Racism in Germany How Bonn residents experience racism in everyday life

Bonn · The debate about racism in Germany does not let up as responses to a GA inquiry showed. In Bonn and the region, many migrants feel discriminated against - but some Germans share the feeling.

A post in Facebook generated nearly 300 comments in the first 24 hours. It was seeking people in Bonn who felt they had been discriminated against because of their origin. But the majority of them apparently did not have any foreign roots. They felt the newspaper should worry not about migrants, but rather about “Biodeutschen”, which refers to native Germans, some who feel constantly and unfairly insulted as Nazis or racists.

Many Germans with roots in the Middle East also responded to the posting from GA, as well as immigrants from Eastern Europe. This sentence was heard more than once: "I could tell you a thousand stories." If there is one thing that both sides agree about, it’s that everyday discrimination exists. Also here in the region.

Physical therapy student is failed

One woman relates the story of her training to become a physical therapist. "The studies actually went really well - until the last semester. Then the harassment by the training staff began," recalls the Bonn native. "Out of the blue." Her performance was rated as poor during an internship at a hospital, while her grades during the study period had always been very good. “Actually, I was an exemplary student," says the daughter of Israeli parents and laughs a bit. She complained to the director, who played down the issue.

In an interim exam, the staff member told her he did not like her and gave her the worst possible grade, with no explanation as to why. Even the test person in the exam, a fellow student could not see any obvious mistakes. But she was failed, and the staff member was said to have uttered, “Do you seriously think I would let a terrorist pass?”

A renewed appeal to the director failed. It was three and a half years ago. She did not try to take the matter to court. She says "But my psyche is so injured, I have no confidence."

Difficulty finding training placement due to headscarf

In 2013, Shadin Hadad (not her real name) was looking to train as a dental medical assistant. At first, it seemed she would have a good chance in the clinic where her family often went for treatment. But when the daughter of Moroccan parents submitted her application in person, the hiring staff saw that she was wearing a headscarf. She had been told that training there would only be possible if she took off her headscarf.

“Of course I didn’t want to do that,” she recalls. The clinic stated openly that it was the reason they couldn’t take her, it made a bad impression on patients, and intimidated them. She sent out more applications, without photo, so that she wouldn’t be judged. But when potential employers saw her person, she was told that her headscarf was problematic. It took three years for her to find a training spot - in Bornheim.

She said she has a very nice boss, but many patients seem surprised that she speaks fluent German, although she is born in Germany. She said the team at work is supportive. At the central train station, she felt physically threatened once because of her headscarf.

Difficulties with payment and respect

Mariana Zankova (not her real name) came from from Bulgaria to study in Cologne six years ago. With a Masters degree in media and art science, she took to the labor market two years ago. "I had some bad experiences, unfortunately not just one," the 31-year-old summarizes.

As a copywriter in a Düsseldorf advertising agency, she received positive feedback, but they tried to reduce her pay. Allegedly she worked less than she had said. Her texts had long been sold, but she had to wait three months for her fee. "That was super stressful for me," says Zankova. Her German colleagues did not have any problems.

An art gallery owner, for whom she worked as a publicist, distributed her text, acting as if she had written it herself even though she had not been engaged as a ghostwriter. In the end, the gallery owner had to pay her compensation. But the whole procedure with a lawyer was very painful.

She says that as an Eastern European in a demanding occupation, one sometimes gets dirty looks. “Sometimes I feel that other people feel threatened by me," she says. Her texts in German, Bulgarian and English are always praised, but her work reviews speak a different language. Bosses rejected her editorial ideas and later implemented them themselves. "I feel that they can not imagine that I can actually do things and that they have to pay for them accordingly."

Teacher advises student to open vegetable shop

Ömer Kirli is an SPD politician and he reports of having the "feeling that one does not belong at all". When he last visited a café in Siegburg with his Turkish parents and two siblings, an elderly man got up and mumbled, "I'm not sitting here." "I do not know why, but I can well imagine what it was all about ", says the Siegburg city council member.

In fourth grade was when Kirli had the most memorable experience. He wanted to choose a high school that would eventually allow him the chance to attend university. His class teacher was of a different opinion - he could train to become an electrician or open a vegetable shop. Today, Kirli has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Masters in Social Sciences. "My life biography would have been very different if I had listened to my teacher," the 29-year-old is certain.

Kirli believes that racism isn’t just a problem in the older generation, it has to do with a lack of contact with people who have different origins. "I think younger people are more open. They grew up with it and realize and can accept better that our country is changing," he says. "When you get to know each other, you realize that you are not that different."

Being a non-native can be an advantage

Peter Binner is the head of a product line at the automotive supplier Boge. He works in a team of 160 people with many foreign workers. He said that in the daily work with people from other countries, "prejudices were quickly wiped out".

Koreans, Russians, Turks and people from many other countries are consciously hired because they speak “native” as Binner puts it. They can communicate with international clients in their native language. "Here it is no disadvantage to be a foreigner - on the contrary," he says. "An international, global business can only function in that way."

(Orig. text: Katharina Weber / Translation:ck)

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