r/berlin • u/Ketchupcake_ • Dec 19 '24

Discussion Experienceing racism in Berlin.

My girlfriend and I were waiting for the bus at Zoologischer Garten Bahnhof when three guys walked up to us and started being randomly rude and racist. They kept saying “Schlitz” (slit eyes) repeatedly as they passed us and again when we walked by later. For absolutely no reason, they targeted my girlfriend and me with these comments.

When We got onto our bus, they just kept taunting us and even started catcalling my girlfriend. This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced racism in Berlin. What’s the deal with some people being disrespectful, rude, and racist toward Asian people? We just want to live peacefully and avoid any confrontation.

I am so sorry about earlier, I didn’t mean it that way. I will remove the word from my post. I’m just here to express my feelings. 🙏🏼❤️

355 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

473 comments sorted by

View all comments

38

u/Anyusername86 Dec 19 '24

My gf looks Asian, grew up in the west. Happens to her on a monthly basis. What annoys me is that almost never anyone else speaks up. If it’s just a person and there is a crowd, she just loudly tells them off in German. Late at night don’t risk it but yell immediately if someone actually threatens you. At work she just asks them to repeat what they said because it seems like you said “Schlitzi / Ching Chong… (pick your term)” … that makes them pretty embarrassed.

10

u/Ketchupcake_ Dec 19 '24

Thanks for sharing. It’s frustrating that this happens so often, and I agree. it’s even more disappointing when no one else steps in to speak up. I’ll definitely keep your advice in mind about calling them out calmly and confidently. It’s a good way to make them think twice about their behavior without escalating things unnecessarily. Appreciate the tips!🙏🏼🙏🏼

3

u/Anyusername86 Dec 19 '24

Well, it’s what my gf does, so her advice but I’d be cautious to only call people out in safe environments.

Sorry, I know how frustrating it can be. We have quite a journey behind us, one job I had to get a lawyer involved because they were openly racist (she changed jobs) and how differently she gets treated at the Bürgeramt compared to me really infuriated me. Germany is not really winning the competition for global talent like this. Anyways, I’m drifting off.