Debating Berlin's anti-discrimination law (rebroadcast)

Back in June, Berlin passed a hotly debated anti-discrimination law. It is the first of its kind in Germany and allows victims to pursue legal remedies against state officials — including police — for discrimination related to race, gender, disability, sexual orientation and more. But is the new law the panacea its proponents claim or is it villainizing the police as the law's critics contend? Host Sumi Somaskanda explores the issue.

Show Notes

This show originally aired on June 17, 2020.

Back in June, Berlin passed a hotly debated anti-discrimination law. It is the first of its kind in Germany and allows victims to pursue legal remedies against state officials — including police — for discrimination related to race, gender, disability, sexual orientation and more. But is the new law the panacea its proponents claim or is it villainizing the police as the law's critics contend?

Host Sumi Somaskanda talks with Armaghan Naghipour, who worked on the new legislation and is the political adviser to Berlin Justice Senator Dirk Behrendt; Niklas Hofmann from the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency and Joseph Hutchinson, an African-American lawyer and co-publisher of DADDY magazine. We also hear from two of the law’s critics: Berlin Police Union Spokesman Benjamin Jendro and Burkard Dregger, CDU parliamentary leader in the Berlin House of Representatives.

This show was produced by Monika Müller-Kroll with voiceover by Benjamin Restle. 

What is Studio Berlin?

"Studio Berlin" is KCRW Berlin's weekly current affairs show delving into recent events and how they affect people in Germany's capital and beyond. Once a week, hosts Sumi Somaskanda and Sylvia Cunningham talk to experts, journalists and policymakers to make sense of the news that matters.