Germany in April 2026: the most important developments in society
The war with Iran reached German public life in several ways in April 2026. On 23 April a red liquid, believed to be tomato juice, was thrown at Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince of Iran, during a visit to Berlin, shortly after he criticised the ceasefire agreement. Earlier in the month Easter peace marches called for an end to wars and arms exports, drawing 1,400 people in Frankfurt and about 2,000 in Hamburg, and protesters in Berlin condemned US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Iranians reacted to the ceasefire on 8 April with relief and scepticism.
Pensions were the main domestic dispute. On 20 April Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the statutory pension would in future provide only basic security, and reports of announced cuts drew sharp criticism from opposition parties and social groups. Nina Warken signalled cuts in long-term care. A day later the Union itself threatened protests over the pension dispute. The SPD and CSU pushed for changes to the health reform, and a proposal on health insurance costs for high earners was debated.
Labour disputes disrupted travel. Lufthansa cabin crew went on strike on 10 April, and a pay strike by pilots led to the cancellation of about 60 percent of flights on 13 April and 700 flights on 14 April.
Migration and the AfD featured throughout. Merz drew criticism for saying that 80 percent of Syrian refugees would return home within three years, and media reports said Germany had rejected 95 percent of Syrian asylum claims after a policy change. CSU politician Alexander Dobrindt ordered more deportations to Afghanistan. The AfD pledged deportations and Russian lessons in schools if elected, and its Saxony-Anhalt branch proposed ending compulsory schooling; cultural institutions in the state warned against its cultural policy. Singer Heino fought the party's use of his image in election advertising. Swastikas and antisemitic graffiti appeared at a synagogue and other buildings, and a Berlin appeals court ruled that a violent assault on a Jewish student was not antisemitic in motive. Germany's 2025 birth rate was reported as the lowest since records began in 1946.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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