Anti-racism

What the role involved

The anti-racism commissioner had no law of its own, no ministry and no enforcement powers. It was an office for coordination, reporting and public voice, combined in practice with the integration commissioner's staff. Its stated purpose was to address racism as a cross-cutting problem in public institutions, education, the labour market, health and housing, not only as individual prejudice.

The coalition placed the office within a broader set of measures against right-wing extremism, adopted after the NSU murders and the attacks in Halle (2019) and Hanau (2020).

Policy instruments

1. 2023Report on racismOn 11 January 2023 she presented Rassismus in Deutschland: Ausgangslage, Handlungsfelder, Maßnahmen to the cabinet. It compiled research findings, named data gaps and listed fields for action. It cited surveys in which 90 per cent of respondents said racism exists in Germany and 22 per cent said they had experienced it themselves.
2. 2023Expert councilOn 19 June 2023 she convened an expert council on anti-racism with 12 members from research, administration and practice, as part of an 89-point plan against racism and right-wing extremism.
3. 2025Working definitionOn 11 March 2025 the council presented a working definition of racism intended for use in public administration.
4. 2022Action plan, announcedAt her appointment she announced plans for a national action plan and support structures for people affected by racism. No new national action plan was adopted during her term. A new plan is being drafted under her successor.

Seine Aufgabe ist es, Grundlagen zu schaffen, um Rassismus in den Strukturen und Institutionen besser bekämpfen zu können. Es geht auch darum, Rassismus offiziell zu definieren, damit wir damit konkret arbeiten können.“Its task is to lay foundations so that racism in structures and institutions can be fought more effectively. It is also about officially defining racism so that we can work with it concretely.” (translation)

Public debate

The report's emphasis on institutions, with schools, public administration and the labour market as places where disadvantage is produced, moved the debate beyond hate crime alone.

The office was also politically contested. The most prominent documented dispute, in September 2024, is set out under Criticism below. Its practical effect is hard to measure: the commissioner reports and advises, while the laws and budgets that shape discrimination are set elsewhere in government.

Gemeinsam sind wir die Brandmauer gegen rassistischen Hass“Together we are the firewall against racist hatred.” (translation)

Criticism

The sharpest documented attack came in September 2024. CDU MPs Philipp Amthor and Dietrich Monstadt criticised a portal funded by her office, Handbook Germany, because it explained legal grounds that can prevent deportation. Amthor said the office was “nicht wert, fortgeführt zu werden, jedenfalls erst recht nicht durch diese Person” (not worth continuing, certainly not by this person). She responded that the content dated from 2018, under her CDU predecessor, from a project that ended in 2022. The link was removed. The SPD's working group on migration and diversity defended her. See Criticism & controversies.

Results & limitations