We have to protect our dignity

ERFURT, April 28.04.2021th, XNUMX. The umbrella organization of migrant women * organizations DaMigra eV is appalled by the ongoing normal racist state, which was recently shown again on the basis of a viral video about a racist attack in Erfurt. DaMigra eV calls on all newly arrived and long-established Thuringians to stand up together for a society of many and solidarity.

A kick in the shopping cart. A dog turned against you. A classmate who spat on your child. An anesthetist who speaks disparagingly and racistically about you, while the anesthesia makes you more and more defenseless.

We at DaMigra are appalled. The cell phone recordings of a racist attack in Erfurt, which have been circulating online since Friday evening, do not in themselves cause us horror. They join a long list of racist attacks and hostility throughout Germany. The majority of these attacks do not even reach the general public, as they are so much part of everyday life for many affected that they do not seem worth mentioning. No, the video itself doesn't shock us. We are appalled because right-wing extremism, all forms of racism, anti-Semitism and hatred of women * seem to be the status quo for many. That can't be normal. We are appalled because people are always outraged and then looked away again.

 “We all have an obligation to look and act. We must not allow something like this, otherwise people will forget that we are a part of this society and have rights just like everyone else,” said a refugee volunteer from DaMigra in the shared virtual space. “We have to take to the streets and show that we are here. We must protect our dignity. We need to teach our children how to respond to racist attacks.”

The needs and demands of women * with a history of migration or flight should not be a side note. Every day we restrict our lives to protect ourselves and the people we love from racist and sexist attacks. The constant worry about our well-being out of fear of racist attacks is an act of strength. It borders on being deprived of liberty that we have to think carefully about which side of the street we are walking on, what time we still go out and whether our children go to school alone.

We need places where we can exchange ideas about how we can protect our children and still not deprive them of their trust in the world. We need places where our pain, which is brought out by each of these attacks, each new video, each hostility, has a place.

We also need broad feminist-anti-racist alliances. We would like to thank all newly arrived and old-established Thuringians who are committed to fighting racism and sexism every day. Because it concerns us ALL. Let's make indignation permanent! Let's get involved together! DaMigra joins the existing initiatives in Thuringia and stands with them for an open, solidary society!

Press contact: Alexandra Vogel | vogel@damigra.de | 0178 962 9274 | damigra.de
Address: DaMigra e. v. | Am Sudhaus 2, 12053 Berlin

DaMigra eV, umbrella association of migrant organizations, represents the interests of migrant self-organizations and their concerns.

Download statement here.