Visual Representations of Refugees in German Media 2010 - 2020

This photo was published with the taz.de article “Flüchtlinge besetzen Botschaft” (Refugees occupy Embassy) published on October 15, 2012. Its caption reads “Besetzer in der nigerianischen Botschaft” (Occupiers in the Nigerian Embassy) and is credited to the dpa. In the image, a group of dark-skinned, presumably Nigerian, males is depicted shouting out of a window at the Nigerian Embassy in Berlin, Germany. In the front row, one man has a megaphone and another a whistle, and all the men in the frame are shown with their hands raised. 

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Without context from an accompanying article or photo caption, this photo seen away from the article or headline could easily be mistaken for any protest involving black protestors. The close-up shot capturing only the frame of a window removes all sense of an identifiable location and the crowding of the subjects in the window does not allow for any visible signs or t-shirts they may have to support their protest to be seen.

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The article details the occupation of the embassy and includes a quote from one of the refugees, Charles Enoruwa, although it is not stated the Enoruwa is one of the men pictured. Up until Enoruwa is quoted, the purpose of the occupation is not named in the article or the headline, but rather the focus is on the rowdy group of 10 refugees who have occupied the Nigerian Embassy. Through Enoruwa, the reader learns the occupation was meant as a protest against so-called Embassy Hearings, a common practice to determine the nationality of refugees whose nationality cannot be otherwise clearly determined. The article states, "Usually it is delegations from the respective country that then analyze the dialects of the refugees and, if necessary, issue them an exit visa to their own country. Germany supports this practice." 

 

Although taz followed journalism ethics to obtain and publish quotes from both the occupiers and Embassy visitors, it undermines the refugees' approach through the statement of an Embassy guest, described as a woman with a stroller, furthering the divide between the visitors and the protestors, who says, "I understand [their motive], but then they have to protest to the German government." Additionally, the ambiguous headline "Refugees occupy Embassy" combined with the tightly-shot photo could lead to some readers who are merely skimming and looking at headlines and photos to misinterpret the situation as something much more heinous than a small group of men peacefully occupying their Embassy in protest of a practice they find unjust.