THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
The parliament of Saarland, one of Germany’s 16 federal states, has removed the term “race” from the list of possible grounds for discrimination in the state’s constitution. In future, Article 12 will instead state that no one may be disadvantaged or favoured “on the basis of racial attributions”.
“Our constitution is modern, trend-setting and understandable. Today, we are ensuring that it remains so,” said Kira Braun (SPD). “We all know that this will not make racism disappear,” Kira continued. However, the Saarland constitution would no longer reproduce images of humanity that are based on the idea of different races, she said.
“There is racism, but there are no races,” the social democrat emphasised.
MP Roland Theis (CDU) spoke of an “important correction”, praising the amendments.
Braun and Theis emphasised that the use of the term “race” in the constitution is wrong. “It is unscientific,” said Theis. In addition, the term is “highly dangerous” because it is the basis for the idea of different values.
The three-member AfD parliamentary group in the parliament however rejected the amendments, saying the ban on discrimination against people because of their “race” must be seen in its historical context.
On Tuesday, the AfD’s call for the “remigration and reintegration” of foreigners obliged to leave the country met with fierce resistance in the state parliament. Both the ruling SPD and the main opposition CDU rejected a corresponding motion by the AfD parliamentary group.
Sola Jolaoso with agency reports
