Thousands of Germans have shared their stories of experiencing racism and xenophobia, after anti-racism activist Ali Can launched the #MeTwo campaign on July 25.
It comes after football player Mesut Ozil, who is of Turkish heritage, announced he was stepping down from the national team, alleging he had faced “racism and disrespect” from staff, fans, the media and wider society.
He said he was “German when we win, but an immigrant when we lose”, despite helping Germany to a World Cup victory in 2014.
Some were sceptical of his claims, but many others claimed similar experiences.
Mr Can says the name #MeTwo relates to many immigrants’ feelings of having a dual identity, and comes off the back of the #MeToo sexual harassment campaign.
Mr Can says the name #MeTwo relates to many immigrants’ feelings of having a dual identity. Source: Twitter/@alicanglobal
He has told Reuters, he believes migrants’ feelings of not belonging have intensified with the rise in popularity of the far-right Alternative for Germany political party.
The overwhelming response even spurred the country’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to comment, tweeting that if people thought racism was no longer a problem in Germany, they should read through the #MeTwo tweets.
Others described everyday incidents of being singled out for the way they look.
Mr Can, who belongs to the Kurdish Alevi minority, says his parents moved to Germany from Turkey when he was a toddler to get away from discrimination.
It is not the first time the 24-year-old has made a public protest against racism. In 2017, he launched a hotline for so-called “concerned citizens” worried about migrants and refugees, eventually leading to a book which he hopes encourages people to discuss the subject further.
More than a million migrants entered Germany in 2015–16 alone, many coming from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
