LIVING IN GERMANY

Travellers entering Germany must undergo mandatory coronavirus test — or pay €25,000

Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn has decided to make corona testing mandatory for people entering Germany. It will apply to all travellers entering Germany from high-risk areas from Saturday, 8 August. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany’s centre for disease control, lists the countries that are classified as high-risk areas on its website. The list of high-risk areas currently …

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Germany: New legal regulations from 1 August 2020

The new month begins with a number of legislative changes that you should be aware of. From August 2020, not only corona tests will be mandatory for people returning to Germany from some countries, but there will also be more financial support for pupils, students and employees in further education and training. Moreover, there will be changes affecting government assistance …

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Free digital training course for migrant women in Berlin

The FrauenComputerZentrumBerlin e.V.  is offering a free digital empowerment training program to improve the media competence of women migrants and refugees in the city. The course, which begins on 12 August, aims at improving the computer and language skills of the participants, who will learn how the Internet, computer and smartphone work and how they can use these technologies independently …

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Afrozensus: Online survey on anti-Black racism in Germany launched

Racism in different forms and places is a common experience for the more than one million people of African descent in Germany. Black people are often subjected to police identity control more than other groups. Also, they experience discrimination in public offices, at the workplace, while accessing healthcare, looking for apartment, in schools, in the justice system, in their neighbourhoods …

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Special Report: Ghanaians in Germany – 1950s till today

Estimates of the number of Ghanaians living outside their homeland range from one to three million out of a general population of about 30 million. Ghanaians in Germany are reputed to form the second largest of the country’s diaspora populations in Europe, after the United Kingdom. Journalist, translator and community activist Sam Atsu Nove*, who first arrived in Germany in …

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Germany: Criticisms trail cancellation of study into racial profiling in policing

The decision of the Federal Minister of the Interior, Horst Seehofer, to call off an investigation into racial profiling in the police is drawing anger and criticisms not only of migrant associations but also political parties, including the junior governing coalition partner SPD. Following the Black Lives Matter protests in Germany, questions are being raised about racism in the country’s …

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Zentralrat rebrands, launches new logo and website

The Zentralrat der afrikanischen Gemeinde in Deutschland (Central Council of the African Community in Germany or ZAGD) has relaunched its website and introduced a new logo on Tuesday. The move by the organisation, an umbrella body for African associations in Germany, is part of its efforts to increase its visibility in the country. The relaunch ceremony, held by video conference …

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Berlin changes name of train station derogatory of Black people

After years of agitation by Black activists and their German supporters, a Berlin underground train station will be renamed. According to the management of the Berlin public transport authorities (BVG), the “U-Bahnhof Mohrenstrasse”, the station on Line U2 of the city’s metro network, will be changed to “U-Bahnhof Glinkastraße”. The decision, announced on Friday, came as Black Lives Matter protests …

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New laws and regulations in Germany from July 2020

Residents of Germany can expect numerous changes again in July 2020. Several of these are related to the ongoing corona crisis, such as the reduction in VAT or the end of tenancy protection or the easing of travel ban on non-essential travel into EU member countries. Pensioners, on the other hand, can look forward to a pension increase. The African …

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Activists launch campaign for renaming Berlin street for denigrating Black people

Black Lives Matter protests have led to the toppling of colonial and slavery monuments in the US and several European countries. In Germany, an online campaign has been launched calling for the renaming of a popular street in the country’s capital city. Mohrenstrasse, located in the central district of Berlin, is the focus of attention of activists who are questioning …

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Germany: TANG demands government action on anti-Black racism, issues position paper

It’s time to demand concrete actions against anti-Black racism, Dr Sylvie Nantcha, chairman of The African Network of Germany (TANG), has said. She made the call on Thursday while speaking at the virtual conference of the organisation on the ongoing anti-racism debate in the country. “While we condemn racism in America, particularly the murder of George Floyd, we have to …

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Remain alert, Corona is still there! TANG charges Africans in Germany

Dr Sylvie Nantcha, chairman of The African Network of Germany (TANG), has called on members of the Black community in Germany not to lower their guard in respect of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). She issued the advice on Thursday while speaking at a virtual conference attended by the regional representatives of the organisation from all parts of Germany. “The virus …

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Neo-Nazi murder of Alberto Adriano remembered, 20 years on

Dessau is notorious for two brutal deaths of Africans in separate incidents — one of which occurred in police custody and remains unresolved. Even today, few of the city’s white residents see racism as a daily problem. Ben Knight reports In the last 20 years, the eastern German city, where fewer than 4,000 of the 80,000 inhabitants are non-German, has …

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Greens call for ‘race’ to be removed from German constitution

As tens of thousands in Germany flock to anti-racism protests, two prominent Green politicians have called for the term “race” to be removed from German discrimination law. “We need to unlearn racism,” they said. Elliot Douglas reports The term “race” should be removed from the German constitution, two leading Green politicians said Monday (8 June). In recent weeks, Germany has …

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George Floyd: We should focus on Afrophobia – Zentralrat’s statement

The following is the statement issued by the Zentralrat der afrikanischen Gemeinde in Deutschland (Central Council of the African Community in Germany or ZAGD), an umbrella body for African associations in Germany, on the worldwide protests on the police murder of George Floyd on 25 May in the American city of Minneapolis. ———– Police Violence, Racism and Afrophobia! We, the …

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Black Lives Matter: Dresden is silent against racism

Tens of thousands of people joined Black Lives Matter protests across Germany on Saturday (6 June) against the police murder of George Floyd on 25 May in the US city of Minneapolis. According to The African Network of Germany (TANG), more than 200,000 protesters took part at rallies, which also drew attention to racism and discrimination against people of African …

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Germany should get serious about fighting anti-Black racism – Statement by TANG

The African Network of Germany (TANG) is currently carrying out a campaign against anti-Black racism on social media. The organisation explains in this press statement why Germany must act decisively now against discrimination against people of African descent in the country —- Following the death of the African-American George Floyd after a brutal police operation in Minneapolis on 25 May, …

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