According to Article 3 of the Basic Law, no person shall be disadvantaged or favored because of their ancestry, race, homeland, or origin. For years, there has been an ongoing debate in Germany about whether the term “race” is appropriate in today's world. Critics argue that its inclusion in the Basic Law gives it a scientific veneer that it does not deserve. Historically speaking, its inclusion was certainly more than understandable given the experience of National Socialism and the prevailing “racial fanaticism.”

Even if there are no “races,” there is certainly racism, which is prosecuted in Germany under criminal and civil law (for example, through the General Equal Treatment Act, AGG). Therefore, a clear definition of the term is helpful and was presented by the SPD, FDP and green coalition government through Minister of State Alabali-Radovan as the result of the work of a 12-member expert committee. The definition consists of 13 sentences and can be viewed here (https://www.integrationsbeauftragte.de/resource/blob/1864320/2337298/867de6459981a576f7887dec3363ecb2/broschuere- rassismusdefinition-data.pdf?download=1).