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Municipalities on the brink: 2,000 protesters demand financial help!
In Stuttgart, 2,000 people demonstrated against a lack of money in municipalities; ver.di calls for more investment in social infrastructure.
Municipalities on the brink: 2,000 protesters demand financial help!
Last Saturday, around 2,000 people came together in Stuttgart to demonstrate for better living conditions in the cities and communities. Under the motto “Municipalities at the limit – democracy on the brink,” the ver.di Baden-Württemberg union mobilized citizens to fight for an end to the financial misery. The campaign was supported by a broad alliance of various organizations, social associations, unions and parties.
The demonstration aimed to highlight the dramatic situation in which many municipalities find themselves due to empty coffers. This financial hardship is reflected in a poor quality of life, as SWR reports. Above all, dilapidated schools, a lack of daycare places, a lack of housing and overburdened public sector staff are serious deficiencies that the participants denounced. Public transport, which is often unpunctual, also caused dissatisfaction.
Criticism of politics
Ver.di not only calls for the expansion of the social infrastructure, but also criticizes the job cuts and the lack of investment on the part of the municipalities. According to the state district manager of ver.di, Maike Schollenberger, cuts and cost-cutting measures by the city administration are due to collapsing trade taxes throughout Baden-Württemberg. The mayors of Stuttgart and twelve other state capitals have sent an incendiary letter to Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and the state governments. In it they complain about the growing gap between municipal income and expenditure.
The call for financial support from the federal and state governments is particularly urgent. The appeal to politicians also includes the introduction of a wealth tax for billionaires and the super-rich to ensure a fairer distribution of money. This could help ensure the quality of life for everyone and address infrastructural deficiencies.
Stage for diversity
Not only union representatives spoke on the rally stage, but also public sector workers, representatives from culture, queer groups and feminist organizations. Their voices made clear how important it is to put people at the center of political decisions. The situation in the municipalities shows that there is a lot to be done to improve the situation and increase the quality of life for everyone.
The demonstration is a powerful reminder that the connection between financial decisions at the political level and living conditions in cities and towns cannot be ignored. While some are struggling with empty coffers, the federal government is discussing reforms and financing options that should finally be implemented.