Arsenal star Mesut Ozil controversially quit the German national team citing racism and discrimination as being the main factors behind his decision.
Ozil felt he had been scapegoated after a poor World Cup performance and that he had his allegiance to Germany questioned after being photographed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May.
The incident has sparked a national debate over racism and integration in Germany.
On the back of Ozil’s decision a hashtag called #MeTwo was started by young Germans with immigrant background hoping to make their voices felt online.
Over 10,000 Germans have already used the hashtag to talk about their experiences of prejudice.
The movement founder Ali Can, an author and activist, told DW that he started the hashtag after Ozil quit the Germany national team complaining of racist treatment from Reinhard Grindel, the head of the German Football Federation.
Woher kommen Sie?
Aus dem Münsterland.
Nein, woher kommen Sie wirklich?
Ich bin Deutscher. Meinen Sie eher meinen Migrationshintergrund? #MeTwo solche Gespräche passieren wirklich, sind aber nicht integrationsfördernd! #MeTwo— Ali Can (@alicanglobal) 26 July 2018
Below are some of the responses and tweets that were made using the hashtag.
Social media users in Germany began using the hashtag #MeTwo. Not because they are misspelling #MeToo, but because for Germans whose ancestors may have come from other countries, it is a tool to share the tales of everyday racism. https://t.co/hx6i3XJGnz
— dwnews (@dwnews) 27 July 2018
In line at a nightclub in Cologne with my football team. 15 of us are let in, last guy is black. Bouncer stops him and tells him ‘club is full’. We all left. Black kid is born in rural Bavaria, his German is better than mine. Still: happens all.the.time. #metwo
— David Barnwell (@davidbarnwell) 27 July 2018
#MeTwo
I can remember when I was in primary school we dressed up with costumes & a black girl in class was a princess & a white girl said ‘princesses aren’t black they are white’ directly into the face of this black girl. And i never felt more ashamed of being white in my life.— glitter bitch (@iamsunchild_) 30 July 2018
what this #metwo hashtag is all about?
It is basically a tool to fix a common misspresentation of germany.
A learning lesson for US twitter:
1. There are Black People and PoC in germany
2. They are facing racism
3. Germany is not what it wants to present on the outside.— SchwarzRund (@SchwarzRund) 30 July 2018
When i am in Germany, i often speak english, even though im completly fluent in german, as its my mothertongue along with turkish. Why? When i speak in english, im not prcrived as an immigrant background boy, and everybody is sooo much nicer to me! #metwo
— OzzyOz (@OzzyOzt) 28 July 2018
I was born in Germany and had to take an oral exam at the university Essen. My German professor asks at the beginning “How are you? How do you like Germany? And when will you back home to your country? My answer was “I was born here 25 years ago and this is my home.” #MeTwo
— Ardalan Hashemi (@ardalanhashemi) 28 July 2018
*My math teacher guessing the future professions of pupils in the class*
“A you are going to be a turkish cleaning woman” #metwo— Pando (@PandoJaay) 28 July 2018
The expression “turkish luggage” (Türkenkoffer) for a plastic bag was commonplace during my childhood.
— Mischlingskind (@mischling1963) 29 July 2018
Born and educated in Germany now working in living in London. When travelling back “home” I regularly get asked “what my business is and how long I am planning to stay” – with a German passport, speaking German in a perfect native tongue – but they speak English to me #MeTwo
— Abir (@peterpanorama) 27 July 2018
I was born and raised in germany, at my highschool my german class teacher said literally, “you immigrants should be burnt” and got away with it. I moved out abroad, and dont live in germany since i am 18yrs old! #Metwo
— OzzyOz (@OzzyOzt) 28 July 2018
