Germany updates: Thousands join Cologne's CSD parade

07/06/2025July 6, 2025

President Steinmeier says Lithuania's security 'is our security'

Steinmeier (center) was received by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda (left) in VilniusImage: Mindaugas Kulbis/AP/picture alliance

During 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.

07/06/2025July 6, 2025

Germany's monasteries and convents dying out

The graveyard of the Mariawald abbey in the Eifel region, which belongs to a Cistercian order in North Rhine-Westphalia, pictured in 2016Image: picture alliance

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.

07/06/2025July 6, 2025

Bundestag research office casts 'substantial doubt' on justification for Israel's strikes on Iran

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.

07/06/2025July 6, 2025

Germany facing 3 more lawsuits over migrant turnbacks

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 Stern 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," Stern 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."

07/06/2025July 6, 2025

Polish border checks to begin on Sunday night

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."

07/06/2025July 6, 2025

Over 1.4 million German pensioners still work — report

Many pensioners in Germany still have to work due to a low pensionImage: Michael Gstettenbauer/IMAGO

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 system.

07/06/2025July 6, 2025

Hundreds of thousands expected for Cologne's CSD parade

Welcome back to our coverage of the latest news, explainers and analysis from Germany on Sunday, July 6.

Cologne 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.

07/05/2025July 5, 2025

Pride and protest in eastern Germany

Pride marches are increasingly targeted by right-wing extremists in GermanyImage: Christoph Soeder/dpa/picture alliance

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.

A banner reads 'CSD instead of AFD,' the far-right party which opposes same-sex marriageImage: Christoph Soeder/dpa/picture alliance

On the same day, several dozen participants protested against Pride events.

A banner read 'No to CSD'Image: Christoph Soeder/dpa/picture alliance

Police say both the march and the counter demonstration remained peaceful.

07/05/2025July 5, 2025

PSG edge Bayern in Club World Cup thriller as Musiala suffers horror injury

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.

The injury to Musiala made a bad day for Bayern even worseImage: Malachi Gabriel/ZUMA/picture alliance

07/05/2025July 5, 2025

Father and child missing after boating accident on Bavarian lake

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.

07/05/2025July 5, 2025

Wildfires in eastern Germany continue to rage

Hundreds have been deployed to battle the firesImage: Daniel Wagner/dpa/picture alliance

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.

Mario Voigt, the premier of Thuringia, traveled to the fire area on SaturdayImage: Daniel Vogl/dpa/picture alliance

07/05/2025July 5, 2025

AfD leader blasts SPD ban push as 'reminder of dark times'

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.

Weidel compared the proposed move by the SPD to the crushing of resistance by the NazisImage: Andreas Gora/IMAGO

07/05/2025July 5, 2025

Germany captain Gwinn out of women's Euro 2025

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.

07/05/2025July 5, 2025

Anti-German graffiti sprayed on property in Spain's Mallorca

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 Mallorca Zeitung 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 DPA

"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.

07/05/2025July 5, 2025

Welcome back to our coverage

Guten Abend 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.