Germany briefing: Legal elite demand AfD ban as heatwave returns and rail fares face scrutiny
A roundup of the day's biggest German stories, from a constitutional showdown over the far right to a hedgehog that triggered a police raid.
More than 1,000 German legal professionals have signed an open letter demanding that the federal government and Bundestag launch proceedings to ban the Alternative for Germany (AfD), arguing the party violates constitutional principles of human dignity and democracy. The move, organised by the Republican Lawyers' Association, cites a legal opinion from the Society for Civil Liberties and marks the most concerted push yet to test the Basic Law's party-ban mechanism.
Heat and storms return
A brief weekend respite has ended. The German Weather Service (DWD) forecast temperatures up to 38C across central and southern regions on Tuesday, with severe thunderstorms, hail and squalls expected in Berlin, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Conditions stay hot Wednesday before easing to around 30C by Thursday and 28C Friday. Coastal areas on the North and Baltic Seas remain the coolest, with highs in the low to mid-20s.
Deutsche Bahn's 'super saver' fares under fire
The Federation of German Consumer Organisations says Deutsche Bahn's cheapest "Super sparpreis" tickets were unavailable for daytime second-class journeys on roughly three-quarters of days tracked over 23 months. When offered, prices ran 15 to 157 percent above the advertised rate. Association head Ramona Pop called for simpler, transparent pricing. DB countered that the study excluded the 6-7am commuter window and many direct regional routes.
Pension reform fight intensifies
Senior SPD leaders including Anke Rehlinger and Manuela Schwesig, plus CDU premiers in Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia, are resisting a Pension Commission recommendation to scrap the "retirement at 63" rule, which grants a full pension after 45 contribution years. They argue eastern German work histories warrant protection. CDU/CSU parliamentary leader Thorsten Frei and commission vice-chair Pascal Reddig warn that cherry-picking reforms would undermine the package's financial sustainability.
Finally, police in Mühlheim am Main, Hesse, responded to a supermarket burglar alarm before dawn only to find a hedgehog trapped inside overnight. The animal, unharmed, was released back into the wild. Officers described the intruder as a "four-legged intruder acting without any criminal intent."
