has sparked a heated debate about immigration. But what’s it really like on the streets of Germany’s integration flash points? David Wroe and Ruth Michaelson report from Berlin’s Neukölln district. READ »

Sarrazin refuses to leave SPD despite pressure

Politics: 14 Sep 10
Outgoing Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin on Tuesday said he would not willingly leave the centre-left Social Democrats despite their misgivings over his controversial comments on race and immigration. READ »

Doubts emerge within SPD as decision on Sarrazin expulsion looms

Politics: 13 Sep 10
Doubts are reportedly growing among Germany's centre-left Social Democrats about whether to expel outgoing Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin from the party following his comments about race and immigration. READ »

Reports of Sarrazin's pay-off provoke fury

Politics: 12 Sep 10
Reports that the Bundesbank agreed to increase disgraced board member Thilo Sarrazin’s pension payments by €1,000 a month to accelerate his departure have been greeted with fury and denials. READ »

Sarrazin steps down

National: 10 Sep 10
Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin resigned late on Thursday after causing weeks of uproar with inflammatory comments on immigrants and Jews. READ »

Severance pay for Sarrazin in question

National: 9 Sep 10
Embattled Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin may not receive a severance package if he is removed from his post following incendiary claims about race and immigration, a media report said on Thursday. READ »

Von der Leyen blasts hard line on immigrants

Politics: 8 Sep 10
As Labour Minister Ursula von der Leyen rejected calls to slash welfare payments to unemployed immigrants who don’t send their children to day care, the government on Wednesday pledged to improve its integration efforts. READ »

Cartoonist slams Islam ahead of Merkel speech

National: 8 Sep 10
A Danish cartoonist who sparked protests around the world with a satire of Muslim violence has branded Islam a “reactionary” religion, just hours before Chancellor Merkel presented him with an award defending freedom of speech. READ »

Much ado about Thilo

Analysis & Opinion: 7 Sep 10
Germans must forget the hysteria surrounding Thilo Sarrazin and take an honest look at the integration of immigrants into their society, argues Roger Boyes, the Berlin correspondent for the British daily The Times. READ »

Conservatives demand sanctions against problem immigrants

Politics: 6 Sep 10
As the integration debate stoked by Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin continues to smoulder, conservatives have begun calling for heavier sanctions against immigrants they deem unwilling to become part of German society. READ »

Public support for Sarrazin puts politicians in spin

Politics: 5 Sep 10
Nearly a fifth of Germans would vote for a political protest party headed by Thilo Sarrazin, a poll revealed on Sunday, as mainstream politicians argue about how best to react to his statements on Muslims, immigration and Jews. READ »

Two-thirds of Germans disagree with Sarrazin

Society: 3 Sep 10
Nearly two-thirds of Germans disagree with controversial central banker Thilo Sarrazin’s claim that rampant immigration is making Germany “dumber,” a poll released Friday has found. READ »

Sarrazin sparks calls for new integration debate

Politics: 3 Sep 10
With President Christian Wulff expected to announce soon the dismissal of central banker Thilo Sarrazin over inflammatory race and immigration comments, leading politicians called on Friday for a renewed integration debate. READ »

Bundesbank backs Sarrazin's dismissal

National: 2 Sep 10
The Bundesbank's leadership on Thursday backed the dismissal of board member Thilo Sarrazin for his controversial remarks on race and immigration. President Christian Wulff had already signalled support for his removal. READ »

German Media Roundup: Sarrazin's radioactive immigration debate

Analysis & Opinion: 31 Aug 10
Inflammatory comments on Muslims and race by Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin have caused widespread outrage in Germany. Newspapers in The Local’s media roundup on Tuesday explore the repercussions. READ »

Sarrazin will be hard to sack, judge warns

National: 31 Aug 10
After Germany’s central bank stopped short of sacking board member Thilo Sarrazin over his incendiary remarks on race and immigration, a legal expert warned Tuesday it could be difficult to force him from the Bundesbank. READ »

Sarrazin: Muslims not compatible with Germany

Politics: 30 Aug 10
Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin reiterated his criticism of Muslim immigrants on Monday, saying the vast majority were not fit to integrate into German society. Meanwhile the SPD prepared to kick him out of the party. READ »

Sarrazin's Jewish 'gene' comments spark outrage

National: 29 Aug 10
Already under fire for his discriminatory comments against Muslims, Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin sparked further outrage with controversial remarks regarding Jews in an interview published on Sunday. READ »

Turkish community demands more government pressure on Sarrazin

Society: 28 Aug 10
The chairman of the Turkish Community in Germany (TGD) has called on Chancellor Angela Merkel to send a clear signal condemning anti-Muslim comments by Bundesbank official Thilo Sarrazin, according to a Saturday report. READ »

Sarrazin under fire for anti-Muslim views

Politics: 26 Aug 10
Bundesbank official Thilo Sarrazin faced increasing pressure from across the political spectrum due to his controversial views on Muslims and immigrants on Thursday, as calls grew for him to leave the SPD and his central bank post. READ »

Gabriel signals Sarrazin should leave SPD over xenophobic views

Society: 25 Aug 10
The Social Democrats' leader Sigmar Gabriel signalled on Wednesday that Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin should leave the centre-left party following his latest inflammatory and anti-immigrant statements. READ »

Sarrazin says Germany 'dumber' through immigration

National: 11 Jun 10
Controversial Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin made further anti-immigrant comments this week, alleging that Germany is getting “dumber” because of its foreign population. READ »

Religious Muslim boys more violent, study says

Society: 6 Jun 10
A study that shows boys growing up in religious Muslim families are more likely to be violent seems set to reignite the debate over religion and integration, a media report said on Sunday. READ »

States mutiny against Merkel's tax cut bill

Business & Money: 27 Nov 09
The tax cuts planned by Chancellor Angela Merkel's new centre-right coalition faced an uncertain future on Friday amid growing resistance from Germany's states. There is now discussion of pushing the changes back to 2011. READ »

A contract for both sides of Germany’s integration equation

Analysis & Opinion: 27 Nov 09
The German government’s newly proposed “integration contract” for immigrants could be a step forward – but only if its a two-way commitment, argues Der Tagesspiegel’s Jost Müller-Neuhof. READ »

Berlin plans 'integration contract' for immigrants

Politics: 23 Nov 09
The government is planning to institute "integration contracts" for immigrants to encourage them to become contributing members of the country’s society, Germany’s integration commissioner announced on Monday. READ »

Berlin stokes foreign investor land rush

Lifestyle: 17 Nov 09
Berlin is a roomy place, but private investors from Britain and the United States have come to see the German capital as fertile ground for a cheap property deal. Ben Knight finds out how much of the city is left for Exberliner magazine. READ »

Animal blood thrown at Bavarian mosque

National: 25 Oct 09
Unknown vandals defaced a mosque with animal blood in the Bavarian town of Elsenfeld on Saturday. The blood was discovered by children on their way to Koran studies. READ »

Sarrazin comments were checked by Bundesbank before publication

National: 17 Oct 09
Controversial comments about immigrants made by Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin were reportedly approved by the bank’s public relations operation and read through by the head of Germany's central bank before publication. READ »

Bundesbank's Sarrazin stripped of duties for xenophobic comments

National: 13 Oct 09
Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin was stripped of some of his responsibilities on Tuesday in a symbolic protest of anti-immigrant comments he made last month. READ »

Sarrazin wins support for integration comments

Society: 11 Oct 09
Half of Germans agree with controversial remarks by federal bank board member Thilo Sarrazin, who said that most Arab and Turkish immigrants are “neither willing nor able to integrate,” a poll revealed on Sunday. READ »

Bundesbank boss hints Sarrazin should quit

National: 3 Oct 09
The head of Germany’s central bank said Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin should resign after the former Berlin finance senator said the city's Arab and Turkish populations had no productive function and had too many children. READ »