society
Anti-Racism Officer: Just showing attitude is not enough
Reem Alabali-Radovan (SPD), Minister of State and Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration, during a dpa interview in the Federal Chancellery. Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
What needs to happen in Germany in terms of anti-racism? Reem Alabali-Radovan (SPD), who is responsible for this in the federal government, says: More than now.
The Federal Government Commissioner for Anti-Racism, Reem Alabali-Radovan, would like to see more civil courage from eyewitnesses in the event of racist hostilities in everyday life.
“We have to be aware that we have to position ourselves very clearly against racism, anti-Semitism and other forms of group-related enmity – and not only have to show attitude, but also intervene in everyday life, sometimes say something,” said the SPD Politician of the German Press Agency.
Viral video rocked Alabali-Radovan
Alabali-Radovan reported that the case of a 17-year-old who made public a video in February of how she was racially insulted and beaten by several adults on the Berlin tram touched her very much. The SPD MP from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is also the Federal Government Commissioner for Integration and Refugees. She said: “In the case, I was very shocked that nobody intervened. As far as I know, there were a lot of people there.” The young girl was finally attacked in a public place. “I couldn’t understand why nobody intervened,” said Alabali-Radovan.
She also sees it as her job to encourage debate about what racism is, she added. She knows that some people with an immigrant background are uncomfortable or even outraged if they are spoken to in English or another foreign language in the middle of Germany. She herself “would also find it very uncomfortable”. However, this is not a case for anti-racism advice.
Bad overall picture
It’s similar with the question: “Where are you from?” When asked how she would react to this question, Alabali-Radovan said: “I can’t give a general answer. When someone asks me, it depends a bit on the tone and the person asking. You can tell why you’re being asked that.” For people with a history of immigration, it is very exhausting and tedious “to be constantly reminded that one does not belong here”. This includes being asked the same question over and over again, but other situations are also included: “If you don’t get the apartment yet or aren’t invited to view the apartment”, if you don’t get the job or aren’t even asked for an interview , the overall result is a bad overall picture.