Latest news with #Turkish-German
Euractiv
05-08-2025
- Business
- Euractiv
Is Germany facing a döner shortage over workers' rights?
For months, workers have been on strike over working conditions at one of Germany's largest döner kebab skewer production sites. Could this mean the beloved staple is becoming scarce? The döner kebab, traditionally lamb or beef meat, in flatbread is one of Germany's most beloved fast foods – whether for lunch, a cheeky midnight snack or as a hangover remedy after a night out. Beyond convenience, the döner represents much more: It's a symbol of Turkish-German friendship and the legacy of Turkish Gastarbeiter (guest workers) who arrived between the 1950s and 1970s to help rebuild post-war Germany. Over time, the döner has achieved cult status. From slogans like 'Döner makes you better looking,' to ex-national footballer Lukas Podolski launching a kebab chain, and politicians rallying with cheap döner during campaigns to engage young voters. For some, it's seen as a badge of honour if your local kebab dealer knows you on a first name basis, while calls for a 'döner price cap' spice up concerns about inflation and affordability. To the dismay of many, the median price of a döner rose from €4 to €7 between 2016 and 2025 and a months-long strike at a key production site in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg is stirring public worry about a further price increase. Workers unite! The Birtat factory is a major supplier of kebab meat nationwide. For months, workers have been demanding higher wages and a collective agreement, but so far, there has been no consensus. According to the Food, Beverages, and Catering Union (NGG), employees' conditions involve intense work on fast-paced production lines and inconsistent wages, with some unexplained differences of up to €50. Union slogans like 'Döner: even prettier with a union contract!', alluding to the colloquial catchphrase, reflect the growing pressure. While the strikes have disrupted production only for singular days and no shortages have been reported so far, extended industrial action could eventually affect supply. The Döner Index Germany's 'Döner Index' might not enjoy the same fame as The Economist 's 'Big Mac Index', but is an equally quirky yet telling way of measuring regional inflation and economic pressure. Döner-hungry individuals need to fork out between €5.79 and €9.77 for their kebab, a study across 37 German cities by food-delivery service Lieferando found. The most expensive döner was identified in the northern city of Flensburg, while the cheapest was located in the eastern city of Halle (Saale). According to Professor Oliver Holtemöller of the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, three main factors drive these variations: competition (how many shops are nearby), local costs (like rent and wages), and demand. Combined, they explain the wide price gap. However, Holtemöller cautions that döner prices reflect local conditions more than general inflation. 'The price differences for doner kebabs are much more regional than those of general inflation. That means there are special, döner-specific factors at play,' he said in an interview with public broadcaster MDR . In short: wealthier areas with higher wages typically see higher döner prices. Döner goes Brussels The döner has also entered the policy arenas of Brussels, with Turkey seeking EU recognition for it under the Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) scheme – which protects recipes, not regions. Ankara wants to set rules on how döner is made to preserve its authenticity – from the thickness of the meat slices to the hours of marination. An application, filed in 2022, outlines detailed preparation standards, from meat slicing to marination, to safeguard authenticity. After months of inconclusive talks between Turkey and EU countries, the ball now lies in the European Commission's court. The decision will be taken 'in due time," a Commission spokesperson told Euractiv.
France 24
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
German far-right voters don't deserve empathy, says director Akin
Not that the Turkish-German filmmaker -- who burst onto the scene with "Head-On" before winning a Golden Globe for "In the Fade" -- believes those he sees as their modern German equivalents are worthy of an ounce of empathy. "People are always saying we should try to understand these people who are voting AfD," Akin said, referring to the far-right Alternative for Germany party which has been accused of toying with Nazi rhetoric and nostalgia. "But why should we be understanding of people who don't want to understand us?" Akin asked. "I don't care what JD Vance (the US vice president, who infuriated German leaders by meeting the AfD) says... I will not give them empathy. No freedom for the enemies of freedom," he told AFP. Germany's spy agency classified the AfD as "extremist" earlier this month, allowing it to monitor the country's biggest opposition party. The AfD denounced the move as a "blow against democracy" and the agency suspended the move pending their appeal. But Vance also attacked the original decision. In Akin's new film "Amrum", set on the North Sea island of the same name off northern Germany in the last days of World War II, our hearts go out to a young boy who tries to save his mother -- a Nazi true believer -- as she spirals into depression at Germany's defeat and Hitler's death. Yet "there is no sympathy for the devil... in this graceful and profound drama", wrote Tomris Laffly, critic of the film bible Variety. Akin makes clear the film is a warning about the here and now, with AfD emerging as the most popular party in the German elections earlier this year. "In the 1990s, the Nazis were bald-headed guys with bomber jackets in the east," he told AFP. "Today they're all over the place -- your family, your friends, your neighbours. You're touching them." In the film, the Nazis are in a minority on the island just as they were when Hitler came to power in 1933, but they rule the roost. 'Banality of evil' "Certain forces in Germany are trying to make Nazism as mainstream as possible now, to make it boring and normal," the director warned. Akin sees the same "banality of evil" in the AfD leaders like banker Alice Weidel. "She's boring, uncharismatic, unfriendly, always in a suit," he said. Akin draws out the emotional coldness and cruelty of Nazism in one heartbreaking scene in the film, drawn from the childhood memoir of his friend and mentor, the director Hark Bohm. After the boy goes through hell to please his mother, she pushes him away when he cries in her arms. "It is cry-babies like you that have lost us the war," she tells him. There is the same "frightening coldness" about Weidel and the German far right, Akin argued. It is that "lack of humanity" that haunts Hamburg-born Akin, the child of Turkish immigrants who has gone on to be the most critically acclaimed and successful German director under 70. "I am afraid that if 12 million people vote for the extreme right... does it mean that there are 12 million unfriendly people in Germany too?" he asked. "Amrum", which stars the German-born Hollywood star Diane Kruger, has had glowing reviews in Cannes. Screen called it a "delicate, rather heartbreaking coming-of-age story... which shows the precision that can be achieved on a smaller canvas" with a family-friendly film. Bohm, 86, had wanted to film his own book himself but was too ill and handed the project to Akin, who dedicated the film to him, calling it a "Hark Bohm film by Fatih Akin". © 2025 AFP
eNCA
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- eNCA
Top director Akin slams Turkey's 'mobster' leaders over arrests
Acclaimed film director Fatih Akin said he fears ending up behind bars if he returns to Turkey, with his manager there in jail accused of attempting to overthrow the government. The Turkish-German auteur -- a hero to many in the country for films like "Head-On", "In the Fade" and the Istanbul music documentary "Crossing the Bridge" -- told AFP late Friday that agent Ayse Barim is "totally apolitical and innocent" of the charges, which relate to protests 12 years ago. "If they put her in prison, what the hell is going on?" Akin asked. "So I better not go there. I don't want to take the risk." Barim, 56, who was arrested in January, denied helping to organise the 2013 Gezi protests that shook the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- who was prime minister at the time -- saying she only attended the protests to accompany her clients, some of Turkey's most famous stars. Prosecutors accused her of "pushing" her actors to take part, a claim she denies. A small demonstration to save some trees in a park in central Istanbul spiralled into nationwide anti-government protests that brought hundreds of thousands onto the streets. Hamburg-born Akin, whose new film "Amrun" premiered at the Cannes film festival, said "officially there is no warrant for me". "But to be honest, I don't know," he added, saying anything was possible as Turkey was being run by "mobsters". "They have other values, it's shocking," he said. - Opposition silenced - "Certain politicians are not even afraid to go to war if this helps them to stay in power. And Erdogan is one of them," he added. Turkey has been hit by the biggest wave of protests since Gezi since the arrest in March of Istanbul's opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption charges. The popular mayor is Erdogan's biggest political rival, with the opposition and rights groups saying he was locked up to stop him running against the president in elections in 2028. Nearly 2,000 people, including journalists, have been arrested in the crackdown on dissent since, with Imamoglu's X account blocked. Akin, whose family comes from the Black Sea region like Erdogan's, said part of the "nonsense" case against Barim is that "she had talked 39 times" with jailed liberal philanthropist Osman Kavala, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2022. "Those 39 times were because of my film 'The Cut'(which touched on the Ottoman-era genocide of Armenians) because Kavala financed part of it and she's managing me. So they talked because of me and both are now in prison. I'm the connecting point," he said. Barim was about as far from an activist as you could imagine, he added. "She's an agent, a talent manager -- a neo-liberal capitalist for heaven's sake." The Golden Globe and Golden Bear winner, 51, said he suspected Turkish prosecutors would try to pretend that he was also "part of the gang" plotting to overthrow Erdogan. "A lot of people are proud of me" for showcasing Turkish culture and the diaspora, "but these people don't care about that", Akin added. Turkish authorities regularly target journalists, lawyers, celebrities and elected political representatives, especially since a failed 2016 coup against the government. By Fiachra Gibbons
France 24
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Top director Akin slams Turkey's 'mobster' leaders over arrests
The Turkish-German auteur -- a hero to many in the country for films like "Head-On", "In the Fade" and the Istanbul music documentary "Crossing the Bridge" -- told AFP late Friday that agent Ayse Barim is "totally apolitical and innocent" of the charges, which relate to protests 12 years ago. "If they put her in prison, what the hell is going on?" Akin asked. "So I better not go there. I don't want to take the risk." Barim, 56, who was arrested in January, denied helping to organise the 2013 Gezi protests which shook the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying she only attended the protests to accompany her clients, some of Turkey's most famous stars. Prosecutors accused her of "pushing" her actors to take part, a claim she denies. A small demonstration to save some trees in a park in central Istanbul spiralled into nationwide anti-government protests that brought hundreds of thousands onto the streets. Hamburg-born Akin, whose new film "Amrun" premiered at the Cannes film festival, said "officially there is no warrant for me". "But to be honest, I don't know," he added, saying anything was possible as Turkey was being run by "mobsters". "They have other values, it's shocking," he said. Opposition silenced "Certain politicians are not even afraid to go to war if this helps them to stay in power. And Erdogan is one of them," he added. Turkey has been hit by the biggest wave of protests since Gezi since the arrest in March of Istanbul's opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption charges. The popular mayor is Erdogan's biggest political rival, with the opposition and rights groups saying he was locked up to stop him running against the president in elections next year. Nearly 2,000 people, including journalists, have been arrested in the crackdown on dissent since, with Imamoglu's X account blocked. Akin, whose family comes from the Black Sea region like Erdogan's, said part of the "nonsense" case against Barim is that "she had talked 39 times" with jailed liberal philanthropist Osman Kavala, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2022. "Those 39 times were because of my film 'The Cut'(which touched on the Ottoman-era genocide of Armenians) because Kavala financed part of it and she's managing me. So they talked because of me and both are now in prison. I'm the connecting point," he said. Barim was about as far from an activist as you could imagine, he added. "She's an agent, a talent manager -- a neo-liberal capitalist for heaven's sake." The Golden Globe and Golden Bear winner, 51, said he suspected Turkish prosecutors would try to pretend that he was also "part of the gang" plotting to overthrow Erdogan. "A lot of people are proud of me" for showcasing Turkish culture and the diaspora, "but these people don't care about that", Akin added. Turkish authorities regularly target journalists, lawyers, celebrities and elected political representatives, especially since a failed 2016 coup against the government.
Int'l Business Times
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Int'l Business Times
Top Director Akin Slams Turkey's 'Mobster' Leaders Over Arrests
Acclaimed film director Fatih Akin said he fears ending up behind bars if he returns to Turkey, with his manager there in jail accused of attempting to overthrow the government. The Turkish-German auteur -- a hero to many in the country for films like "Head-On", "In the Fade" and the Istanbul music documentary "Crossing the Bridge" -- told AFP late Friday that agent Ayse Barim is "totally apolitical and innocent" of the charges, which relate to protests 12 years ago. "If they put her in prison, what the hell is going on?" Akin asked. "So I better not go there. I don't want to take the risk." Barim, 56, who was arrested in January, denied helping to organise the 2013 Gezi protests which shook the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying she only attended the protests to accompany her clients, some of Turkey's most famous stars. Prosecutors accused her of "pushing" her actors to take part, a claim she denies. A small demonstration to save some trees in a park in central Istanbul spiralled into nationwide anti-government protests that brought hundreds of thousands onto the streets. Hamburg-born Akin, whose new film "Amrun" premiered at the Cannes film festival, said "officially there is no warrant for me". "But to be honest, I don't know," he added, saying anything was possible as Turkey was being run by "mobsters". "They have other values, it's shocking," he said. "Certain politicians are not even afraid to go to war if this helps them to stay in power. And Erdogan is one of them," he added. Turkey has been hit by the biggest wave of protests since Gezi since the arrest in March of Istanbul's opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption charges. The popular mayor is Erdogan's biggest political rival, with the opposition and rights groups saying he was locked up to stop him running against the president in elections next year. Nearly 2,000 people, including journalists, have been arrested in the crackdown on dissent since, with Imamoglu's X account blocked. Akin, whose family comes from the Black Sea region like Erdogan's, said part of the "nonsense" case against Barim is that "she had talked 39 times" with jailed liberal philanthropist Osman Kavala, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2022. "Those 39 times were because of my film 'The Cut'(which touched on the Ottoman-era genocide of Armenians) because Kavala financed part of it and she's managing me. So they talked because of me and both are now in prison. I'm the connecting point," he said. Barim was about as far from an activist as you could imagine, he added. "She's an agent, a talent manager -- a neo-liberal capitalist for heaven's sake." The Golden Globe and Golden Bear winner, 51, said he suspected Turkish prosecutors would try to pretend that he was also "part of the gang" plotting to overthrow Erdogan. "A lot of people are proud of me" for showcasing Turkish culture and the diaspora, "but these people don't care about that", Akin added. Turkish authorities regularly target journalists, lawyers, celebrities and elected political representatives, especially since a failed 2016 coup against the government.
