Germany

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Germany is a country of cultural diversity, yet the needs of the different ethnic groups are not always met. Many people do not feel addressed by advertising, and the product range of most department stores also lacks products that are part of everyday life for certain communities. Often these can only be purchased in ethnic stores. It is gratifying that …

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Germany: Calling Black person monkey is “fundamentally degrading” – Supreme Court rules

A German man insults an African colleague at work by calling him a monkey and he was dismissed. Deeming his dismissal a violation of his right to free expression, the man went to court to challenge it. Germany’s highest court on constitutional matters has now delivered a landmark verdict on racist insults against people of African descent versus the right …

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Deportation: Germany risks spreading coronavirus in Nigeria – Group alleges

A migrant organisation has criticised Germany and Austria for deporting people to Nigeria amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to Nigerian media reports, 32 Nigerians were forcibly returned to Nigeria on a flight from Germany last Thursday (12 November). “It is unfortunate that the German government decided to embark on such a deportation operation especially at a time when Europe is …

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Bundestag approves new requirements for German identity card

On Thursday, 5 November 2020, the Bundestag voted in favour of the Federal Government’s draft law “to strengthen security in passports, identity cards and documents relating to foreigners”. New identity cards will mandatorily contain two fingerprints from August next year. With this Bundestag resolution, Germany is implementing European law. According to the draft law, new requirements will also apply to …

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Lead Academy: Application closes on 15 November, Apply now!!

An invitation has gone out to young people of African descent in Germany to participate in the Lead Academy 2020 via Zoom on 24-26 November. The event is organised by Lead Africa International e.V., a global non-governmental organization dealing with development issues. The three-day virtual event precedes the Global Partnership for African Development (G-PAD) 2020 Forum, with the theme Strengthening …

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Germany to remove the word “race” from the Constitution – Justice Minister

According to Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD), the Federal Government wants to have the controversial term “race” quickly deleted from the Basic Law, the country’s constitution. “There is complete agreement that there are no different races of people,” the politician told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. “That is why we in the Federal Government have agreed to revise the Basic Law at …

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Germany: New laws and regulations in November 2020

Like in every new month, new laws and regulations enter into force in Germany in November. These affect quarantine rules for travellers, the labelling of food products, vehicle insurance, change of tax class and ID card for EU citizens living in Germany, among others. Here’s an overview of the changes: —– Corona-Lockdown  From 2 November, new corona restrictions will apply …

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End Bad Governance in Nigeria! Protesters cry out in Berlin

More than a thousand Nigerians turned up at the Alexanderplatz in Berlin on Saturday, 24 October, to continue the protests against police brutality and bad governance in their country.  The demonstrations, under the #EndSARS hashtag, began with calls on the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to scrap the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). This police unit has become infamous for its …

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Coronavirus: “Please stay at home,” Merkel pleads again amid record infection numbers in Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned citizens to stay at home and reduce all unnecessary contact and travel after the number of infections hit a new record high. The country’s death toll also passed 10,000 on Saturday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned citizens to stay at home and reduce social contact to an absolute minimum on Saturday, following another notable rise …

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Young African professionals making it big in Germany

When the coronavirus pandemic spread in early 2020, economies around the world closed down and most people were relegated to remote work. But for the young African professionals taking part in the latest AFRIKA KOMMT! programme, the pandemic brought the additional challenge of being in a foreign country and taking part in a highly competitive programme. According to Ilka Wiskemann, …

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Berlin offers financial aid to churches and mosques over corona crisis

The federal state of Berlin is offering financial support to religious communities suffering from the impact of the corona crisis. Many churches and mosques are in financial distress due to pandemic-related restrictions and the resulting drop in donations they receive from members. Small religious communities engaged in social and integration issues could apply for funding for their rent, incidental rental …

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Coronavirus pandemic hitting immigrants in Germany hard – Integration Minister warns

The Minister of State for Integration, Annette Widmann-Mauz, has said that the coronavirus pandemic was hitting people with a migration background and refugees particularly hard. They often work in sectors that are particularly affected by the economic consequences of the pandemic, the Ms Widmann-Mauz said at the 12th Integration Conference, which took place on Monday and that focused on the …

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Controversial court verdict over Pegida attack on Pakistani in Dresden

Bob Hooda, writing from Dresden, says a court ruling in a case of physical assault against an immigrant in the eastern German city reveals institutionalised racism within the judiciary of the state of Saxony On 29 July 2019, a 30-year-old Pakistani was first insulted by supporters of Pegida, a pan-European, anti-Islam, far-right political movement, and then given a bloody nose …

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Germany: Merkel confers with migrant organisations over COVID-19

As the number of new coronavirus cases spikes in Germany, the federal government has reached out to migrant organisations in the country to seek their support for its containment efforts. On Thursday, Chancellor Angela Merkel, Minister of State for Integration, Annette Widmann-Mauz, and Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn parleyed with representatives of migrant organisations and religious communities at a video …

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COVID-19: Website informs Germany’s migrant communities in English, French, other languages

To counter misinformation circulating in the country, the Federal Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration – Die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Migration, Flüchtlinge und Integration – runs an online portal to provide information about the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in English, French, Turkish and other languages. “By obeying certain rules, every individual can help protect the elderly and people with pre-existing …

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