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4.2 NGOs in Germany
In Germany almost all government institutions, political parties, the media and academics recognize civil society and community-based organizations as vital actors in the struggle against racism, anti-Semitism and right-wing extremist activities. Studies comparing different strategies in Western Europe indicate that Germany might even be exemplary in its official approach, insofar as it focuses many resources on non-governmental organizations and civic engagement, particularly on the local level. (1)
It is impossible to give an overview of all NGOs involved in anti-racist or anti-Fascist activities. According to the German federal government, more than 4,470 measures and projects as well as 1,300 NGOs and grassroots initiatives received some state funding between 2001 and 2006 under the auspices of the national action program Youth for Tolerance and Democracy—Against Right-wing Extremism, Xenophobia and Anti-Semitism (see Chapter 1). (2) Private organizations and foundations, such as the Amadeu Antonio Foundation in Berlin; some foundations aligned to political parties (Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and Friedrich Ebert Foundation), and corporate foundations such as the Flick Foundation against Xenophobia, Racism and Intolerance (Flick Stiftung gegen Fremdenfeindlichkeit, Rassismus und Intoleranz) have provided further financial support to hundreds of local projects and measures, ranging from awareness training and educational programs to community coaching, workshops and anti-racist festivals. (3) For example, the German National Coordination of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), one of the many umbrella associations, states that it represents approximately 100 independent action groups, organizations, churches and unions throughout the country. (4) Regional networks established by state governments in the early 2000s to tackle right-wing extremism also list hundreds of institutions and NGOs as active member groups. Furthermore, local alliances and what are known as »local action plans« have been established in dozens of municipalities in West and East Germany—in many cases as a reaction to extreme right-wing developments and/or xenophobic incidents. Other experts have also observed a steady increase since the early 1990s in the number of projects and initiatives throughout Germany »that aim at promoting equality, inter-ethnic understanding and anti-discrimination.« (5) Trade unions, social welfare, educational, migrant and youth organizations, churches and a broad spectrum of other non-governmental organizations are seen as the driving forces behind these projects striving for more tolerance and equality for members of minority communities.
These accounts and numbers present convincing evidence that there is, first of all, a broad range of NGOs, educational organizations and local initiatives in Germany active in the fight against right-wing extremism, racism and intolerance. Secondly, they point to a pronounced shift in the German government paradigm for dealing with the issue of right-wing violence in the early 2000s—that is, away from a strong focus on potential perpetrators, as predominant in the 1990s, towards an emphasis on encouraging and strengthening civil society initiatives and their ability to tackle the challenge of far-right activities. This strategy has received special recognition from not only international human rights bodies, but also from German academics, researchers and activists. (6) Despite the frequent praise and Germany’s strong focus on civil society structures and players in the prevention and combat of right-wing extremism, racism and discrimination, not much is known about the national NGO landscape as a whole. Scientific research has concentrated on the evaluation of some pilot projects and initiatives, which received funding under the auspices of different federal programs. Most of these projects and initiatives were located in East Germany. (7) According to one leading academic expert, no one currently has an overview of the services offered to victims of right-wing violence or bias-motivated attacks in Germany by municipalities or NGOs. (8) One empirical study that was recently published for Berlin was highly critical of the low number of local groups and measures that dealt directly with the ongoing challenge of right-wing violence. Out of a sample of 165 programs/projects, only seven stated that they focused on the support of victim groups of discrimination and hate crimes. (9) No comparable studies were available by the time we started our research project for the old federal states in West Germany.
1. Bleich, Erik 2007. Hate Crime Policy in Western Europe: Responding to Racist Violence in Britain, Germany, and France. In: American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 51, Nr. 2, p. 149-165.
2. Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend 2006. Abschlussbericht zur Umsetzung des Aktionsprogramms “Jugend für Toleranz und Demokratie—gegen Rechtsextremismus, Fremdenfeindlichkeit und Antisemitismus,“ Berlin, p. 6.
3. Kleffner, Heike 2007. Aktuelle Programme und Projekte in der Auseinandersetzung mit Rechtsextremismus (unpublished document), p. 54.
4. European Network Against Racism (ENAR) 2007. Rassismus in Deutschland, Brussels, p. 3.
5. Peucker, Mario 2006. Equality and Anti-discrimination Approaches in Germany, Europäisches Forum für Migrationsstudien, Bamberg, p. 11.
6. Klein, Ludger 2007. Die Demokratie braucht die Zivilgesellschaft: Plädoyer für eine integrierte Strategie gegen Rechtsradikalismus und Fremdenfeindlichkeit, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Berlin; Kleffner, Heike 2007. Aktuelle Programme; Frindte, Wolfgang; Preiser, Siegfrid 2007. Präventionsansätze gegen Rechtsextremismus. In: Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte (ApuZ), Nr. 11, March 2007, p. 32-38.
7. Lynen von Berg, Heinz; Palloks, Kerstin; Steil, Armin 2006. Abschlußbereicht der wissenschaftlichen Begleitforschung zur Evaluierung des CIVITAS-Programms, Institut für interdisziplinäre Konflikt- und Gewaltforschung, Berlin; Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend 2006. Abschlussbericht zur Umsetzung des Aktionsprogramms “Jugend für Toleranz und Demokratie—gegen Rechtsextremismus, Fremdenfeindlichkeit und Antisemitismus,” Berlin.
8. Interview with Roland Roth.
9. Landeskommission Berlin gegen Gewalt 2007. Berliner Projekte gegen Rechtsextremismus: Forschungsbericht des Zentrums für Antisemitismusforschung, Arbeitsstelle Jugendgewalt und Rechtsextremismus an der TU Berlin, Berlin, p. 62.
(OPP)
