Coronavirus fear in Germany: A supermarket in Cologne is getting too colorful - after a racism incident, the employees fight back.
- A depressing incident happened in a supermarket in Cologne.
- Apparently for fear of coronavirus infection, customers behaved strangely.
- The employees are now defending themselves via Facebook.
Cologne - Usually the Heng Long Asia supermarket from Cologne city center posts events, recipes or background information about their products on the Facebook page - and customers like or ask questions. In January, the shop received a visit from Youtuberin Dagi Bee, who shot her current collection here.
But the last Facebook post is completely out of line. "What we have experienced at the moment is very sad," write the owners and employees on Facebook. That is why they chose a serious post. Since the outbreak of the corona virus *, many people of Asian origin have reported that they are excluded or avoided in public - an incident in their shop went far too far for the employees.
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“A girl came into the shop with her mother. Apparently she wanted to break a new record for the fastest purchase, ”the owners on Facebook tell of an experience that seemed strange to them from the start. But then it became even more unusual: "She said to her daughter, please put your scarf in front of your face." This announcement by the mother probably made the girl ponder, because the girl reacted promptly - with fear: "The daughter asked if everyone was here Chinese people are sick, ”the owners of the Asian shop continue.
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But instead of calming the daughter down and talking to her about the background of the virus *, the mother said nothing. The supermarket employees probably did not get a chance to speak to the girl themselves either: “Unfortunately we could no longer ask the lady for a conversation to explain to her and her daughter that not all Asians are Chinese and automatically have the virus. Unfortunately, she escaped as quickly as she got in. "
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With #JeNeSuisPasLeVirus, people around the world are drawing attention to the fact that the fear of infection * currently serves as a justification for marginalizing or degrading other people - a racist act that leaves those affected helpless and angry. "We are not the virus," say the employees of the Asian shop very clearly in their Facebook post. The fact that they now felt compelled to take this step shows what is currently hotly debated in Asian communities.
“We too are concerned that the disease will spread too quickly and hope that the states can get the disease under control. However, we would never come up with the general suspicion of treating groups of people and treating them as if only the group were infected. This is racism that you do not immediately recognize and it is purely scaremongering. That hurts more than it helps, ”the shopkeepers explain. Instead of joining in fear and panic, it's better to learn about precautions *.
The shopkeepers are even clearer: “Our customer base is very multicultural and we are proud that there are so many different people who are interested in Asian cuisine. We will continue to advise customers as always and are not afraid to contact customers just because something could happen. ”
Coronavirus fear: Neighbors show solidarity with the Asia store
While the Asian store's Facebook channel is usually quiet, the reactions of the followers to this post follow promptly. "Super written! I remain your loyal customer, ”says one user. A customer tries to cheer up the employees and discover a meaning behind the mother's reaction: “Unfortunately, people who don't understand something and are afraid often react in this way. We wish you a lot of strength, however, do not take it too much to heart, there are still many of us who are still looking forward to shopping with you without any fear of contact. ”And also real support is formed in the neighborhood - another user posts a picture of an Asian court and says: "We had a little Asia evening yesterday with friends at home and tried to cook, we like to stay customers." On behalf of others, a few users even apologize to the shopkeepers.
Coronavirus: Asians in Germany have to deal with this
And no surprise: Thanks to their Asian appearance, some customers are currently experiencing similar experiences - one user shares her feelings : “I am patterned wherever I go. Be it in the supermarket, in the gym or on open streets. Also yesterday I wanted to go in an elevator and a man refused to take me into the elevator. It's ok to be afraid of being infected and being careful. But shoving all Asians together and thinking we are a walking virus * is just a really bad feeling. "She is all the more pleased about the post of the shop:" Thank you for this contribution! Such posts can help sensitize and educate people. "
But they are also reproached for saying that the mother's reaction is not racism , but understandable fear. However, the owners know why this is not the case: "Unfortunately, this is the tricky thing about this type of racism", they say and explain - where someone should be prevented from approaching Asian people - this is exactly where racism begins. After her first post, the supermarket reacted very positively: “WOW! We are overwhelmed by the response. We did not think that the topic is so present in many and thank all supporters for the kind words and also the courage. "
What behavior is appropriate is discussed in the aviation industry, for example *.
An Instagram video with a possible corona virus background irritates many viewers.
* Merkur.de is part of the Germany-wide Ippen-Digital editors network.