Being Black in Germany has never been easy. Elections in eastern states could make it harder still

ERFURT, Germany (AP) — It was a balmy summer night in 2020, shortly after the lifting of Germany’s first COVID-19 lockdown, and Omar Diallo and two friends from his home country of Guinea wanted to celebrate Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice.

“We were enjoying life, playing music, walking through the city at night — we just wanted to be together again and have a good time,” Diallo, 22, told The Associated Press in Erfurt, in the eastern state of Thuringia.

He was not prepared for how the day would end. Suddenly Diallo and his friends were confronted by three black-clad white men.

“They were shouting: ‘What do you want here, f-——- foreigners, get out’!” Diallo remembered.

“First there were three, then five, seven — they were surrounding us from all sides. We couldn’t run away, and then they started chasing us,” he said.

At some point Diallo managed to call the police, and when the officers finally arrived, the attackers ran away. One of his friends was beaten up so badly that he had to be hospitalized.

“I simply tried to survive,” Diallo said. “I hadn’t done anything wrong. It all happened only because of my skin color.”

Being Black in Germany has always meant exposure to racism, from everyday humiliations to deadly attacks. In eastern Germany, the risk can be even greater.

After World War II, West Germany became a democratic, diverse society but in East Germany, which was run by a communist dictatorship until the end of 1989, residents barely had any contact with people of different ethnicities and were not allowed to travel freely abroad.

Experts say that specifically in Thuringia, radical far-right forces have created an environment that’s hostile toward minorities, including Black people.

Now, with the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, Black Germans and African migrants like Diallo are growing increasingly concerned.

Thuringia, which has a population of 2.1 million,holds state elections on Sept. 1, and the fiercely anti-immigration AfD is leading the polls, on 30%.

In 2023, the NGO Ezra, which helps victims of far-right, racist and antisemitic violence, documented 85 racist attacks in Thuringia, down only slightly from 88 attacks in 2022, which Ezra described as “an all-time high of right-wing and racist violence” in the state.

“In recent years, an extreme right-wing movement has formed in Thuringia, which has contributed to a noticeable ideological radicalization of its followers. Politically, the Alternative for Germany party is the main beneficiary,” Ezra and a consortium of organizations tracking racism wrote in their annual report.

AfD’s Thuringia branch is particularly radical and was put under official surveillance by the domestic intelligence service four years ago as a “proven right-wing extremist” group.

“Authoritarian and populist forces, which are becoming very strong here now, harbor a great danger in Thuringia,” says Doreen Denstaedt, Thuringia’s minister for migration, justice and consumer protection.

Denstaedt, the daughter of a Black father from Tanzania and a white German mother, was born and grew up in Thuringia.

The 46-year-old member of the Green party said that growing up in Communist East Germany, she was “always the only Black child.” As a teenager, she was never allowed to go home on her own because of the risk of racist attacks, and she sometimes suffered racist slurs in her school.

“I actually experienced myself that people called me a foreigner, which really confused me at first, because I was born in Saalfeld” in Thuringia, Denstaedt said.

She fears that in the current political climate, racist narratives will become acceptable in the middle of society.

“My biggest concern is that people do not question (these prejudices), especially if they are not affected themselves,” she said.

It’s not exactly clear how many Black people live in Germany nowadays, as different ethnicities are not documented in official statistics, but estimates put the number of people of African descent at 1.27 million. More than 70% were born in Germany, according to Mediendienst Integration, which tracks migration issues in the country.

Germany’s history of racial discrimination begins long before the Nazis began excluding, deporting and ultimately murdering Black people in the 1930s and 1940s.

The German Empire held numerous colonies in Africa from 1884 until the end of World War I. These included territories in present-day Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Namibia, Cameroon, Togo and Ghana.

The German government has only recently started dealing with the injustices committed during that period. In 2021, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on Germans to face the country’s cruel colonial past, and in 2023, he apologized for colonial-era killings in Tanzania over a century ago.

Daniel Egbe, a 58-year-old chemist from Cameroon who moved to Thuringia in 1994 to study, says he’s shocked how little Germans know about their colonial history. He says this ignorance may also factor into the unequal treatment of Black people.

“I’ve been teaching classes in school,” Egbe told the AP. “I tell them a bit about myself and especially the fact that Cameroon was a German colony. Many students don’t know anything about Africa or about the German past and it must be put on the map.”

Egbe, who took German citizenship in 2003, founded AMAH, an organization that helps university students and migrants from Africa when they experience discrimination in the city of Jena, in eastern Thuringia.

He’s worried about the rise of the AfD but has no intention of leaving.

“We won’t leave, we will do our part to change this society,” he said. “People are mostly afraid of what and who they don’t know. We have to change things through education.”

As for Diallo, the Guinean who was attacked in Erfurt four years ago, he also vowed to help improve the situation for Black people in Germany.

Even though the attack traumatized him, it also empowered him to fight for justice, he said. A year ago, he enrolled in university in Munich to study law, but he still visits Erfurt frequently, where he supports Youth without Borders, a network of young migrants.

“I don’t exactly know yet how I’m going to change Germany, but I know I will,” he said.

People wave German national flags as they listen to Bjoern Hoecke, top candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, during an election campaign rally of the party for upcoming state elections in Suhl, Germany, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

A man covering with a German national flag with the slogan "We are the people" listens to Bjoern Hoecke, top candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, during an election campaign rally of the party for upcoming state elections in Suhl, Germany, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Bjoern Hoecke, top candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, speaks on an election campaign rally of the party for upcoming state elections in Suhl, Germany, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Bjoern Hoecke, top candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, speaks on an election campaign rally of the party for upcoming state elections in Suhl, Germany, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

An AfD election campaign posters showing the slogan "summer, sun, remigration," and the photo of a plane dubbed "deportation airline" is displayed in Erfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Daniel Egbe, a chemist from Cameroon who moved to Thuringia in 1994 to study, poses for a portrait after an interview with The Associated Press in Jena, Germany, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Daniel Egbe, a chemist from Cameroon who moved to Thuringia in 1994 to study, walks down the staircase Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, at the AMAH, an organization that is based in the city of Jena and helps university students and migrants from Africa when they experience discrimination in Jena, Germany. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Daniel Egbe, a chemist from Cameroon who moved to Thuringia in 1994 to study, poses for a portrait after an interview with The Associated Press in Jena, Germany, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Doreen Denstaedt, German federal state Thuringia's minister for migration, justice and consumer protection, poses for a portrait at her desk prior to an interview with The Associated Press in Erfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. Denstaedt, the daughter of a Black father from Tanzania and a white, German mother, was born and grew up in Thuringiain and is a member of the Green Party. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Doreen Denstaedt, German federal state Thuringia's minister for migration, justice and consumer protection, poses for a portrait prior to an interview with The Associated Press in Erfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. Denstaedt, the daughter of a Black father from Tanzania and a white, German mother, was born and grew up in Thuringiain and is a member of the Green Party. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Doreen Denstaedt, German federal state Thuringia's minister for migration, justice and consumer protection, poses for a portrait prior to an interview with The Associated Press in Erfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. Denstaedt, the daughter of a Black father from Tanzania and a white, German mother, was born and grew up in Thuringiain and is a member of the Green Party. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

A dilapidated storage building is seen in Erfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, where Omar Diallo, a 22-year-old migrant from Guinea in West Africa and two friends were hunted and beaten up in 2020. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Omar Diallo, a 22-year-old migrant from Guinea in West Africa, poses for a portrait Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, during an interview with The Associated Press near a dilapidated storage building where he and two friends were hunted and beaten up in 2020, in Erfurt, Germany. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Omar Diallo, a 22-year-old migrant from Guinea in West Africa, poses for a portrait Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, during an interview with The Associated Press near a dilapidated storage building where he and two friends were hunted and beaten up in 2020, in Erfurt, Germany. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Omar Diallo, a 22-year-old migrant from Guinea in West Africa, poses for a portrait prior to an interview with The Associated Press near a dilapidated storage building were he and two friends being hunted and beaten up in 2020, in Erfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Omar Diallo, a 22-year-old migrant from Guinea in West Africa, poses for a portrait prior to an interview with The Associated Press near a dilapidated storage building where he and two friends were hunted and beaten up in 2020, in Erfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A military court in Congo handed down death sentences Friday to 37 people, including three Americans, after convicting them on charges of participating in a coup attempt.

The defendants, most of them Congolese but also including a Briton, Belgian and Canadian, have five days to appeal the verdict on charges that included attempted coup, terrorism and criminal association. Fourteen people were acquitted in the trial, which opened in June.

The court convicted the 37 defendants and imposed “the harshest penalty, that of death” in the verdict delivered by the presiding judge, Maj. Freddy Ehuma, at an open-air military court proceeding that was broadcast live on TV. The three Americans, wearing blue and yellow prison clothes and sitting in plastic chairs, appeared stoic as a translator explained their sentence.

Richard Bondo, the lawyer who defended the six foreigners, said he disputed whether the death penalty could currently be imposed in Congo, despite its reinstatement earlier this year, and said his clients had inadequate interpreters during the investigation of the case.

"We will challenge this decision on appeal,” Bondo said.

Six people were killed during the botched coup attempt led by the little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga in May that targeted the presidential palace and a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi. Malanga was fatally shot while resisting arrest soon after live-streaming the attack on his social media, the Congolese army said.

Malanga’s 21-year-old son Marcel Malanga, who is a U.S. citizen, and two other Americans were convicted in the the attack. His mother, Brittney Sawyer, has said her son is innocent and was simply following his father, who considered himself president of a shadow government in exile.

In the months since her son's arrest, Sawyer has declined multiple interview requests and has focused her energy on fundraising to send Marcel money for food, hygiene products and a bed. He has been sleeping on the floor of his prison cell and is suffering from a liver disease, she said.

The other Americans were Tyler Thompson Jr., 21, who flew to Africa from Utah with the younger Malanga for what his family believed was a vacation, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, who is reported to have known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company. The company was set up in Mozambique in 2022, according to an official journal published by Mozambique’s government, and a report by the Africa Intelligence newsletter.

U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington on Friday that the federal government was aware of the verdict.

“We understand that the legal process in the DRC allows for defendants to appeal the court’s decision," Miller said. "Embassy staff have been attending these proceedings as they’ve gone through the process. We continue to attend the proceedings and follow the developments closely.”

Thompson had been invited on an Africa trip by the younger Malanga, his former high school football teammate in a Salt Lake City suburb. But the itinerary might have included more than sightseeing. Other teammates alleged that Marcel had offered up to $100,000 to join him on a “security job” in Congo.

Thompson’s family maintains he had no knowledge of the elder Malanga’s intentions, no plans for political activism and didn’t even plan to enter Congo. He and the Malangas were meant to travel only to South Africa and Eswatini, his stepmother, Miranda Thompson, told The Associated Press in May.

The Thompsons have been working with a lawyer in their home state of Utah to urge the U.S. government to intervene. The offices of Utah's U.S. Sens. Mitt Romney and Mike Lee did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.

Last month, the military prosecutor, Lt. Col. Innocent Radjabu. called on the judges to sentence to death all of the defendants, except for one who suffers from “psychological problems.”

Earlier this year, Congo reinstated the death penalty, lifting a more than two-decade-old moratorium, as authorities struggle to curb violence and militant attacks in the country.

Schoenbaum reported from Salt Lake City. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed from Washington.

Tyler Thompson, left, Marcel Malanga and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, all American citizens, attend a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

America Marcel Malanga attends a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

America Tyler Thompson attends a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

American Tyler Thompson arrives for a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

Tyler Thompson, left, Marcel Malanga and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, all American citizens, attend a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

American Marcel Malanga arrives for a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

Back row, Tyler Thompson, 2nd left, Marcel Malanga, center, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 2nd right, all American citizens, attend a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

American Marcel Malanga, fourth right, stands with others during a court verdict in Congo, Kinshasa, Friday Sept .13, 2024, on charges of taking part in a coup attempt in May 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

FILE - From left T,yler Thompson Jr, Marcel Malanga and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, all American citizens, face the court in Kinshasa with 52 other defendants on June 7, 2024, accused of a role in last month's attempted coup in Congo led by little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga in which six people were killed. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)