Feb 12, 2025 Story by: Editor
In Thuringia, a German state where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is leading in the polls, Black residents fear worsening conditions as the political landscape shifts further rightward. The country is holding a general election for the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, on February 23.
A Night of Fear in Erfurt
In 2020, shortly after Germany’s first COVID-19 lockdown ended, Omar Diallo, a 22-year-old from Guinea, was celebrating Eid al-Adha in Erfurt with two friends.
“We were enjoying life, making music, walking around the city at night, we just wanted to be together again and have a good time,” Diallo told The Associated Press.
However, the night took a dark turn when they were confronted by a group of white men dressed in black.
“They shouted: What do you want here, damned foreigners, get out!” Diallo recalled.
Initially, three men confronted them, but the group soon grew to seven, surrounding them and leaving no escape. As the attackers advanced, Diallo managed to call the police. By the time officers arrived, the assailants had fled, but one of his friends was beaten so severely that he required hospitalization.
“I just tried to survive. I had done nothing wrong. Everything happened only because of the color of my skin,” Diallo said.
Racism in East Germany
For Black people in Germany, racism and discrimination remain persistent challenges, particularly in the eastern part of the country. While West Germany evolved into a democratic, multicultural society after World War II, East Germany, under communist rule until 1989, had limited exposure to people from diverse ethnic backgrounds and imposed strict travel restrictions on its citizens.
Experts highlight that in Thuringia, far-right forces have fostered an increasingly hostile environment for minorities, particularly people of color.
Concerns Grow Amid AfD’s Rising Influence
Ezra, a non-governmental organization that aids victims of far-right, racist, and anti-Semitic violence, documented 85 racist attacks in Thuringia in 2023, slightly below the 88 recorded in 2022—described by Ezra as “an all-time high of racist violence” in the state.
“In recent years, a far-right movement has formed in Thuringia. It has contributed to the apparent ideological radicalism of its followers. Politically, the ‘Alternative for Germany’ party is the main beneficiary,” stated Ezra and a consortium of organizations in their annual report.
Thuringia’s AfD branch is considered particularly extreme and has been under official surveillance as a “proven right-wing extremist” group since 2020.
Political and Social Ramifications
Doreen Denstaedt, Thuringia’s Minister for Migration, Justice, and Consumer Protection, warns of the growing threat posed by authoritarian and populist forces.
“The authoritarian and populist forces, which are becoming very strong here now, pose a great danger in Thuringia,” she said.
Denstaedt, the daughter of a Black Tanzanian father and a white German mother, was born and raised in Thuringia. She recalled the racism she faced growing up in communist East Germany.
“Actually, I experienced people calling me a foreigner. This surprised me at first because I was born in Saalfeld in Thuringia,” she said.
As a teenager, she was never allowed to return home alone due to the risk of racist attacks. Now, she fears that far-right rhetoric will become increasingly normalized.
“My biggest concern is that people don’t question these prejudices, especially if they aren’t affected themselves,” she said.
Germany’s Colonial Legacy and Racial Inequality
Germany does not document ethnic backgrounds in official statistics, but estimates suggest that around 1.27 million people of African descent live in the country. More than 70% of them were born in Germany, according to Mediendienst Integration.
Germany’s history of racial discrimination extends far beyond the Nazi era. The country controlled several African colonies from 1884 until the end of World War I, including present-day Tanzania, Rwanda, Namibia, Cameroon, Togo, and Ghana.
Only recently has the German government started acknowledging its colonial past. In 2021, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged Germans to confront the country’s history of colonial brutality. In 2023, he apologized for colonial-era killings in Tanzania.
Daniel Egbe, a 58-year-old Cameroonian chemist who moved to Thuringia in 1994 for his studies, has been struck by how little Germans know about their colonial history. He believes this ignorance contributes to the unequal treatment of Black people.
“I taught at school. I tell them a little about myself and especially about the fact that Cameroon was a German colony. Many students do not know anything about Africa or about the German past and this should be put on the map,” Egbe said.
Having obtained German citizenship in 2003, Egbe founded AMAH, an organization that supports African university students and migrants facing discrimination. Despite growing concerns over AfD’s rise, he remains committed to staying in Germany.
“We will not leave, we will do our part to change this society. People are mostly afraid of what and who they do not know. We must change things through education,” he said.
A Commitment to Change
Diallo, who survived the attack in Erfurt, has also resolved to contribute to change in Germany.
Although the experience left him traumatized, it also strengthened his determination to fight for justice. A year ago, he enrolled at a university in Munich to study law but frequently returns to Erfurt, where he works with Youth Without Borders, a network supporting young immigrants.
“I don’t know yet exactly how it will change Germany, but I know it will,” Diallo said. Source: KOHA
