Germany’s tennis legend Boris Becker has rejected criticism in social networks of his participation in a demonstration against racism in London.
“I probably hit a sore spot last night with my tweet about my family history,” said the three-time Wimbledon winner in a video on Twitter.
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All over the world it was demonstrated that the fight against racism and police violence, especially in the USA, was the number one topic. Only in Germany is it “swept under the carpet”. Becker is of the opinion: “We should talk about it significantly more publicly. We are all one family.”
The previous day, the athlete had written: “I am shaken, shocked, frightened by the many insults ONLY from Germany for my support of the #BlackLivesMatters demo in London yesterday!”
He had previously posted a video of himself at the London demonstration with a towel over his mouth. There had been numerous insults under the post. “Apparently many people in Germany still haven’t understood that it’s my family history!” Becker wrote in another post on Sunday, adding the names of his children #Noah #Elias #Anna #Amadeus.
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Becker’s ex-wife Lilly Becker, from whom he divorced in 2018, had clearly positioned herself against racism on social media. She and her niece had also taken part in the London demonstration. “I want to be part of it, this is not a moment, it is a movement,” she wrote in the comment on a photo on Instagram.
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“We come from a predominantly black family. I’m half black and half white. I experienced racism against my black family directly, but also the privilege that I had as a fair-skinned girl.” Her grandmother used to tell her about racism, but only “now I’m old enough to really, really understand. It’s time to get up, and I’m doing it for my family and their future children.”
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