During the corona pandemic, there were significantly more cases of discrimination in Germany. According to the anti-discrimination agency, many people with an Asian appearance were affected.
According to the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, the corona pandemic has led to a significant increase in cases of discrimination. The pandemic had “acted like a fire accelerator to discriminate against individual groups of people,” said the head of the office, Bernhard Franke, the editorial network Germany.
The number of requests for advice has increased sharply: by the end of November, more than 6000 cases had been registered, compared to 3200 cases in the same period in 2019.
Sharp increase in racial discrimination
In terms of racial discrimination, there was an increase of more than 70 percent by October, said Franke. First of all, people with an Asian appearance were discriminated against, molested and sometimes attacked with violence. “You were denied access to shops with the comment that you don’t want to bring Corona into your home,” reported Franke.
Sinti and Roma, “whose houses were cordoned off in a way that was effective for the public,” were also affected by discrimination in connection with the corona pandemic. People with a Turkish or Arab background felt that they were under general suspicion “because individual wedding celebrations had led to leaps of infection”. It was celebrated elsewhere, for example in Bavarian villages. “And the virus does not differentiate between ethnic groups – just as little in Neukölln as in Hildburghausen,” said Franke. In crises, however, there is a tendency to look for scapegoats.
Inquiries about the mask requirement
There have also been a number of inquiries about the mask requirement, especially from people who cannot wear mouth and nose protection because of a disability, according to the anti-discrimination agency.
However, “corona deniers and conspiracy theorists have stylized themselves as victims of discrimination because of the mask requirement”. However, it is not a question of discrimination under the law if you refuse to wear a mask because you consider the virus to be harmless or part of a conspiracy. Franke emphasized: “If mask opponents equip themselves with pseudo-certificates, which they print out, for example, from the Internet, this is at the expense of people with disabilities who actually have problems. They are discredited because the veracity of certificates is fundamentally in question . “
The Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency offers advice to people who are discriminated against on the basis of ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual identity or gender, age or disability. The General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) forms the basis for the work of the position.
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