Being
a nationalizing state that India is, Germany has always been a part of a wider
public discourse back home and often seen as an epitome of national might.
India has the dubious distinction of being among the countries where ‘Mein
Kampf’ remains one of the best-selling books of all times and the Right-wingers
invoke the one Who-Is-Not-Named so freely in Germany, with impunity. But then
there are things that we were not told in history books, the unease of the present
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The card reads - "Hating Humans is a disease. Get
well soon."
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day Germany with its violent past and a general abhorrence of expressing
overtly-nationalistic sentiments. As I arrived in Germany two years ago as a
student of Conflict Studies, I was amazed the way the country with such a
violent history has managed to make violence a socially unacceptable choice.
Since the World War II, Germany had tried with all sincerity to put its past
behind and build institutions that are the bulwark of its Democracy.
But
as the excitement of living in a foreign country subsided, came the reality.
Most of the Germans dissuade from venting their dislike for “Auslanders” or
“Aliens” (as the foreigners are referred in German) explicitly in public,
however, their coldness is a huge bumper for the integration of the foreigners
in my host country. Racism is something that is generally associated only with
the right wingers or neo-Nazis but it actually percolates deep down in the
society and is manifested in small gestures. When me being the lone
brown-shaded person among a bunch of white customers is asked to open my bag at
a Supermarket to show if I have not stolen anything, or when a train get
cancelled late in the night and the manager at the Bahnhof reception asks me to
sit on the platform in freezing cold while all the white passengers were being
given taxi fare or places to stay for the night, or when a non-native speaker
is humiliated by the German teacher for forgetting to put Verb at position
second; it is racism. For a thick-skinned person I am, the constant scrutiny,
intrigue, suspicion in the eye of population is not that stifling, but not all
the “Colourful people” (a phrase we have derived along with few of my German
and ‘Auslander’ friends to instill a higher sense of esteem in the people of
colour) are so immune to the latent apathy towards the foreigners.
But
with PEGIDA upping its ante on the issue of immigration and specifically
against Islam, the latent fear among a certain section of the German populace was
given a strong voice, which has been good enough to spread a sense of panic
among my fellow international students. A friend was being asked to go back
home in the street and another just stayed put in his house when PEGIDA came
calling to Erfurt. No doubts that the democracy in Germany is alive and
kicking; for a PEGIDA’s anti-Islam demonstration there is an equally potent
anti-PEGIDA demonstration. However, the immigrants or German citizens born to
immigrants are conspicuous because of their absence from the whole discourse.
With this in mind me and other international students decided to go out in open
instead of hiding and what is better than the potent weapon of ‘Love and
non-violence’ that Mahatma Gandhi gave. I always had love-hate relation with his
principles but the prospect of how to confront neo-Nazis with these two weapons
was challenging. So holding placard reading “Free Hugs/ Unarmung” and flowers;
and with open arms we headed towards the Erfurt Hauptbahnhof. On our way we
were amazed by the effervescence and warmth with which people responded to our
offer, barring a few old ladies who told me point blank “Geh weg! Wir mochten
unser Geld haben!” (Go away! We want to keep our Money!). With a smile on my face I offered them a flower and they
just looked the other way.
Our
final test was yet to come as we reached the Hauptbahnhof for what later turned
out to be a confused demonstration. Our target were the neo-Nazis singing “Wir
sind das Volk” ("We are the people". It has an eery similarity to "Dem Deutscher Volke" inscribed on top of the Bundestag – the German
Parliament). Their hatred for the
“Colourful people”, I have only heard about. Another international student with
me tried to pull me back from going there as he wanted to analyse the risk
factors first! Being a journalist I have been in much more aggressive and
potentially violent situations; and with the number of police available I asked
him to just follow. As the Nazis gesticulating towards us we offered them “Free
Hugs” with a smile and a flower. There was a look of incredulity on their faces
and they just could not look us in the eye anymore.
I
doubt that our campaign would have resulted in heart change of any hard core
haters of immigrants. But nearly 90 percent of the people were really friendly.
At one point of time people from both demonstration and counter-demonstration
were hugging us. This gives great hope to people seeking to get assimilated
into Germany – go out take part in the “Dance of Democracy” and reclaim your
space in public, which at the moment is not happening.
So
expect many such free hugging sessions in and around Erfurt from “Colourful
people” with a hope that Deutschland bleibt Bunt (Germany remains Colourful).
Come join us, only thing you need are “Open Arms”.
