Protection against discrimination in Germany is not sufficient. This is the conclusion of the fifth report on “Discrimination in Germany”, which the Federal Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, Ferda Ataman, presented together with other commissioners in Berlin on Tuesday.
Ataman and her colleagues reported increasing racist and anti-Semitic discrimination and increasing attacks on minorities. “We are worried about our country,” said Ataman. Demonstrators in Berlin called for a reform of the law on equal opportunities for people with disabilities.
Ataman said there was “no security package for people who experience discrimination and are afraid.” She accused Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) of delaying the reform of the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) announced by the traffic light coalition.
According to the information, around 20,600 people seeking advice turned to the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency in the reporting period from 2021 to 2023. In only half of the cases was the agency able to support people in taking action against discrimination, said Ataman. The reason for this is the “weak and incomplete anti-discrimination law” in Germany.
Roma and Sinti most affected by state discrimination
Citizens who were attacked or insulted in a racist or anti-Semitic manner were particularly likely to report the incident. Other reasons include discrimination based on age, disability, religion, ideology or sexual identity. The report assumes that only a fraction of those affected come forward.
The Anti-Semitism Commissioner Felix Klein and the antigypsyism commissioner Mehmet Daimagüler both described how Jews, Roma and Sinti are exposed to particular pressure. Klein said that after the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, many Jews feared for their safety. Daimagüler explained that Roma and Sinti are most affected by state discrimination.
The joint report, which is presented to the Bundestag every four years, includes the observations of all the commissioners responsible for minorities and discrimination protection. In addition to Ataman, these include the anti-Semitism commissioner, the commissioner for people with disabilities Jürgen Dusel, the military commissioner Eva Högl, the commissioner for national minorities Natalie Pawlik, the anti-gypsyism commissioner, the integration commissioner Reem Alabali-Radovan and the Queer representative Sven Lehmann.
The General Equal Treatment Act covers discrimination in the service sector, in the housing and labour markets, but not in state institutions.
The Disability Equality Act (BGG) requires state authorities to provide accessibility, but not the private sector such as shops or doctor’s offices. The traffic light coalition wants to change that. Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) has now submitted a draft law for internal government voting.
In Berlin, representatives of associations called on politicians to revise the AGG and the BGG. According to the organizers, almost 200 people took part in the demonstration at the Brandenburg Gate. (epd)
