Just when one tends to think racism is becoming a sensitive subject with the police because of all the international demonstration of “Black Lives Matter movement”, it is not. I would like to narrate two incidences that happened to two of our black activists in a span of a one week and in two different federal states. The first one was in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the other one in Brandenburg.
On the 10.07. our activist and her family were enjoying a walk on the beach at the east coast (Ostsee). A policewoman went straight to them and asked for their identity papers. Fortunately, we in Women in Exile, know our rights. So, she asked the policewoman to control first the people she passed along then come back to them. The policewomen answered, they control even Americans. And of course, it was quite clear which “Americans” they control or mean.
The woman from our group told her that she knows her rights and then the policewoman walked away. The second incidence happened in Doberlug-Kirchhain on the 15.07 during our rally. A policewoman who had talked very cooperatively to the woman who had registered the demonstration, wanted to see the identity papers of those responsible of keeping the demonstration rules. The policewoman saw our black activist remove her identity card from her wallet but even before she has had a look on it. She started telling her, it is not her identity card. You can imagine the confusion of someone trying to tell you, that you are not the person you trying to proof to be. The only question which could come out at the moment was: “What?!?” The police women then took the identity card and said, ok, it is you, but you look like a man. Then she gave it back, excused herself and left.
