For several years, people who suspect discrimination have been able to contact the Thuringian State Chancellery. The country's anti-discrimination agency is located there. The offer is used.
Erfurt (dpa/th) - The state's anti-discrimination agency has to process significantly more cases than in the past. Not only those affected, but also people from their personal environment regularly turned to the advice center, said a spokesman for the Thuringian State Chancellery on request. "Unfortunately, discrimination and racism are also part of our everyday experience." Cases of discrimination based on ethnic origin, on racist grounds and on the basis of religion were predominantly reported.
"People are not always aware of their discriminatory actions," but often enough it happens intentionally, said the spokesman. The establishment of the state anti-discrimination agency has therefore proven its worth from the point of view of the state government.
The state anti-discrimination agency is located in a department of the Thuringian State Chancellery. The roots of this advice center go back to 2016, since 2018 it has operated as a state anti-discrimination office. Three employees work for them. There, not only individual concerns of those affected by discrimination are processed. The position is also intended to help draw attention to the problems that arise in society as a whole when people are disadvantaged for whatever reason. To this end, it should also network with other advice centers in the state that work in this field.
According to the State Chancellery, 13 cases were processed by the State Anti-Discrimination Agency in 2019. Last year there were already 42. In the current year, 30 cases had already been registered by mid-August. Many of the cases are very consultation-intensive, it said. As with the cases dealing with the injustice of the SED, counseling often requires more space for discussions than with other concerns of people.
One of the cases recently processed by the agency reportedly concerned a student from Tanzania. The man was denied entry to a nightclub in Erfurt on the grounds that "people like him had caused stress in the past few days." "It was clear that skin color was the decisive criterion," said the spokesman. After examining the facts, a violation of the law was determined. This violation of the law was recognized by the city of Erfurt and a fine was imposed on the operator of the club and on the bouncers.
In addition to several cases of racism, several cases were also reported to the state anti-discrimination agency during the corona pandemic, in which the disabled or people with chronic diseases were disadvantaged, said the spokesman. For example, some were denied entry to retail stores because they did not wear corona masks. The persons concerned were released from the corresponding obligation because of their state of health and could have submitted a corresponding certificate.
