Integration, Identity, Migration: In your view, how can Germany do better? Or is it already doing well compared to what other places have to offer in terms of opportunities for refugees? How do Germans’ treatment of Syrian vs Ukrainian refugees differ?
Germany is a country that has a history of eugenics, racism, and self-labeling as a “monoracial” state. Being German is still very associated, in many Germans’ eyes, with being white. A study from 2018 notes that “Germany still considers itself a monoracial state, one where whiteness is conflated with ‘Germanness’” (Kim, 2018). Furthermore, based on Germany’s Nazi party past, many Germans and government structures seek to avoid race as a concept (Kim, 2018). Both of these factors contribute to ongoing racism and discrimination in Germany especially as the country fails to recognize its colonial history even within the context of their “culture of remembrance” of the Holocaust (Melber and Kössler, 2020).
Germany’s multicultural identity and makeup increased following migration after WWII. The country experienced a period of increased immigration when they sought to reduce labor shortages in West Germany, recruiting foreign workers from Italy, Greece, Turkey, Morocco, Portugal, Tunisia, and Yugoslavia during the 1950s and 60s. East Germany followed suit recruiting workers from Vietnam, Cuba, and Mozambique during the same period. However, following the reunification, many people who immigrated to Germany were faced with uncertain futures and were not given solidified positions in the new country, setting a precedent of disregard and unwelcoming for immigrants in Germany (Documentation Center and Museum of Migration in Germany, 2023). Even as the German constitution “guarantees equality and prohibits race-based discrimination, ‘it is not being enforced,’” according to a UN Report by the United Nations’ Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent following a visit to Germany.
As of 2021, 22.3% of the German population had a “migratory background with a German passport” and a little over 10% of the population were born in countries other than Germany. In Berlin especially, 30% of the population has an immigration background and 1.8 million people in Germany in 2018 had a refugee background (Berlin Brandenburg: Statistik).
Given this context, Germany can do a lot better in terms of accepting and welcoming people of different backgrounds and races, an issue exemplified by the difference in treatment of Syrian and Ukrainian refugees. The situations of the two countries are not dissimilar with people noting their common enemy: Putin. Both conflicts displaced citizens of each country and caused many to seek refuge within the EU. However, in reality, they are treated differently both by German society and their government.
Many Syrian refugees felt the German attitude toward Ukrainian refugees was very different from attitudes toward them (Sharma, 2022). Jawad Aljeblawy, who arrived in Germany in 2016 via Turkey said, “It’s great that Ukrainians are being looked after at the political level in this way, but the message that I see is that there is a difference between those who are Europeans with blond hair and blue eyes and non-European Arabs and Muslims” (Sharma, 2022). Stanford immigration policy scholar David Laitin also noted that the treatment of Syrian refugees and Ukrainian refugees was different due to Europe’s strong anti-Muslim bias, evident in a study done by his Immigration Policy Lab colleagues. Laitin also said that European attitudes toward refugees changed over the years: “we need to remember that Europeans were impressively generous to the first wave of Syrian refugees, but as the numbers increased, attitudes quickly became exclusive” (De Witte, 2022). A recent study also found that “one-third of respondents (36%) believe that Germany cannot take in any more [refugees]” (Bertelsmann Foundation, 2022). These studies demonstrate patterns of racism and discrimination within German people, causing them to treat Ukrainians better.
Moreover, the rights of refugees are different than they were in 2014–2015, when many Syrian and North African refugees came to the EU. Now, Ukrainian refugees who are fleeing Ukraine at much higher rates, may stay in any EU country for a year as opposed to the previous 90 days.
Germans and the German government must look within themselves and understand the differences between their responses to Syrian refugees and Ukrainian refugees. They must do better to recognize their biases and how they manifest both in policy and in integration and acceptance.
Works Cited
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/04/style/black-germans-say-its-time-to-look-inward.html
https://www.dw.com/en/germans-less-skeptical-of-immigration/a-60801783
https://domid.org/en/service/essays/essay-migration-history-in-germany/
https://www.statistik-berlin-brandenburg.de/
https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/142601/5/Being%20Other%20in%20Berlin.pdf
