The new Nuremberg Christ child, Benigna Munsi, has made a public statement after a racist comment by an AfD district association. She is doing well, said the 17-year-old at a press conference in Nuremberg. "Above all, I am surprised by the positive response that I get, the many positive messages."
She would be told things like, "Cheer up, not all people are so negative, but we're behind you," Munsi said. "I was very happy about that."
At the press conference, Mayor Ulrich Maly (SPD) commented on the case. "You'd have to laugh if you did not know these guys are serious, but you could howl about so much enmity," Maly said.
The Nuremberg Christ Child has in the past repeatedly caused "stupid comments". "Some did not like the nose, some the freckles, and there were some ethnically connoted comments, but today we are in an openly racist connotation."
The overwhelming many positive reactions to the Facebook post of the AfD district association Munich country showed, however, "that our democracy also shows on the net attitude and human dignity," said the politician.
The 17-year-old was elected on Wednesday by a jury for the New Christ Child of Nuremberg for the next two years. One day later, the AfD-Kreisverband München-Land posted the picture of the 17-year-olds and wrote: "Nuremberg has a new Christ child. One day it will be like the Indians." Apparently, the AfD was referring to the displacement of the indigenous population of America by white settlers from Europe. The post has since been deleted.
Munsi is a native of Nuremberg, her father is of Indian descent and owns in his own words since 1999 exclusively German citizenship, her mother is German.