Racism is an issue which continues unabated, untamed, without solutions since the Middle Ages. With an intellectual that has made the mankind reach the moon, explore the boundless universe and create artificial life, our thinking still stands chained to discriminations and prejudices.
In the racist attacks past week in Germany which involved injuring of eight Indian men have given rise to the racism debate again. Germany, which has witnessed the upheaval caused by Nazi’s policies and its aftermaths, it seems is once again going to be a mute spectator. The tragedy occurred in eastern German town of Mugeln in the state of Saxony. In the shameful act, eight Indian men were chased around by a mob comprising of fifty youths shouting racist slogans. The incident left all the eight Indians badly injured.
Stephan Kramer, the secretary general of the Central Council of Jews, condemning the situation said,
Yesterday, it was people of color, today it’s foreigners, and tomorrow it could be gays and lesbians, or, perhaps, Jews. In the last few months, nothing really changed in the way this topic is treated. Instead, we’ve lost a lot of time and have new victims to mourn for. The interior ministry has the necessary experience and the know-how for dealing with the issue. The family ministry is overwhelmed.
The Indian Ambassador to Germany, Meera Shankar appealed to the German government for some immediate actions and a thorough investigation of the case, making sure that the convicts are punished.
The Issue
The first instance of racism saw its seeds just before the soccer World Cup, 2006 when a former government spokesman, Uwe-Karsten Heye said that the non-whites were not safe in the former East Germany and they should be tagged the ‘no-go areas’. The incident has also sparked a debate that if it’s the rise of Neo-Nazis and how dangerous they can be. Meanwhile, for the safety of foreigners in the country, it should be made sure by the government that foreigners are safe and are removed from the dangerous zones. The ministry has allotted a sum of 24 million euros ($32 million) this year for inculcating programs which aim to promote tolerance amongst Germans.
What now?
After the attack, everyone is busy condemning the government and its policies. The Central Council of Jews accused the government of not scribbling appropriate policies to fight racism and xenophobia. The head of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic (CDU) parliamentary group, expressing shame and disappointment said, ‘”I am deeply hurt that something like this is possible in our country.’ The town also saw a demonstration involving some 200 people condemning the attack.
We should remember that we aren’t born racists and thus, only we can make a difference.
Source: DWworld
