This article has been sent by BLINK (Black Information Link), website of the 1990 Trust.








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BLACK FOOTBALL fans have been issued with a map of which areas in Germany they risk being the victim of a race attack.
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One England fan displays behaviour normally associated with apes.

The Government has recently issued new advice in combating the fear amongst Black travellers.

This has led to the Africa Council in Germany, to compile a No-Go guide, which will list areas where Black and Asian travellers should avoid.

There have been several racially motivated incidents in Germany, which have raised questions as to whether Germany is ready to host the World Cup 2006.

The uproar comes just weeks after a racist attack against an Ethiopian-German in the Brandenburg State, just outside of Berlin. Almost a month after the attack, the victim remains in a coma requiring critical care.

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This has led to great concerns over Black and Ethnic Minority fans travelling into Germany to watch the World Cup.







The no-go areas for Black fans in Germany.

Lord Herman Ouseley, a former chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, asked the Government whetherabout advice to Black and Ethnic minority football fans that intend to travel to the World Cup.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed they are to revise their previous advice to football fans.

Black visitors to the World Cup in Germany are being urged to keep away from parts of the country where they could be at risk of racially motivated attacks.

The "no-go-areas" is a phrase coined by Germany's former official spokesman Uwe-Karsten Heye, who recently warned of places in the country where non-white foreigners, who include all Asians, could not enter without fear of being assaulted by neo-Nazis and other right-wing elements.

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"There are small and medium-sized towns in Brandenburg, as well as elsewhere, which I would advise a visitor of another skin colour to avoid going to. As "they might not leave alive," he added.

Yonas Endrias, a member of Germany's African Council, likewise supported Heye. "None of us blacks would go on an outing in Brandenburg," he said.

"There is also racism in Western Germany, but as a black person, the chances of being attacked in an Eastern German village are much higher."

Following the Potsdam attack in April, the Africa Council spoke of areas in eastern Germany that blacks should avoid.

A guide to potential racial No-Go areas in Germany will go on the Internet and will be published in a brochure in time to warn visitors to the World Cup of areas known for far-right extremism.

The African Council, an umbrella organisation of African community groups and activists in Germany, will compile the No-Go guide.

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It focuses particularly on areas of Berlin and eastern cities like Leipzig and Dresden where neo-Nazi groups and far-right extremists are based and therefore potential danger zones.

The guide also mentions the Berlin suburbs of Hellersdorf-Marzahn, Köpenick and Pankow, and the streets around the railway stations Ostkreuz and Lichtenberg.

The situation was much worse in regions of the former East Germany, especially in the states of Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt, where far-Right and neo-Nazi ideology was on the rise.

"Black people (in Germany) are facing racist assaults ranging from verbal insults to murder. There are areas where non-whites are simply not safe, not even to use public transport," Moctar Kamara, the Africa Council's president said in an interview with British broadsheet.

"That is why we are warning the thousands of football fans who are coming to Germany without knowing what could happen if they go into the wrong areas."

The Foreign Office, when asked about this topic, believes that it is up to the local police to prevent any violence against blacks and ethnic minorities. This is not a responsible attitude being taken considering the recent spate of attacks.

With racism like this still existing in many parts of a highly developed country like Germany, it becomes extremely frustrating for the Black and Ethnic minority football fans to support their team and enjoy the sport without fearing for their safety.


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