As of: February 9, 2024, 10:55 a.m
By: Stefan Krieger
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There is currently no modification to the Basic Law.
© Uwe Anspach/dpa
The deletion of the term “race” from the Basic Law is off the table.
The traffic light coalition follows the concerns of the Central Council of Jews.
Berlin - On Wednesday (February 7th), Saarland deleted the term "race" from the state constitution - it will probably remain in the Basic Law for the time being.
According to a media report, the traffic light coalition is abandoning its plans to delete the word “race” from the Basic Law and replace it.
The SPD, Greens and FDP factions had agreed on this, the Düsseldorf
Rheinische Post
reported on Friday (February 9), citing coalition circles.
“We agree on that,” they said unanimously.
Traffic light coalition wanted to remove term
In the coalition agreement it was agreed to remove the word from Article 3 of the Basic Law.
The third paragraph states: “No one may be disadvantaged or favored because of their gender, their descent, their race, their language, their homeland and origins, their faith, their religious or political views.
Nobody should be disadvantaged because of their disability.” The traffic light wanted to delete the term “race” and add a ban on discrimination based on sexual identity.
Article 3 of the Basic Law in verbatim
(1) All people are equal before the law.
(2) Men and women have equal rights.
The state promotes the actual implementation of equal rights for women and men and works towards eliminating existing disadvantages.
(3) No one may be disadvantaged or favored because of their gender, their ancestry, their race, their language, their homeland and origin, their faith, their religious or political views.
Nobody may be disadvantaged because of his disability.
Waiver due to concerns of the Central Council of Jews
According to the Rheinische Post
, coalition circles now said that
by foregoing the deletion of the term, the traffic light was following the concerns of the Central Council of Jews.
Its president, Josef Schuster, has stated that he is against deletion because the word is reminiscent of the persecution and murder of millions of people, “primarily Jews.”
“The objections and suggestions are correct,” said coalition circles, according to the
Rheinische Post
.
In addition, government coalition circles said that replacing the term would be legally too complicated.
“There are considerable concerns about which wording guarantees the same level of protection.” Before Saarland, Brandenburg and Thuringia had already deleted the word “race” from their respective state constitutions.
(skr/afp)