Sawsan Chebli on racism: »I just took it«

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SPD politician Chebli on how racism was dealt with in the past: "There was no awareness and no climate for talking about it."

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Bernd von Jutrczenka / dpa

The Berlin SPD politician Sawsan Chebli believes that more people are now aware of a “racism problem” in Germany than a few years ago.

The assessment of the Green MP Aminata Touré, according to which the younger generation is more enlightened on the subject of racism, followed Chebli.

"At least since the right-wing extremist motivated murder of the CDU politician Walter Lübcke has also arrived in the majority society in this country that we have a racism problem," said Chebli in an interview with the portal "Watson".

Her personal approach to the topic has also changed.

"When I look at my personal story, the term racism played no role in the German world back then," said Chebli.

"I just took it," said the politician about the hostility she had received in the past.

For young people, on the other hand, it is “natural today to speak openly about racism.

And politics no longer shy away from the word. ”With a view to the current restrictions in the corona pandemic, she expressed understanding for the concerns of many young people.

"I find this bashing of young people unbearable," said Chebli.

It deserves respect when young people in the face of the "terrible turning point" by the pandemic continue to "motivate themselves to learn anyway, not to meet friends, not to party".

Chebli had repeatedly reported racist or sexist insults and harassment against her on Twitter and Facebook.

Chebli has been State Secretary for Civic Engagement since 2016.

In Berlin, Chebli had last applied for the Bundestag candidacy in the SPD constituency of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf.

In a vote, however, Berlin's Governing Mayor Michael Müller prevailed against them.

In an interview, Chebli said she did not yet know how things would go after the state elections in Berlin in September.

However, she was "certain that there will come a task that fulfills me and for which I can take responsibility," said Chebli.

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