German politician criticises media for ‘downplaying’ racism in migrant attacks
Istanbul, Turkey - A suspected arson attack last month in northwestern Germany, killing four Turkish-bulgarian citizens, ‘should make us think about the reality of racism and of the danger of racist attacks in 2024’, according to a German parliamentarian, calling the attack ‘horrible’ and ‘a shame’.
Helge Lindh, a member of the Social Democratic Party, discussed the ‘escalating’ racism in Germany, also telling about the uncertainty surrounding the attacker’s motives. “The public prosecutor says there might be evidence for a non-political motive, but they are not sure.”
“We are not allowed to exclude any motive, including a racist motive, because we have a history of excluding racist motivation,” he added, highlighting racist attacks in the past by the National Socialist Underground (NSU) and other groups.
The NSU was a German neoNazi militant group active between 2001 and 2010. It was also responsible for the killing of 10 people, including eight Turks, from 2000 to 2007.
Pointing out that the building targeted by arson primarily housed immigrants and Muslims, Lindh stressed the prevalent fear of racism due to past events in the city, where five Turks lost their lives in 1993.
The attack ‘should make us think about reality of racism and of the danger of racist attacks in 2024. This is horrible and it’s a shame’, he added. On the ongoing investigation, Lindh emphasised the importance of sensitivity, given the authorities’ past tendency to blame ‘innocent’ victims, as seen in the NSU case, urging support for immigrant and Muslim communities.
‘Immigrants feel like usual suspects’
Lindh criticised certain German media outlets for ‘downplaying’ racism in attacks on immigrants, noting a biased portrayal of crimes, which often highlights the ethnicity of perpetrators while ignoring it when victims are migrants.
He underscored the impact of such media practices on immigrant communities, making them feel unsafe and isolated, with many feeling unsupported by the law and government.
“They’re feeling under general suspicion, as the ‘usual suspects’, but not being accepted, acknowledged, or seen as victims,” Lindh added. He argued for a significant role by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD) party in perpetuating racist attitudes, citing numerous attacks on mosques and institutions as evidence of growing racism and farright sentiment in Germany.