DAccording to a media report, the traffic light is abandoning its plans to delete the word “race” from the Basic Law and replace it. The SPD, Greens and FDP factions had agreed on this, the Düsseldorf “Rheinische Post” reported on Friday, citing coalition circles. “We agree on that,” they said unanimously.
In the coalition agreement it was agreed to remove the word from Article 3 of the Basic Law. The third paragraph states: “No one may be disadvantaged or favored because of their gender, their descent, their race, their language, their homeland and origins, their faith, their religious or political views. Nobody should be disadvantaged because of their disability.” The traffic light wanted to delete the term “race” and add a ban on discrimination based on sexual identity.
Central Council of Jews expressed concerns
According to the “Rheinische Post”, coalition circles now said that by not deleting the term, the traffic light was following the concerns of the Central Council of Jews. Its president, Josef Schuster, has stated that he is against deletion because the word is reminiscent of the persecution and murder of millions of people, “primarily Jews.”
“The objections and suggestions are correct,” said coalition circles, according to the “Rheinischer Post”. In addition, replacing the term is legally too complicated: “There are significant concerns about which wording guarantees the same level of protection.”