Haftbefehl shows that Germany loves art born from alienation – just not the people who create it

<p>A hit Netflix documentary about Germany’s favourite rapper demonstrates how popular the aesthetics of migrant life are – just as politicians debate how to remove it from inner cities</p><p>If you want to understand the state of Germany in these last weeks of 2025, grasping the meaning of two entries in the German dictionary are essential: <em>stadtbild</em> and <em>haftbefehl</em>.</p><p>The first term technically means “cityscape”. But since chancellor Friedrich Merz gave a speech in the state of Brandenburg on 14 October, it has taken on a new political meaning. “We have come far with migration,” he said, “but of course we still have this problem in our <em>stadtbild</em>.”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/12/germany-merz-haftbefehl-netflix-documentary">Continue reading...</a>