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The Needle: Berlin

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Berlin and German Politics

Berlin and German Politics 

Where Germany is Going: a Q&A on Election Weekend

22/09/201723/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

Germany goes to the polls this Sunday, 24 September 2017. What does the campaign tell us about the EU’s largest

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Berlin and German Politics 

What Germany Does to Fight Nazis

20/08/201723/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

by Joseph Pearson, historian Germany is a country that jumps on Nazis every time they come out of the woodwork. The

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Berlin and German Politics 

In Response to Last Night’s Attacks in Berlin

20/12/201623/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

  BERLIN: 20 DEC 2016 (11am). The driver of the truck that killed at least 12 people, and wounded scores more, in

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Berlin and German Politics 

Berlin Elections, Racism, and Who Belongs to the City

17/09/201623/06/2018 Joseph Pearson 2016, AfD, Alternatives for Germany, Asians, Berlin, Campaign, Election, Green Party, Holiday Apartments, Populism, Racism, Refugees, State Election, Touristenhass

17 SEPT 2016. More than one instance of small-minded racism has marred my week, leading up to the Berlin city-state elections

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Berlin and German Politics 

Germany’s New Integration Law: A Mistake

26/05/201623/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

26 MAY 16. Yesterday, Germany unveiled new proposed legislation for integrating refugees into society. The law should be adopted by this summer.

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Berlin and German Politics 

Is Kreuzberg a “No-Go” Zone?

15/05/201623/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

Calling Kreuzberg a ‘no-go zone’ is a dangerous trend in the news media that stigmatises immigrants, refugees and racial minorities, and

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Berlin and German Politics 

Cologne Assaults: A Distorted and Dangerous Debate of Stereotypes

15/01/201623/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

It’s too simple to explain the serious crimes against women in Cologne this past New Year’s eve by the assailants’

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Berlin and German Politics 

Berlin’s Appalling Conditions at Refugee Registration Center LaGeSo

29/09/201523/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

29 SEPT 2015, BERLIN—I spent all day today at the refugee registration centre, LaGeSo, on Turmstraße. Refugees tell me getting

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Berlin and German Politics 

How Long Will Germany Welcome Refugees? The View from Berlin

28/09/201523/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

28.09.15 BERLIN––Yesterday, I went to a picnic, with approximately 1000 people, to welcome refugees to Berlin. It was organised by

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Berlin and German Politics 

Razor Wire and Refugees: What’s Happening Now in Berlin

27/09/201523/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

  Across from their embassy in Berlin, Hungarian expats are unspooling razor wire littered with rags of clothing, a symbol of

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Berlin and German Politics 

Why Germany Welcomes Refugees

07/09/201523/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

What accounts for Germany’s compassionate and generous response to twenty thousand refugees, from Syria and other conflict zones, who flooded across the

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About the Author

Joseph Pearson is a writer based between Berlin and New York City. Born in Canada, he was educated at Cambridge University, UK, where he received his doctorate in history in 2001. His non-fiction portrait of Berlin was published in 2017. He is also the essayist and blogger of the Schaubühne Theatre, one of Berlin’s best known state-funded institutions. Since 2008, he has written The Needle, which has become one of Berlin’s most popular blogs. His writing has appeared widely in the press, literary and academic journals, and has been translated into German, Italian, French, Arabic, and other languages. For professional inquiries please contact:  joseph [AT] cantab.net.

What is The Needle?

The changing meanings of The Needle are the inspiration for these pages. Above Alexanderplatz is Berlin's television tower. The Needle surveilled the city during East German times like a threatening eye; then its meaning changed after the Berlin Wall fell. Berliners now think of the tower as a giant disco ball flirting with the city lights––a symbol of sex, electronic music and youth culture. This weekly documents the Berlin Renaissance today, mindful of a dramatic and terrifying history. Berlin is Europe's most exciting city, and The Needle is here to share.

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