++ Against racist police-brutality in Dortmund Nordstadt and everywhere! Publicize Violations! ++ 15th of March, 3 p.m., Freiherr-vom-Stein-Platz (near police station Dortmund Nord) ++

The 15th of March is the international day against police brutality. That is why „Refugees Welcome Dortmund“ appeals for a rally. Because also in Dortmund people with an alleged „non-German“-appearance are victims of racist violence by the police. Together we want to publicize that racist violence is existing in police practices, we want to criticize it and show our solidarity with the people which are affected. We want to raise our voice in favor of a fair society in which people can live without fear of any police.

Racist police brutality in Dortmund

The reason for this rally is the recently published article of a refugee who was strongly abused by Dortmund police officers (http://de.indymedia.org/node/3662). Without any criminal charge or reasoning, he was arrested and beaten in the police car as well as in the police station. Moreover, he had to entirely take his clothes off in the office and was humiliated by the officers. Obviously, this was a racist motivated act.
That racist violence is a usual proceeding of Dortmund police officers is affirmed in other cases in which police officers humiliated people, even in presence of witnesses. Reports against violent officers were suspended, but proceedings with imaginary accusations were initiated against the victims and witnesses. Very often the fear of more violence or criminal prosecution based on imaginary accusations is so big – quite rightly – that no reports are made. That is why only a small number of racist police brutality is made public. We are decrying these conditions.

From racist police control to racist police brutality

Consistently, there are racist police controls in Dortmund and throughout Germany. This practice called “racial profiling” by the German police is affirmed by the police trade union, amnesty international, the United Nations and the European Union. At the same time, all parties except the police trade union demand the discontinuation of this practice, since it violates the human rights of the United Nations, the rights of the European Union and the German constitutional laws. In order to deal with this critique, the federal government simply denies the existence of this racist action.
However, the public identity check of individuals because of their assumed origin or skin color is routine. Not only are the victims of such controls discriminated against in a racist way, the image of these individuals as potential criminals come into existence in the police officers’ and the public’s minds. Out of the idea of racist controls a kind of racism can quickly be formed and nurtured by the police officers, which leads to racist violence that in turn is personally legitimated by them. Not without reason the United Nations and amnesty international warn of the deficient significance and value of human rights in the German police’s schooling.

Racist police brutality world-wide

Significant examples like the one from Dortmund exist throughout Germany. But even worse: all over the world individuals were murdered and are still murdered by police officers because of their skin color. Through legislation and conviction governments and courts have influence on further legitimation of the police’s racist actions. Consequently, the police’s racist actions are always a reflection of the society they are supposed to protect. The best-known example is probably the murder of Oury Jalloh in Dessau in 2005.
Remember with us and other people around the world the victims of racist police violence and take a stand against racism.

15.03.2015 – 3 p.m. – Freiherr-vom-Stein-Platz (near „Polizeiwache Nord)