Germany’s federal prosecutor on Friday weighed in on the debate about the risk of racist attacks during the World Cup, agreeing such a danger existed in some parts of the former East Germany.
”The situation is such that exceptionally brutal attacks may happen, which could lead certain parts of the population to avoid living in those areas,” Kay Nehm told Deutschlandradio Kultur in an interview to be broadcast on Saturday.
”When you notice that there is a development that runs contrary to the state’s interests, then you have a duty to try and do something about it.”
Nehm recently took over the investigation into the brutal, apparently racially motivated attack on an Ethiopian-born engineer in Brandenburg state, which surrounds Berlin in the former communist East Germany, in April.
On Wednesday, a former German government spokesperson caused an outcry when he warned that foreign visitors to the World Cup should avoid some areas around Berlin because of the risk of racist attacks.
”There are small and mid-sized towns in Brandenburg and elsewhere where I would advise anyone with a different skin colour not to go,” Uwe-Karsten Heye said.
”They may not leave with their lives,” he added. Heye, a spokesperson for the former government led by Gerhard Schroeder, currently runs an anti-racist group called ”Gesicht zeigen” (Show Your Face).
Politicians said they were concerned that he had damaged Germany’s image ahead of the football tournament.
”This is a denigration of whole areas of Brandenburg and there is nothing to justify it,” said Matthias Platzeck, the state leader of Brandenburg. – Sapa-AFP