extremism
Ataman: “Schools do not have non-discriminatory zones”
Federal Anti-Discrimination Commissioner: Ferda Ataman. photo
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa
Right-wing extremist incidents at a school in Brandenburg have caused horror. Federal Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Ferda Ataman warns.
According to the Federal Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, Ferda Ataman, the right-wing extremist incidents at a school in Brandenburg were “only the tip of the iceberg”.
“Discrimination starts much earlier, so it’s all the more important to act and not remain silent,” said Ataman in a statement at an award ceremony for anti-discrimination projects in schools. “Schools are not non-discriminatory zones. On the contrary: Nowhere is it more worthwhile to get involved in respectful, fair coexistence,” she said. “If right-wing extremist incidents like the recent one in Brandenburg become known, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
In May, a letter became known in which teachers at a high school in the Spreewald in Brandenburg complained that they were confronted with right-wing extremism, sexism and homophobia on a daily basis. They also experienced a “wall of silence”. Teachers and students who acted openly against right-wing students and parents feared for their safety.
At the award ceremony, Ataman said they wanted anti-discrimination to become prevalent. The first prize went to a theater project against everyday racism, intolerance and for diversity at the High School in Hanau in Hesse. The prizes were endowed with 5,000, 3,000 and two times 2,000 euros.