FRANKFURT: Thousands of people in Germany with migrant backgrounds are sharing stories of everyday discrimination under the hashtag #MeTwo, inspired by football star Mesut Ozil’s resignation from Germany’s national team over racism.
“When I’m the only-non white person in a crowded train and the police gets in, I’m the only one who is asked to show ID,” tweeted Der Spiegel reporter Hasnain Kazim, as the discussion trended on German Twitter on Friday (Jul 27).
The campaign was launched earlier this week by Turkish-origin author and rights activist Ali Can, who dubbed it #MeTwo – a play on the #MeToo movement that highlights women’s experiences of sexual harassment, and a comment by Ozil about having “two hearts”.
Ozil dropped a bombshell on Sunday when he announced in a stinging letter that he would no longer play for Germany after he faced racist abuse for posing for a picture alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“I have two hearts, one German and one Turkish,” wrote Ozil, who accused the German Football Federation (DFB) of failing to stand up for him after critics questioned his patriotism and singled him out for blame after Germany’s World Cup flop.
Read full report here: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/in-germany–ozil-racism-row-sparks–metwo-debate-10569160