Is There Racism in Germany: What You Need to Know

Planning to live in Germany and worried about racism? Check out this post for everything you need to know about racism in Germany.

As a black Au pair who’s been living in Germany for a few months now, the topic of racism has always been relevant to me. I experienced racism abroad myself while I was a study abroad student in Italy so I figured it only made sense to keep an eye out for it as an Au pair in Germany.

So, if you’re moving to Germany and you’re curious about what the racism is like, you’ve come to the right place. This post alone highlights my experience with racism in Germany and how it affected me.

Is there racism in Germany?

Yes, racism is very much alive and well in Germany. I unfortunately had to experience it firsthand as an Au pair here and it made me a little comfortable at first. This obviously is due to the fact that racism in Germany isn’t as covert and passive as it is in America; so, as a result, the racism I experienced in Germany was a bit more passive aggressive than I was used to generally.

Racist Neighbor (racism in Germany)

Sharing the story of how I knew my ex-host mother’s neighbor was a racist is a great example.

So, when I first moved in with my ex-host mother, she told me that she was pretty cordial with all of her neighbors. In fact, sometimes my ex-host kids would literally go over to their neighbor’s house to play with their trampoline or get a glass of water. So, with that being said, when I met some of them, they seemed very nice. However, what she didn’t warn me about was her neighbor across the street.

To get straight to the point, one day as I was heading out of the house to go out, I noticed that this neighbor kept staring at me while he was with his friends. And this wasn’t just a curious stare. This was a downright blank, malicious one. In fact, his friends were also giving me the same stare back which just made everything worse.

I stared at them back for a little while as I walked away but the energy was too intense to hold eye contact. So, with that being said, I just went on my merry way as if they didn’t exist.

@travelandblossom I’m so sick of all the racist stares … 🙄 #racismingermany #blackingermany #racismabroad #racismawareness #racismneedstostop #americaningermany #racismsucks ♬ original sound – krissychula

The TikTok video you see above showcases what I’m talking about exactly except this was the second time he stopped and stared. At this point, I got so tired of this person’s nonsense that I ended up recording him. As you can see in the video, he’s trying to hide his little cotton ball head in the background but I can definitely see him.

So, if you’re coming to Germany and you notice that the neighbors are looking at you funny, don’t be surprised. This neighbor seemed highly anti-black and anti-foreigner.

Giggling Girls (racism in Germany)

Another example of passive aggressive racism I experienced in Germany also had to do with other locals as well, specifically German teens.

I remember there was this one time where I decided to take the bike my ex-host mother gave me out for a ride around Heusenstamm. The weather looked very appropriate at the time so I figured why not.

I was heading towards the tennis club in the area around this time since there’s a great flat bike path along the way. As I riding along this path, I noticed there were two German teenage girls staring at me. A lot of people in Germany stare at me for so many different reasons so when they did it, I didn’t mind.

However, it wasn’t until I saw them again that I noticed their reaction change. I was riding the same bike path back home and since the girls were on foot I knew I was going to pass them again. This time, instead of staring at me when I biked past them, the girls started giggling.

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Now, I know what you’re thinking, couldn’t they have been giggling at someone else?

Well… I thought so too until they started whispering “hello” to me in English.

I of course as usual ignored them but at the same time I was curious to know what exactly was funny.

Was it the way I was riding the bike…

Was it how I looked…

Or something else all together?

All in all, I left that experience feeling self-conscious all together. I personally don’t like being giggled at especially if I’m not doing something funny. It’s rude in my opinion and it makes me wonder if they would have still giggled at me if I was just an average German local riding a bike. That’s something I’ll probably never get the answer to but it’s something to keep in mind.

Dirty Looks (racism in Germany)

Another example of passive-aggressive racism I’ve experienced in Germany also has to do with the dirty looks I’ve received.

For example, there was actually one time as I was crossing the street in Heusenstamm, a fellow German biker actually gave me a dirty look because I was about to step on the sidewalk after crossing the street.

I didn’t actually see this biker as I was crossing but all of sudden he just appeared as soon as I tried to step on the sidewalk.

He was actually riding his bike on the sidewalk to begin with and he was annoyed that he was going to have stop if I stepped onto the sidewalk, hence why he gave me the dirty look.

And to be honest, when it first happened, I couldn’t understand why he was so disgusted. I was a pedestrian trying to step onto the sidewalk like anybody else but apparently that wasn’t okay according to this man. In his mind, he’s thinking “how dare you?” when in reality he wasn’t riding his bike along the bike path anyways.

And to make matters worse, not only was this man a person of color but he was also an immigrant too.

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Like seriously….

All in all to say, racism in Germany doesn’t have to come from actual Germans themselves, sometimes it can even come from immigrants living there too.

Staring Children (racism in Germany)

Another example of passive aggressive racism I’ve experienced in Germany is just the stares I got from German children. Now don’t get me wrong, not all stares from German children are racist. I’ve gotten a friendly stare where the German child stared at me and smiled but I’ve also gotten a not so friendly stare where the German child stared at me in contempt.

To give you an example, when I was still working as an Au pair in the city of Frankfurt, I had some issues bonding with one of my first host kids. She was 7 years old at the time and for some reason I felt like she had a lot misplaced animosity towards me. The only reason I can think as to why is because I replaced her last Au pair. She had a very strong bond with her. A bond I could only wish we had but unfortunately it affected our relationship.

So one day when I took my ex-host kids to the tennis club to meet their mom, my female ex-host kid went inside the tennis club’s restaurant to sit with her friends. I, of course, followed her because I usually order the food for my host family while my host mom plays.

While I was sitting down waiting for the food to be ready, I overheard my ex-female host kid talking to her friends about me in German. Now, even though I may not be fluent in German, I can obviously tell when someone’s talking about me. In fact, my ex-host kid’s body language was everything. I overheard her telling her friends that I was nothing like her last Au pair and it really hurt my feelings. Her friends also not only listened to her intently but they also gave me an unfriendly stare too.

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It honestly just felt like I was sitting in a cafeteria with a bunch of mean girls who were tearing me apart but this wasn’t something I ever thought I would experience from my host kid. The stares her friends gave me were very racist and my host kid’s hostility was not ok.

Yelling (racism in Germany)

Another example of passive-aggressive racism I’ve received in Germany is yelling. Now most of the time, this only happened in Frankfurt but I feel like any person of color can be yelled at by a German in any other big city.

But, in my case, this happened while I was riding a bike around the city. I was following the bike lane like any other cyclist but I needed to stop on the bike lane for a minute so that I could cross the street. But unfortunately, one German didn’t like that.

On the other hand, what I will say is that I wasn’t the only one on the bike lane waiting to cross. There was another woman with her bike who was standing nearby me too.

But guess who the German woman chooses to yell at…..

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Yep, you got that right… me.

In fact, it was in moments like this that made me realize how great it was to not be fluent in German. I mean even though I could tell she was angry at me from her tone, I couldn’t exactly translate everything she said. But I think it’s kind of crazy how I’m the one that gets yelled at because I’m black. Although, the other woman standing there was just as culpable as me, to this German, that didn’t matter.

So, if you’re a minority who’s planning to live in Germany, don’t be surprised if Germans scapegoat you for things that are not entirely your fault. It’s a really easy thing that racist people do to avoid accountability.

Black Face (racism in Germany)

Another example of racism I’ve experienced in Germany wasn’t even passive-aggressive at all. In fact, it was just there. Sitting… in my ex host-father’s office.

But if you’re unsure of what exactly I’m referring to all you have to do is look at the picture above.

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As you can see on one side of the picture, you’ll find one person dressed in a Native-American costume with feathers and everything while on the other side there’s a man clearly dressed up as a Mexican wearing what other Americans refer to as… Black Face.

Now, if you’re not sure what exactly Black Face is, I’m happy to educate you. In the U.S., Blackface was actually a practice in the 19th century where white performers would use black makeup or burnt cork to portray a caricature of Black people on stage or in entertainment. The reason why participating in this practice is so offensive today is due to the fact that Blackface back then was used to mock enslaved Africans to promote stereotypical traits about the racial group.

So, to my surprise when I saw this picture framed and sitting in my ex-host father’s office I was taken a little aback. To my knowledge, he probably didn’t know it was offensive but then again seeing a picture like this is more likely to offend just one racial group. Also, at the time, I believe I was their first black Au pair so it only made sense why I would be the first one to notice it.

All in all, with that being said, I didn’t confront my ex-host father about the picture at all. There’s a reason why he’s an ex but that’s another horror story for later. I was already planning on ending my contract with this family so it didn’t really matter. But for the time I was with this family, walking by that picture made me very comfortable. Although, it could just be ignorance on my ex-host father’s part, what if it wasn’t…

What if he knows it’s offensive but doesn’t care?

What I will say though is that when I first started working for this family, this picture was on the second shelf for everyone to see, but after a few weeks, I noticed that he moved it all the way to the top shelf, far from reach….

Is that a coincidence?

I think not.

But it just goes to show how even Germans are capable of committing the same racist acts a lot of white Americans get a lot of hate for doing.

The German Stare (racism in Germany)

Another thing one must keep in mind when talking about racism in Germany is the German Stare. In fact, I would say you haven’t lived in Germany at all if you’ve never experienced it. Generally, the German Stare is a cultural thing that Germans do on a regular occurrence as a whole and it can be used to communicate several things.

But if you’re a person of color in Germany, then you of all people should know that sometimes the stare can give off racist vibes.

For example, there was one time where I had to pick up my ex-host kid from soccer practice and I was told by my ex-host parents that I could park right next to field. However, when I parked the car right next to the soccer field, one German man wasn’t so happy about that. In fact, he actually came up right to my driver’s side window to give me the stare down of a lifetime. I didn’t really understand it at first, but I thought it was very mean. He was trying to tell me in German that I should “park on the street” but I was clearly there to pick someone up.

But, when I tried to explain that to him in German his response was the same.

So, I did what any other foreigner would do and said “I don’t speak German” in English. At that point, once he realized German was futile, he walked away.

However, if you ask me I think the racist part about the whole thing is the fact that I wasn’t the only one parking next to the field. In fact, there was another car behind me doing the exact same thing but yet, the German man apparently gave him a pass.

So that just goes to show that if you’re a person of color getting the German Stare, don’t be surprised if you feel like there’s a racist undertone to it.

No Racism Signs (racism in Germany)

Lastly, when it comes to racism in Germany, it’s important to take note of the initiatives that take place in the country to help spread awareness. For example, while I was in Frankfurt, I noticed that there was an initiative in place that was directed against racism, discrimination, and intolerance in Germany. This obviously became apparent to me because I saw signs that said Kein Platz fuer Rassismus near multiple government facilities like the Rathaus.

As for how the initiative began, the initiative started the moment when racism on German football fields got to an all-time high in the early 2000s. The coloured players on these football teams were always given threats, insults, and kicks by individual spectators and groups. In fact, there was one case in particular in 2006 where a Nigerian player in Leipzig was regularly spit on by spectators during the games and insulted. Things even got so bad after one game that he ended up being beaten and attacked by rival fans of his team.

So, having this initiative just goes to show that not all Germans are pro-racist. Without their help, this initiative wouldn’t have been as successful as it is today and I can only hope that there are plenty more initiatives to come.

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Overall, I really hope you enjoyed this post on everything you need to know about racism in Germany! Please let me know in the comments down below which fact about it surprised you the most. I would love to hear from you! 🙂

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