Enlarge image
Place name sign of Negernbötel - soon Näherbötel?
Photo: Daniel Reinhardt / picture alliance / dpa
Schleswig-Holstein has numerous notable place names. Did you know that California and Brazil (both in the Plön district) are located here, as well as Greenland and Siberia (the latter, by the way, a district of Elmshorn)? Probably none of these names arouse negative and racist associations - it is different with Negernbötel in the Segeberg district. Young green politicians have therefore called for the town of around 1,000 inhabitants to be renamed.
"The place name N *** rnbötel contains the very hurtful and racist N-word," writes the district's youth organization on Instagram.
“Of course, that doesn't mean that the people of the village are racist, but it does mean that we honor a word that stands for racism, oppression and the murder of Black, Indigenous, People of Color and we don’t worry about it. «
The youth organization itself writes that the name Negernbötel has no racist origin.
It comes from Low German and means something like "closer to the settlement".
Since Low German is no longer a widespread language, and the place name triggers a different association in most people, it must be changed.
"If that bothers you, you can live somewhere else."
In Negernbötel itself one is critical of a possible renaming according to the "Kieler Nachrichten".
The mayor of the place, Marco Timme, had said according to the "Lübecker Nachrichten" to the debate that kept coming up in January: "We don't have a racist living here.
We are so well received.
If that bothers you, you can live somewhere else. "
The "Bild" newspaper quotes him today with the words: "The topic distracts from the actual tasks in the village that have to be tackled." A discussion about naming 1306 is "secondary".
The topic has long been discussed in the community and there is no desire to change the name.
Linguists sometimes see things differently.
So recently there had been renaming in various places: In Munich, for example, as well as in Kiel - to stay in Schleswig-Holstein - two Mohren pharmacies dropped their names in 2020, in Berlin Mohrenstrasse is to become Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Strasse become.
And according to the “Kieler Nachrichten” there is already a proposal from the Green Youth for Negro Bootel: Näherbötel.
Green chairman slows down the youth
As it says in the report with reference to the district, such a renaming of the place name would also be possible.
But the community representatives would have to decide on this.
The state chairman of the Greens, Steffen Regis, slowed the party’s youngsters.
There is no reason to attribute racist motives to the place name or even to the residents.
"Renaming the place is out of the question for us."
apr / dpa