Germany updates: Protesters rally over climate, abortion

We’ll continue with the news from Germany on September 21 here too. Stay tuned.

The head of DB Regio, Germany’s regional rail division, is set to take over as the head ofthe ailing Deutsche Bahn national railway, German news agency DPA reported, citing information obtained from government sources.

German Transportation Minister Patrick Schnieder has allegedly proposed DB regional chief Evelyn Palla for the job. Her appointment would need to be approved by the supervisory board, which is scheduled to meet on Tuesday.

If confirmed, Palla will be the first woman to head Deutsche Bahn. She will succeed Richard Lutz, who has led the state-owned company since early 2017. 

In August, Transportation Minister Schnieder announced the plan to appoint a new chief executive to carry out a fresh strategy to lead Deutsche Bahn out of the crisis. That strategy is expected to be revealed on Monday.

Germany’s national railway is notoriously unreliable. In August, only about 60% of its long-distance trains ran on time. 

Germany’s tightrope walk over recognizing state of Palestine

On September 22, a moment of decision will take place on New York’s East River at the United Nations General Assembly.

France, Canada, and Belgium intend to recognize Palestine as a state, and the United Kingdom is also likely to take the step.

The goal is to exert pressure on Israel to end the Gaza war and initiate a new peace process. 

Germany, however, is not among them. 

 “We won’t be joining this initiative,” said Chancellor Friedrich Merz in August when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited.

Read more to find out how pressure is mounting for the German government to take a stronger stance.

New burial laws set to modernize German funeral culture

Julie Gregson

Coffin or urn?

If you die in Germany, you will probably end up in a box in a public cemetery. 

The country has some of the strictest funeral laws in Western Europe. Now, the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony-Anhalt have overhauled their burial legislation.

Read more to find out what kind of burials are now possible in those two states.

Climate demonstrations are taking place across Germany after the German government announced a new “pragmatic” approach to energy policy. 

Earlier this week, conservative German Economy and Energy Minister Katherina Reiche unveiled a series of proposals, such as the building of new gas-fired plants and the phasing out of certain renewable subsidies, in order to boost energy security and supply. 

Police told German news agency epd that around 3,000 people gathered in Berlin’s Invalidenpark against the government’s proposal, under the motto “ #ExitGasEnterFuture.” The demonstration was called for by the Fridays for Future climate movement. 

Nele Evers, a spokesperson for Fridays for Future Berlin, told the demonstrators that as the climate crisis escalates, “the government puts the interests of fossil fuel companies ahead of our right to a future.” 

Protests also took the northern German city of Bremen, where 750 people took part, and the city of Braunschweig, where police said there were 800 demonstrators present. 

Hundreds also demonstrated in the historic city center of Dresden, which lies in Germany’s east. 

According to police, 2,500 people are present at the anti-abortion “March for Life” demonstration in Berlin. Attendees carried signs with slogans such as “No Children — No Future” and “Inclusion Begins Before Birth.”

The demonstration took place on the south side of Berlin’s main station, in an area known on the Washingtonplatz.  

According to the Berlin Tagesspiegel newspaper, one of the speakers at the “March for Life” event said the practice of abortion is unacceptable even in the case of rape.   

A pro-choice counterprotest also took place in the German capital, with participants carrying slogans such as “My Body, My Choice” and “Sexual Self-Determination is a Human Right.”   

Police in Cologne also said several thousand people took part in the “March for Life” demonstration. Archbishop of Cologne Rainer Woelki spoke at the rally and thanked attendees. 

There was also a pro-choice counterprotest in Cologne, with the Pro Choice Alliance Cologne reporting 3,000 people at the event. 

Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter has opened the 190th Oktoberfest in the Bavarian capital by tapping the first barrel of beer, the beverage at the focus of the world-famous event on the Theresienwiese fairground.

Several million people from all over the world are expected to attend this year as in previous ones, with a record of 7.2 million set in 2023.

Read more about the opening of the beer-soaked festivities in Munich.

A cyberattack targeting a service provider for check-in and boarding systems has disrupted
operations at multiple airports in Europe, including Berlin-Brandenburg.

Brussels Airport was also affected by the cyberattack, which meant check-in and boarding procedures had to be carried out manually, leading to delays and cancellations of flights.

Read more about the disruptions facing European airports on Saturday.

Oktoberfest 2025 starts with record beer prices

The Oktoberfest, a festival largely focused on the large-scale consumption of beer, is set to begin in the southern German city of Munich on Saturday.

At this year’s Oktoberfest, beer is more expensive than ever. But that won’t stop millions from coming along and drinking up the festive atmosphere, as well as copious amounts of beer. 

DW will keep you up to date as festivities begin, but you can read more about Germany’s world-renowned event in our preview.

Opponents of liberal abortion laws are to take part in protests entitled “March for Life” in the German cities of Berlin and Cologne, with Catholic bishops among those participating in the demonstratons.

Organizers have informed authorities that some 5,000 protesters will attend each of the two marches, which have been called by the anti-abortion organization Bundesverband Lebensrecht (BVL), a name that translates roughly to Federal Association for the Right to Life.

Counterprotests will also take place in both cities, with 2,000 people registered in Berlin and 1,000 in Cologne.

In the runup to the protests, the chairman of the Catholic German Bishops’ Conference, Georg Bätzing, wrote an approbatory greeting to participants.

The BVL, which includes 15 anti-abortion groups, said two leading Catholic figures will be taking part in the Berlin march: Regensburg Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer and Matthias Heinrich, an auxiliary bishop who serves in Berlin.

In the past, the participation of Catholic figures in the protests has sparked some controversy in the church itself, as far-right activists and parties often also take part.

Abortion in Germany is illegal except in cases when the life of the pregnant person is in danger. However, it is a nonpunishable crime during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy if the person receives the mandatory counselling.

Regular efforts are made by leftist parties to liberalize the laws,but conservatives have so far remained adamant in their opposition.

Demonstrations and protest actions are planned in 70 German cities on Saturday amid a call for worldwide climate rallies by the student activist group “Fridays for Future.”

The protests calling for an end to fossil fuel use and investment in a fair energy transition come as German climate activist Luisa Neubauer heavily criticized the energy policies of Economy Minister Katharina Reiche from the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), the party led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Neubauer told the EPD news agency of Germany’s Protestant Church that Reiche’s policies were “a security risk to our livelihoods.”

This comes after Reiche on Monday announced that the government would build new gas-fired power plants while reducing the expansion of renewable energy sources.

Climate activists say that such measures will make it difficult or impossible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the extent necessary to curb global warming, which scientists say poses a grave threat to human existence.

Welcome to our coverage

Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in Bonn as our team brings you top stories from around Germany.

Saturday is to see protests across the country on issues such as abortion rights, climate protection and women’s rights in Iran.

Meanwhile, a gathering of an altogether more festive nature is to kick off in Munich as the beer-fueled Oktoberfest gets underway.

Stay tuned for a colorful array of stories from Europe’s economic powerhouse.