Africans in Germany. Killing of Gambian in Tübingen. Migrants from The Gambian and the African community in Germany have called for mass demonstrations to express their disappointment over comments made by Mayor Boris Erasmus Palmer of Baden-Württemberg, Tübingen for suggesting that a Gambian killed in the city was a drug peddler. We wrote about this HERE.
Basiru Jallow, a Gambian man was murdered last week and soon after the news broke, Mayor Boris Erasmus Palmer wrote the following comment on his Facebook Page: “According to police, the man who was killed with a knife was a 23-year-old Gambian. The perpetrator is on the loose in the heart of the city on the bright side of day. The crime scene is right where I took this picture; it is the site of the open drug scene mostly run by refugees from The Gambia. I have always urged the police to fight them as hard as possible, but it’s very difficult for refugees.
Petty crime is not enough for deportation. The financial gain is so great that arrests and a few days in jail have been calculated, and often the young men have to send the money home. They get sent off for this.”
Mafoday Cham, a Gambian residing in Tübingen for more than two decades, lamented and has called on all Gambians and Africans within the Region of Stuttgart to come in large numbers to demonstrate against racism in Tübingen.
“We are partnering with institutions against racism to send a clear message to the Mayor that racism has no place in a civilise society and we calling on all Africans to come out in their large numbers,” Cham known as citizen helping Africans in the areas of integrating in the society.
What led to the killing of the Gambian man in Tübingen?
He explained that last week a youth (23) was stabbed to death by a man after an altercation. According to newspaper reports, the victim, a Gambian, was stabbed by a Croat. Fortunately, thanks to the quick reaction of the Tübingen police, the perpetrator was caught and brought before the magistrate.
“As far as I can remember, in the last two decades I have lived in Tübingen, I have never heard of such a brutal act that took the life of a young Gambian after an altercation. This is a really very sad moment for the family of the victim and for us Gambians who live and work peacefully by the thousands in the city and district of Tübingen. In most cases, when such incidents happen where lives are lost, the best thing to do is to sympathise with the victim and offer his condolences to the family”
He stressed that life is very precious no matter in what case it is wasted or lost, human life is not white, yellow or black, it is always human and that is also what distinguishes us from other living species because we are human … This shouldn’t mean that it’s OK to take a life of any species.
After hearing the news, I took a little time to follow the discussion of the incident on social media, specifically on Mayor Boris Palmer’s page.
Cham, chief executive of of Demabadu catering, pointed out that: “I have to admit that the mayor of Tübingen is heartless and irresponsible —and probably a racist… A mayor would be expected to respond to the tragedy with words of condolence, but not with words that symbolise the victim, the was brutally murdered, harass, regardless of the cause of the dispute. Of course, the cause of the altercation, when related to criminal behaviour, is an approach that any responsible Lord Mayor will use after the police investigation is complete and justice has been served”
READ MORE: Killing of Gambian in Tübingen: Migrant activist blasts mayor for his ‘discriminating’ comments
“It is indeed very unfortunate that Boris Palmer, known for his controversial statements and actions, gives the impression that he cares less when black lives are at stake. May I remind Mr Palmer that as mayor of the city of Tübingen his primary responsibility is public administration, which includes the protection and inclusion of minorities in the city. In many cases, Boris Palmer uses his status to polarise the situation, especially when migrants are involved in a very polarising state of affairs, which not only endangers the socio-cultural relations and activities in Tübingen, but also causes a rift in society who viewed migrants as criminals. Additionally, Palmer needs to be reminded that black people living in Tubingen are not only involved in drugs, but also make important contributions to the social and economic well-being of the city of Tubingen”
According to him, Gambians in particular live peacefully in Tübingen and make enormous contributions in all areas of society, such as the current best player in the Tübingen basketball premier league team, Walter Tiger… Everyone knows Bakary Dibba, a star and a Gambian who is a role model for many young people player is. Many other Gambians run their own businesses in Tübingen, but Boris Palmer’s irresponsible actions continue to endanger the peaceful coexistence of migrants and citizens. Boris photographs black people in the botanical gardens and depicts them as dealers and drug scene, in some cases it is clear that the people depicted are black and white youth who are mostly relaxing and spending their free time with their friends, nobody can clearly see that those present are dealing… It is safe to assume that the mayor is looking for victims to justify his claims.
Furthermore, is he not one of the authorities that are supposed to protect the citizens in such a way that lives are saved and nobody is killed. His administration has failed with the minorities in Tübingen, in all the years that we have been living in Tübingen, there has been nothing that a black man was stabbed. During the tenure of his predecessor, there was never a polarising situation in Tübingen that could widen the gap between minorities and Tübingen citizens.
In this situation one has to ask oneself whether his actions are not endangering the lives of Gambia. I think it’s time for all minorities to unite to start a massive uprising against such an irresponsible mayor who goes too far just to satisfy his political popularity.
He urged all young people from Gambia to stay away from any illegal trade or activities.