Thousands of people in Germany with migrant backgrounds are sharing stories of everyday discrimination under the hashtag #MeTwo, inspired by football star Mesut Ozil’s resignation from Germany’s national team over racism.
The campaign was launched earlier this week by Turkish-origin author and rights activist Ali Can, who dubbed it #MeTwo – a play on the #MeToo movement that highlights women’s experiences of sexual harassment, and a comment by Ozil about having “two hearts”.
Regularly in professional as well as other contexts: "Where are you from?" - "Germany (or Berlin)" - Pause. Facial expression that says "Well yeah, you know what I mean with the question, so why are you not responding?" - No Response - "Where are you REALLY from?" #MeTwo
— Tarik Abou-Chadi (@tabouchadi) July 26, 2018
#metwo my son's friend's been slapped and spat on coz he had a lunchbox to school during ramadan. His classmates told him not to eat, called him dirty pork eater, smelly infidel and that he is bound to go to hell. In 1st grade! Hatred is not a german problem, it's mankind itself!
— Nic10do (@NicoOelrichs1) July 26, 2018
#MeTwo after 5 months of living in Germany as an immigrant I am in shock of how racism is in their blood what is the people if you offer an old lady a chair? Instead of thanks you'll get a deadly look and "no I don't want to 😡"
— @LenaDakkak (@leighDakkak) July 27, 2018
What is this ????
I had a caregiver in the kindergarten who discussed with me about my religion and said I'm only muslim because of my parents, I was around 5 yo. One day she forced me to eat sausage and later she smiled and told me it was pork. Now I'm 30, I will never forget her hate...#MeTwo
— SD (@SD1988er) July 26, 2018
#MeTwo well let me say this way. Racism exists everywhere. Some places more, some places less. But it exists more here in Germany than other European countries. One example experienced is in clubs where colored men aren't allowed. Have faced this situation many times!!!
— Diariodoindiano (@diariodoindiano) July 27, 2018
#MeTwo
— Khaled Kadri (@KhaledKadri64) July 26, 2018
My mother is German, my father is from an Arab country. So I have an arabic name. With all the "where are you REALLY from" stuff. The other way around, I would probably have a German name and nobody would bother me. But I would still be the same person.... Crazy.
Ozil dropped a bombshell on Sunday when he announced in a stinging letter that he would no longer play for Germany after he faced racist abuse for posing for a picture alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“I have two hearts, one German and one Turkish,” wrote Ozil, who accused the German Football Federation (DFB) of failing to stand up for him after critics questioned his patriotism and singled him out for blame after Germany’s World Cup flop.
The controversy has prompted heated debate in German media about racism and integration. “We need a #MeToo debate for people with a migrant background,” Can, who has lived in Germany since he was a toddler, said in a video posted online on Tuesday.
“I am more than just one identity. I feel at home in Germany... at the same I can feel connected to another country,” he said. “The two sides blend together, one doesn’t exclude the other.”
Taking my newborn son to the hospital because of fear he has jaundice and being told by the pediatrician he is fine because he is as yellow as I am #Metwo
— Rachel Baig (@rachel_baig) July 26, 2018
#MeTwo once man called me out of nowhere "Einbrecher". And told me to go back to Syria. I'm black African muslim... they don't even know who they hating.
— Ms. Sualé (@IntroverDiaries) July 26, 2018
#MeTwo
— Wenn Liebe in Hass umschlägt (@InWenn) July 27, 2018
As an Iranian have to say, that I feel racism everyday in Germany. I moved to germany for seven years ago as an Expert and now I'm a german citizen but I'll move somewhere else. They can't accpet us as a part of society.
#metwo Another one: local gym is rumored to not accept any immigrants as customers, two friends and I try to see if it’s true. One of them is German, the other one is Moroccan, both are male, employed, around the same age. Moroccan friend walks in alone at first, is told that 1/x
— Barış Almanço (@BarisAlmanco) July 27, 2018
I was at a modern art museum in Germany. And I met a photographer who works there. We had a little conversation like he is interested to take some photos of me and where i come from. I said Turkey and his answer is: "Aww, this is so surprising you visit an art museum." #MeTwo
— HaTun (@Lalaith3) July 26, 2018
#MeTwo because I'm an immigrant but my white batchmates are expats? Asked at a bouldering hall if I was at the right place because people of my 'kind' aren't usually seen there. And last but not the least...
— Debanjan Choudhuri (@debabed13) July 27, 2018
Growing up in a village in south Germany we faced daily racism, called monkeys, our house was set on fire on new year once, we were not allow to go to better schools, today all 6 of us are hard working graduates #MeTwo
— N U C C i (@Nuccii88) July 27, 2018
Not as serious as to fall under #MeTwo but: Been livin in Germany for 2 years, things i hear most when i say “i’m from Turkey”: “but you dont look Turkish!”(to which i respond “i very much do!”);”but how come you drink alcohol/eat pork?”; “but how can you speak English so well?”
— Gulay Turkmen (@gulayturkmen) July 27, 2018
The #MeTwo hashtag quickly went viral as thousands posted about their run-ins with prejudice and racism in Germany. “You’re well integrated for a Turk” and “Don’t you wear a headscarf?” were cited as “classic examples” of remarks endured by Twitter user Hatdische Indsche.
Many also complained about discrimination from landlords in the search for a flat or house, because of their skin colour or foreign-sounding names. “When you can’t get an answer, but your German girlfriend gets instant replies to the same offer. After we got married and she changed her name, she stopped getting answers too,” wrote Twitter user Oguz Yilmaz.
Malcolm Oscar Uzoma Odeh-Ohanwe, who tweets as MalcolmMusic, recounted being called “a monkey” at high school years ago when he was a dread-locked teenager.
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas praised the campaign, saying it was “impressive and painful” to see how many stories were flooding in. “If you think racism in Germany is no longer a problem, I recommend reading through all the #MeTwo tweets,” he tweeted. “Let us raise our voice with them: against racism, anytime, anywhere.”
(With inputs from AFP)