What you need to know
- Germany's Social Democratic Party wants sexual identity added to Article 3 of the German constitution
- The article already bans discrimination on grounds such as race, religion and sex
- The conservative CSU wants talks on ankle tags for extremist threats after a deadly attack on a Berlin LGBTQ+ event
- The suspect in that attack had been sentenced in May for trying to join "Islamic State," but was not immediately jailed
- Mercedes-Benz vehicle group profits rose for the first time in three years, despite a slump in China sales
Here is a roundup of some of the top headlines from and about Germany on Tuesday, July 28, 2026:
SPD renews push for constitutional protection of LGBTQ+ people
Germany's Social Democrats have renewed calls to add sexual identity to the constitution's anti-discrimination protections following the deadly attack near Berlin's Christopher Street Day LGBTQ+ Pride celebrations.
Center-left Social Democrat (SPD) co-leaders Bärbel Bas and Lars Klingbeil, as well as the party’s General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf said they would put the proposed amendment "firmly back on the political agenda."
"We want to further strengthen the political protection of queer people," they said in a statement seen by the DPA news agency.
The SPD has previously called for sexual identity to be added to Article 3 of Germany's constitution, known as the Basic Law. The article prohibits discrimination on grounds including sex, ancestry, language, origin, faith and political beliefs.
Left Party leader Luigi Pantisano made a similar demand on Monday, saying his party was ready to help secure the two-thirds majority needed in parliament.
Changes to Germany's constitution require a two-thirds majority in both the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, the two chambers of the German parliament.
The governing coalition, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc, would not have enough votes on its own.
Welcome to our coverage
Guten Tag from the DW newsroom in Bonn, where the sun is shining.
You join us as Germany’s Social Democrats revive calls to strengthen constitutional protection for LGBTQ+ people.
Meanwhile, Bavaria’s conservative CSU is pushing for talks on whether electronic ankle tags should be used to monitor people deemed extremist security threats.
Both proposals follow the deadly attack near Berlin’s Christopher Street Day celebrations, in which a woman was killed and 29 people were injured.
Stay with us for these stories and more of the things that Germany is talking about today.