SPECIAL ISSUE #53 🤯
GERMANY AT ITS LOWEST?
I live in a country that does not cease to surprise or rather shock me. When you think it cannot get any worse they prove you wrong in an instant.
The German Minister of Health, Karl Lauterbach, proclaims that due to the great and effective Corona policies, all the measures will be lifted by March 1st, 2023. All, except of course the mask mandates for hospitals, nursing homes, doctor’s practices, and anything health related. He just cannot let go. Most appalling is that this is sold to the people as some great victory.
“Honor and shame from no condition rise. Act well your part: there all the honor lies.” — Alexander Pope
But it actually does get worse.
This is a letter that has been sent to the residents of a housing complex in the city of Lörrach in Baden Würtemberg.
Here is the translation:
Tenants' meeting
Dear Sir...,
As you know, Germany is experiencing a significant influx of refugees from Ukraine and other regions of the world. The city of Lörrach and the district are also obliged to accommodate refugees.
In addition to the planned refugee homes, there has been an intensive search for other locations. Because of its particular suitability, we will make our property Wölbingstrasse 21 to 29 available for this purpose. For you, this means that we will soon terminate the tenancy agreed with you. However, we will provide you with alternative, suitable living space and support you with the move, also financially.
The first flats will soon become available and refugees will move in; nevertheless, there will be enough time for each individual to find a good solution. It is planned that the entire complex can be used as a refugee home by the end of the year.
In order to inform you comprehensively, we invite you to a residents' meeting on Monday, 27 February 2023 at 5 p.m. in our community room at Wolblinstrasse 7, Lörrach,
In addition, we will discuss the personal situation of each individual in individual meetings in the coming period and look for good solutions.
Here is also an interesting article from the German magazine FOCUS addressing this issue:
City evicts tenants for refugees - but inconsistencies raise doubts
The most important bits:
- Due to the war in Ukraine, a particularly large number of refugees are currently arriving in Germany.
- The city of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg is now forced to evict about 40 tenants from a housing complex to make room for refugees.
- The tenants who are threatened with termination are furious.
In the city of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg, about 40 people will soon have to move out of their flats. The reason: the housing complex, which is currently run by a municipal subsidiary, is now to be rented by the city and converted into housing for refugees.
City evicts tenants to make room for refugees
"The accommodation of refugees currently poses great challenges to the municipalities," writes the city in an official statement. "The city of Lörrach is currently dependent on housing that is available at short notice," it continues. The letter to the tenants of the housing complex is currently making waves on social media. "For you, this means that we will shortly terminate the tenancy agreed with them."
In letter to tenants, company announces termination - but there are inconsistencies
However, the city offers its help to the tenants for the time after the termination: "However, we will offer you alternative, suitable housing and support you in moving, also financially." The offers are to be "modern and affordable" housing, within a radius of "five kilometres". The uncertainty and fear of significantly higher rents, is currently putting the affected residents in turmoil.
The city is inviting residents to a meeting on 27 February and "urgently requests their participation. There will also be individual discussions with the residents.
City of Lörrach contradicts itself
According to the city, the affected flats are "flats from the 1950s that are at the end of their life cycle and whose demolition and replacement construction was planned for the next few years." As the city further claims, the houses were to be demolished in 2023/24. But the tenants would have known nothing at all about this period, reports "Bild". The city reassessed the situation: now it suddenly says that the houses are to be demolished in 2028.
A Lörrach local council representative says something completely different, "The plan was that the flats would be rented by the city to house refugees and then renovated," says Matthias Lindner, parliamentary group leader of the Free Voters.
"A foolish letter that unfortunately only fuels the mood against refugees".
The city bases the notice on a justified public interest. The German Tenants' Association, however, doubts that such a termination is legally sound. A spokesperson for the association told "Ntv": "Such a termination is not legally permissible because the justified interest in the sense of § 573 BGB is missing. A civil law lawyer also confirmed this to "Bild".
Rolf Gaßmann, regional chairman of the German Tenants' Association in Baden-Württemberg, also doubts the legality of the notices to quit: "According to tenancy law, housing refugees is not grounds for termination. A foolish letter from the housing association that unfortunately only fuels the mood against refugees."
Evicted tenants are pissed off
The residents of the house are pissed off about the threatened termination. "I am shocked," 61-year-old Carmen Knoll tells the Bild newspaper (Tuesday edition). "I've lived here for 30 years, I only get 600 euros in basic benefits and pension, I pay around 375 euros cold. I can't afford a higher rent."
Samuel Multner, another resident of the house, sees it similarly. "It is a disgrace how we are treated here. We waited three years for the flat and have only been living here for five months," the 34-year-old artist tells the Bild newspaper.
It is basically completely irrelevant whether the city gets away with it or not. The very fact that they tried is an absolute scandal.
Since the accommodation for refugees is paid for out of the public purse, i.e. from taxpayers' money, it is certainly very lucrative for the owners to evict the current tenants, to help them find a new flat, and even to support them financially when they move. Whether the tenants can afford it or not is of course irrelevant. As is usually the case, it's all about squeezing as much profit as possible out of something, in this case out of an old building. Any humanity is lost while people are deliberately being driven into poverty.
For a so-called developed country like Germany, this is shameful proof of the failure on an enormous scale.
Never have there been so many people coming out of retirement, working wherever they can - not because they want to but because they have no other way to make ends meet and to ensure they will not starve - instead of enjoying their well-deserved retirement.
Follow the money!
“Glory, built on selfish principles, is shame and guilt.” — William Cowper
🎶My Song of the Day
Is by the amazing Jack Johnson with Crying Shame
For more good music, go to this Spotify playlist where you can find all the songs from the Change & Evolve Letters!
📚My Poem of the Day
Is by Robert Creely (1926–2005)
The Shame
What will the shame be, what cost to pay. We are walking in a wood, wood of stones, boulders for trees. The sky is a black sudden cloud, a sun. Speak to me, say what things were forgotten.
👀Impressions
My encounter with a lovely new friend
To begin any kind of transformation, you have to know what your story is before you can navigate to something better and write a new story, becoming the best possible version of yourself. This is what the Enneagram and I can do for you. I would be happy to take the time for a speed coaching call that you can reserve right here go to my website or simply hit reply and get in touch with me directly.
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Yours
Tanja 🤗