Syrians expose deep-rooted racism within German government institutions

A wide-ranging study has revealed that racism within German government institutions is not just individual cases, but a phenomenon rooted in some official circles, where foreigners and refugees, especially Muslims and Roma, are subjected to discriminatory practices and ill-treatment that violate the principles of equality enshrined in international human rights law.

According to a report published by the North German Channel (NDR), the study concluded that racism is not "a marginal phenomenon within some German government institutions, but manifests itself in different forms in a number of official circles, whether through prejudices towards certain groups or through practices that lead to unequal treatment.

Among the testimonies cited in the study, a young Syrian man who has been living in Germany for about 10 years and now works as a delivery driver, recounts an experience in which he says he was subjected to racist treatment in an official circle. Because of his ongoing application for German citizenship, he preferred not to reveal his true identity for fear that it would affect his case proceedings.

Syrian refugee recounts months of suffering

The 36-year-old, who hails from the Syrian city of Idlib, says that "when he arrived in Germany, he had to register with the Labor Office, but he was surprised by questions that had nothing to do with the registration procedures, including why he grew his beard."

He adds that the employee was focusing on his appearance at a time when he was facing difficult living conditions, as he was left for 3 months without any financial support to secure his basic needs, which left a great psychological impact on him.

He says it  took him about three months to get the assistance  , despite the fact that he visited the Labour Office several times to submit the required documents. According to his account, he was asked to meet new conditions or requirements at each visit, which delayed the decision on his application and exacerbated his financial hardship during that period.

A clear distinction between Syrians and Ukrainians

The study found a clear disparity in the treatment of Syrian refugees compared to Ukrainian refugees, with the final report noting that Ukrainians are, in many cases, treated much better than others in the workplace.

According to the study, Muslims and Roma are the most exposed to racism, with 80 percent of respondents reporting that they have been discriminated against at least once.

The report also stated that almost half of those who dealt with employment offices, social services and foreign services were subjected to anti-Muslim racism, and  racial discrimination in German institutions is not limited to clients and clients, but also affects some employees working in them.

Controversy over the timing of the publication of the study and a conservative official response

"The  publication of the study at 5:30 p.m. on the Monday before Carnival (which falls on a public holiday and celebrations) is a bit odd, and it can be explained that the Interior Ministry does not show much interest in discussing the issue of racism," Beckel points out.

He added that it was expected that the federal ministries would take the initiative to recognize the problem of racism and work to combat it, given their leadership role, but this did not materialize, as hoped.

For his part, a spokesman for the German Ministry of the Interior rejected this characterization, stressing that the results of the study were made available to the public on the ministry's website, and explained that the ministry sees the results of the study as confirmation of its belief that cases of discrimination within its institutions represent an absolute exception, noting that it has been supporting various measures aimed at preventing discrimination for many years.

Call for anti-discrimination legislation

The study, which lasted several years, covered labour offices, foreigners' services, police, customs, the judiciary, health services and youth welfare offices, with significant regional disparities in the level of prevalence of racism.

In their practical recommendations, the researchers called for the establishment of more complaint offices for incidents of racism, because those affected often do not know where to turn. They also recommended the adoption of comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation and the development of domestic action plans to prevent it.

Some regions, such as Hamburg, have already made good strides in this area by establishing incident reporting systems, acknowledging the existence of racism and drafting clear guidelines, Beckel said. He pointed out that there are noticeable differences between the different regions of Germany, and that some cities and regions are making good progress.