Mohrenstrasse - Berlin Farce Over Renaming of 'Racist' Station - BBC News

7/9/2020 Mohrenstrasse: Berlin farce over renaming of 'racist' station - BBC News
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Mohrenstrasse: Berlin farce over renaming of 'racist' station

1 hour ago
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For years, the name of metro station Mohrenstrasse (Moors Street) left Berliners
feeling uncomfortable.
The use of an out-of-date term for North Africans was seen as racist or pejorative.
But when the transport authority said it would be renamed after composer Glinka, its choice
was ridiculed.
Glinka may have died around the corner, but he was also anti-Semitic. Now the authority has
rowed back, saying a final decision is yet to be made.
In an apparent u-turn on renaming the U-Bahn station Glinkastrasse, Berlin's BVG said it was
just one possible option and it was open to discussion. No signs had been switched yet, and
there was still plenty of time before new timetables were printed.
Why Glinka then?

Asked why Russian composer Mikhail Glinka had been chosen in the first place,
spokeswoman Petra Nelken pointed out that a street with his name on was nearby.
"We're not responsible for street names," she told RBB24, adding that until recently there had
been no indication on his Wikipedia page that he might have been anti-Semitic.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53348129 1/14
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Glinka's reputation is well established though - writing on the German Jewish website
Jüdische Allgemeine, Judith Kessler pointed out that Glinka's work Prince Kholmsky was full
of anti-Semitism and he used anti-Semitic insults to attack contemporary musician Anton
Rubinstein.
Why change the name?

The underground station in the Mitte area of Berlin has had several names since it was
opened in 1908. It was renamed twice by the communists when they ran East Berlin.
REUTERS
It was last renamed in 1991, and while the campaign for a new name dates back several
years, a recent petition has attracted 10,000 signatures. Things came to a head with anti-
racism protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.
The name of the street itself is thought to date back to the early 18th Century, when black
slaves or former slaves may have lived there, Spiegel website reports.
The transport authority said the proposal had come from the workforce and by getting rid of
the name it was sending a clear signal against racism.
It also had the support of centre-left families minister Franziska Giffey, who agreed it was a
powerful statement against racism and she thought the street itself should also be renamed.
Berlin Green leader Antje Kapek refused even to use the name of the street, saying it was
"simply unbearable".
Anti-racism campaigners from the Decolonise Berlin group have their own proposal for the
station. They want it named after the first black scholar at a Prussian university - Anton
Wilhelm Amo.
Related Topics
Racism Germany Berlin Anti-Semitism Transport
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7/9/2020 Mohrenstrasse: Berlin farce over renaming of 'racist' station - BBC News

Home News Sport Reel Worklife Travel Future M

Mohrenstrasse: Berlin farce over renaming of 'racist' station

Why Glinka then?

France to rename streets after African WW2 heroes

Berlin refugee praised after cash find

Parisian graffiti artist accused of sexual assault

Listen: Berlin station to use atonal music to deter drug users

Why change the name?

Racism Germany Berlin Anti-Semitism Transport

Share this story About sharing

More on this story

France to rename streets after African WW2 heroes

Catalonia makes masks mandatory in public

Turkish fireworks removal team hit by second blast

LGBT in Poland: 'It's only going to get worse'

More Videos from the BBC

Maids dumped outside Ghislaine Maxwell 'won't 'So confused' officers

BBC News BBC

BBC News BBC

From Around the Web

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Erstellen Sie Ihre Hochzeitskarten hier online

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Frankfurt Am Main: Das ist der beste Hauswert-Rechner für

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Minister to signal further lockdown easing

Glee star Rivera missing after boat trip with son

Foreign students in US 'scared for the future'

Covid-19: Things US has got wrong - and got right

Pop music is getting faster (and happier)

Is India the next global coronavirus hotspot?

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Why you can trust BBC News

BBC News Services

Get news alerts

Contact BBC News

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Terms of Use About the BBC

Privacy Policy Cookies

Accessibility Help Parental Guidance

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Advertise with us AdChoices / Do Not Sell My Info

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