| Protest in support of greek protests turns violent |
| 22 Dec 2008 |
| On 20 December 2008 approximately 1,000 people held a violent demonstration in Hamburg in support of students who have been protesting in Greece. The protesters tried to march from the University of Hamburg to the Hamburg Hauptbahnhof train station, but were repelled by police officers. Protesters pelted police officers and journalists with iron rods, bottles and fireworks. At least four police officers were injured. After the riot ended, protesters gathered in front of the Greek Consulate for an evening vigil.
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| Right-wing demonstration in Berlin turned violent |
| 08 Dec 2008 |
| A right-wing demonstration in Berlin turned violent on 6 December 2008, after left-wing activists attempted to block the far-right activists from marching in the city's Lichtenberg suburb. Police officers fired water cannon to disperse protesters, who hurled bottles and overturned vehicles. At least 40 people were arrested during the clashes. Approximately 1,600 police officers were deployed to oversee the protest action, which was attended by 700 far-right activists. There were no reports of serious injuries.
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| Fire breaks out at Berlin airport |
| 20 Nov 2008 |
| A fire has broken out at Berlin's Tegel airport, forcing the authorities to divert flights elsewhere. The blaze started close to the military section of the German capital's airport, officials say. A large contingent of firefighters are trying to extinguish the blaze, the cause of which is not known.
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| LTU and Dba pilots staged a warning strike |
| 18 Nov 2008 |
| LTU and Dba pilots staged a warning strike from 0530 to 0800 local time (0430 to 0700 UTC) on 18 November 2008. Four LTU flights were canceled and 10 were delayed due to the action, which was intended to protest cost-cutting measures by parent airline Air Berlin. The strike by pilots at Dba caused less disruption due an already reduced work schedule that was implemented in response to a similar warning strike the week before; the airline is expected to end flight operations entirely by the end of November.
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| Activists attempted to disrupt a shipment of radioactive fuel |
| 11 Nov 2008 |
| On 9 November 2008 anti-riot police officers clashed with hundreds of anti-nuclear protesters in northern Germany. Anti-nuclear activists attempted to disrupt a shipment of radioactive fuel traveling by rail from France to a storage facility located near Gorleben. Several sections of the railway line were set on fire; police officers suspect that anti-nuclear activists were responsible. Riot police officers clashed with at least 700 protesters, dispersing them with water cannons. Several injuries to protesters and riot officers were reported. Sources reported that this was the largest anti-nuclear protest in Germany since 2001. |
| Two suspected terrorists removed from a KLM aircraft |
| 26 Sep 2008 |
| German security forces removed two suspected terrorists from a KLM aircraft on 26 September 2008 at approximately 0700 local time. The two suspected terrorists were reportedly from Somalia and were en route to Amsterdam, the capital. Police officers removed the suspects and their luggage from the aircraft. The aircraft was immediately evacuated as officials conducted a thorough search on board. The two suspects had reportedly been under surveillance for several months prior to the arrests. Reports indicate that suicide notes were found at the suspects’ apartments. Authorities do not believe the two men intended to hijack the aircraft. No delays or disruptions were reported at the airport and the KLM flight departed less than an hour after the aircraft was evacuated.
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| Hospital workers take part in a mass protest |
| 26 Sep 2008 |
| On 25 September 2008 approximately 130,000 hospital workers took part in a mass protest at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. The protest was aimed at government plans to reduce funding for local hospitals. The health policy protest was the largest of its kind. Several hospitals reportedly paid their staff to attend the protest. Opponents of the protest argue that hospitals in Germany need more competition to improve, not more funding. No violence or injuries were reported.
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| Aircraft carrying 168 passengers slides off the runway |
| 26 Sep 2008 |
| A Nouvelair Airbus A321 aircraft carrying 168 passengers slid off the runway at Dortmund Airport (EDLW/DTM) in Dortmund, Germany, on 26 September 2008. Although no passengers or crew members were injured, air traffic was delayed for more than an hour as emergency services evacuated people from the aircraft. Airport officials stated that the aircraft was successfully returned to the tarmac and would continue its flight on to Tunisia later on 26 September.
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| Leftist demonstrators and far-right activists staged protests in several cities |
| 08 Sep 2008 |
| Leftist demonstrators and far-right activists staged protests in Hamburg and other cities on 6 September 2008. In Hamburg, the leftist action turned violent, with demonstrators breaking store windows, throwing rocks at passing vehicles, setting fire to trash cans and setting up street barricades following a street party in the Scheunenviertel area of the city. Police officers used water cannon and riot sticks to disperse the rioters. Eighteen people -- including 11 police officers -- were injured and 39 protesters were detained. Meanwhile, other peaceful demonstrations took place in cities and towns across Germany, including Memmingen, Dortmund and Magdeburg, with leftist rallies staged to counter far-right actions.
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| Pilot strike ends |
| 08 Aug 2008 |
| Pilots at Lufthansa’s subsidiary Cityline ended their 36-hour strike at 1200 local time (1000 UTC) on 8 August 2008, as scheduled. In all, 500 flights were canceled during the strike, including 140 on 8 August. According to a company spokesperson, airline operations will return to normal in the course of the day. The union warned of additional strikes if Lufthansa does not improve its current wage increase offer but did not specify a deadline.
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| Pilots of Lufthansa subsidiary Cityline begin a 36-hour strike |
| 07 Aug 2008 |
| Pilots of Lufthansa subsidiary Cityline began a 36-hour strike at 0000 local time on 7 August 2008 (2200 UTC on 6 August). Approximately 360 domestic and regional European flights have been grounded so far on 7 August. Additional cancelations are possible on 8 August. Long-haul flights have not been affected. The strike was expected to affect all the airports where Cityline has operations, including those in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Berlin -Tegel, Munich and Hamburg. The Vereinigung Cockpit pilots union organized the action in demand of higher wages; Cityline pilots reportedly earn 25 percent less than their Lufthansa colleagues.
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| Lufthansa employees set to return to work |
| 01 Aug 2008 |
| Striking employees of the airline Lufthansa are expected to return to work after their union came to an agreement on wage increases with the company on 1 August 2008. The strike was launched on 28 July by the Ver.di trade union. Although the union was seeking raises of almost 10 percent, the new deal includes a staged increase, with 5.1 percent immediately and 2.3 percent as of 1 July 2009. Some disruptions to the airline's schedules could continue for up to two weeks due to the backlog of aircraft maintenance.
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| Lufthansa cancel 82 flights on 30 July 2008 |
| 30 Jul 2008 |
| Lufthansa cancelled 82 flights on 30 July 2008 -- including some long-haul ones -- as an indefinite strike by its employees extended into a third consecutive day. Flights to Calcutta, Calgary, Chicago and New York were among those affected. In concert with the strike, approximately 2,000 employees staged a demonstration at the Lufthansa headquarters in Frankfurt on 30 July. Despite initial company predictions that the strike would have limited effects, additional cancellations are expected in the coming days, primarily due to a shortage of maintenance workers.
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| Airline strike enteres 2nd day |
| 29 Jul 2008 |
| Workers at Germany's largest airline, Lufthansa, continued their open-ended strike for a second consecutive day on 29 July 2008. Approximately 70 short-haul flights -- approximately 3 percent of the airline's scheduled flights -- have been canceled, primarily at airports in Frankfurt (EDDF/FRA), Hamburg (EDDH/HAM) and Berlin (EDDT/TXL). Members of the Ver.di trade union are protesting over higher wages, demanding a 9.8 percent pay increase over a year, whereas Lufthansa has offered 6.7 percent over 21 months.
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| Indefinite Lufthansa employee strike begins |
| 28 Jul 2008 |
| Lufthansa employees began an indefinite strike on 28 July 2008 to demand higher pay. Thus far the work stoppage has caused only minor delays but no cancellations; however, officials stated that significant disruptions could occur as a result of the strike. More than 5,000 workers -- including freight, maintenance and catering staff -- have stopped working. The strike was implemented after the Ver.di service sector union overwhelmingly voted in favor of a strike, demanding a 9.8 percent pay raise.
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| Lufthansa cabin and ground personnel have voted to go on strike on 28 July |
| 25 Jul 2008 |
| Lufthansa cabin and ground personnel have voted to go on strike on 28 July 2008 over wage demands. The strike is expected to affect operations at airports in Berlin (EDDT/TXL and EDDB/SXF), Bremen (EDDW/BRE), Dusseldorf (EDDL/DUS), Frankfurt (EDDF/FRA), Hamburg (EDDH/HAM), Hannover (EDDV/HAJ), Leipzig (EDDP/LEJ), Munich (EDDM/MUC), Nuremberg (EDDN/NUE) and Stuttgart (EDDS/STR). Reports do not specify how long the strike is scheduled to last. The airline has prepared an emergency plan on the basis of which it hopes to guarantee that 75 percent of its flights will operate despite the work stoppage. Lufthansa has offered a 6.7 percent wage increase over 21 months, which the Ver.di union considers inadequate. Lufthansa's management has called on the union to resume talks on the issue.
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| Pilots for Lufthansa domestic airline launch 36hr strike |
| 23 Jul 2008 |
| Pilots with Lufthansa's domestic subsidiaries Eurowings and CityLine launched a 36-hour warning strike at 1200 local time (1000 UTC) on 22 July 2008 due to a continuing pay dispute. The work stoppage prompted the cancellation of approximately 1,000 regional flights, including 464 flights on 22 July and 525 flights scheduled for 23 July. Airports affected by the strike include Frankfurt Main International Airport (EDDF/FRA), Munich International Airport (EDDM/MUC), Dusseldorf International Airport (EDDL/DUS) and Berlin-Tegel International Airport (EDDT/TXL). The work stoppage is scheduled to end at midnight (2200 UTC) on 23 July.
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| German airports affected by strike |
| 01 Jul 2008 |
| Thousands of workers at the German airline Lufthansa staged a warning strike on 1 July 2008 in pursuit of higher wages. The labour action prompted the cancellation of 44 flights and resulted in delays to dozens of others. The most significant disruptions were reported at Frankfurt Airport (EDDF/FRA), but the strike also affected airports in Cologne (EDDK/CGN), Munich (EDDM/MUC) and Stuttgart (EDDS/STR).
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