Largest ever study conducted on racism in German authorities

A new study has highlighted the prevalence of racism in German authorities, but Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) has yet to publicly respond to the findings.

InRa study on institutional racism in Germany

A three-year study conducted by the Research Institute Social Cohesion (FGZ) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of the Interior has found that institutional racism is prevalent across many authorities and administrative bodies in Germany.

Composed of 23 smaller studies, the FGZ investigated racial discrimination at the Federal Employment Agency (Jobcenter), the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), health offices, customs and police, among other authorities.

The FGZ found evidence of regular racial discrimination at an individual, institutional and structural level, in different forms and to different degrees. "It's not that every authority is riddled with racism," study leader Gert Pickel explained, "but we have not found an authority where there is not racist discrimination."

One of the smaller studies, which surveyed 13.000 police and customs officers, Jobcenter and BAMF employees, found that these government employees did not exhibit a uniformly higher level of racist discriminatory attitudes than the general public in Germany.

Another of the smaller studies surveyed 468 muslim people, 80 percent of whom said they had experienced racial discrimination while interacting with German authorities. Only 17 percent of these respondents said they contacted the anti-discrimination agency, with most unhopeful that their complaint would have any consequences.

There is also a lack of legal protection for those who experience racist discrimination. According to the study, the Gleichbehandlungsgesetz (General Equal Treatment Act) does not currently apply to the relationship between a citizen and a public authority - meaning those discriminated against cannot invoke this law.

Dobrindt still silent on InRa findings

The study was initiated in 2021 as part of the previous SPD-FDP-Greens government’s efforts to address right-wing extremism and racism in Germany.

Despite it being the largest study on racism in German administrative authorities to date, current Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has yet to publicly comment on the findings.

“It seems as though Mr Dobrindt does not want to seriously concern himself with the problem of structural racism in German administrative bodies,” Sina Arnold, one of the over 80 researchers who contributed to the study, told SPIEGEL.

Ferda Ataman, the independent Federal Commissioner for Antidiscrimination, has also appealed to Dobrindt to respond. “This study actually speaks in favour of a willingness to engage in self-reflection and transparency, but the federal government must also stand by this,” Ataman said in a press release.

The commissioner urged that it was in the minister’s democratic interest to issue a statement on the study’s findings. “A democracy thrives on its citizens' trust in its institutions,” Ataman said. “If parts of the population feel that they are structurally disadvantaged, this trust dwindles.”