120 events during the Dresden Weeks against Racism

The city of Dresden wants to set an example for tolerance and cosmopolitanism with its participation in the International Weeks against Racism. Under the motto "Human rights for all ... in Dresden too?", more than 120 events are planned over the coming weeks, as the city announced on Monday. Unfortunately, there is still and always will be racism in everyday life in Dresden's urban society, said Lord Mayor Dirk Hilbert (FDP): "We are taking a stand against it." The protection of human rights is a matter close to his heart. Instead of the question mark, an exclamation mark should be placed behind the motto - but the question mark was chosen because the motto is not yet a reality in the perception of those affected, he said. Hilbert is hoping for lively participation from citizens and a major impact throughout the city.

The event will kick off on Monday afternoon with a "Market of Opportunities" and an exhibition at the Dresden City Museum. On March 20, Hilbert plans to open an exhibition entitled "ToleranceSpaces" on the Altmarkt. The "Critical Bike Tour" for democracy and against racism starts on March 21. It connects places in the city that are reminiscent of racist events in the Saxon state capital.

In Dresden, there were two racially motivated crimes after the political upheaval of 1989/1990 in which people lost their lives. On April 6, 1991, Jorge Gomondai - a GDR contract worker from Mozambique - died as a result of a fall. He had been attacked by neo-Nazis on a streetcar a few days earlier and then fell from the streetcar. On July 1, 2009, the Egyptian Marwa Ali El-Sherbini was stabbed to death by a man with anti-Islamic and xenophobic motives during a court hearing to which she had been summoned as a witness. The case made international headlines. Both victims are regularly commemorated in Dresden to this day. On April 6, there will be a bike ride in memory of Jorge Gomondai.