Identification checks based on skin colour constitutes a violation of Germany’s anti-discrimination

Policy Response DateOctober 29, 2012 Country: Germany Address: Germany/Koblenz General Type: Institutional discrimination Racism and discrimination phenomena: Anti-migrant/xenophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Migrants, Refugees, Roma & Travelers, Muslims, Ethnic minorities, Linguistic minorities, Asylum seekers, Africans/black people, National minorities Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Policing - law enforcement, Anti-discrimination

On 28 February 2012, the Administrative Court Coblenz decided that the German Federal Police is allowed to conduct personal identity verification checks without concrete reasons for suspicion. Yet, the claimant appealed against the decision before the higher administrative court Rheinland-Palatinate (Oberverwaltungsgericht Rheinland-Pfalz, OVG). On 29 October 2012, the court ruled against police checks based on skin colour and thus overturns the previous ruling in the case by the administrative court of Coblenz. According to the jurisdiction, identification checks based on skin colour constitutes a violation of Germany’s anti-discrimination law laid out in Art. 3 (3) of the federal constitution/Basic Law (Grundgesetz, GG).

Source:

  1. Adminstrative Court (Verwaltungsgericht), Koblenz/5 K 1026/11.KO, 28 February 2012, available at: http://www.anwaltskanzlei-adam.de/download.php?f=0da80a58fdeeaf91b01721346561d430, Accessed on 13.01.2013.
  2. Anti Discrimination Agency (Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes, ADS) (2012) ‘Polizeikontrollen nach der Hautfarbe: Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes warnt vor Stigmatisierung‘, Press release, 04 April 2012, available at: http://www.antidiskriminierungsstelle.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2012/Racial%20Profiling_20120404.html, Accessed on 13.01.2013; Legal Tribune Online (2012) ‘VG Koblenz zur Identitätsfeststellung eines Zugreisenden: Bundespolizei darf nach äußerem Erscheinungsbild kontrollieren’, 27 March 2012, available at: http://www.lto.de/recht/nachrichten/n/bundespolizei-zugverkehr-identitaetsfeststellung-stichprobe-auslaender/, Accessed on 13.01.2013.
  3. Higher administrative court Rheinland-Palatinate (Oberverwaltungsgericht Rheinland-Pfalz, OVG), resolution 7 A 10532/12.OVG, Press release, 29 October 2012, available at: http://www.mjv.rlp.de/icc/justiz/nav/699/broker.jsp?uMen=6993f1d2-a512-11d4-a737-0050045687ab&uCon=0998fb32-0ba3-10dc-32ae-477fe9e30b1c&uTem=aaaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-000000000042, Accessed on 13.01.2013.