Visual Representations of Refugees in German Media 2010 - 2020
By: Cassidy Chreene Whittle, M.S. GMC - German
Advisors: Dr. Britta Kallin, Associate Professor of German, and
Dr. Richard Utz, Chair and Professor, Literature, Media, and Communication
Refugees on Lampedusa waiting for transport to Sicily
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung / October 7, 2013 / photo by AP
In the article "Bundesregierung lehnt Aufnahme von mehr Flüchtlingen ab" (Federal government rejects acceptance of more refugees), Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung political journalists report on Germany's decision to not accept further refugees beyond what was agreed upon prior to the boat sinking off the coast of Italy which took the lives of over 300 refugees traveling from Eritrea and Somalia, despite Italy's pleas for help. The caption describes the women and girls as "Flüchtlinge auf Lampedusa warten auf den Transport nach Sizilien" (Refugees on Lampedusa waiting for transport to Sicily).
The article cites statistics from the Federal Ministry of the Interior claiming that Italy had taken in 15,000 asylum seekers the year prior (2012) compared to Germany, which had accepted 65,000 refugees. These numbers are used by the Spokesman of the Ministry to support the argument for a fairer distribution among refugees across Europe.
In the photograph, a line of women and teenage girls wearing colorful hijabs and other head coverings, indicating for some likely a Muslim religion, await their transport to the island of Sicily. It is not stated if this group of women and teenage girls survived the sinking of the refugee ship, or if they arrived in Lampedusa prior to or after the boat's sinking. Although the entire frame of the photo is not full of refugees, two separate lines can be clearly made out, and the girls' close stance indicates perhaps a crowded facility.
It is interesting to see a photo of women and girls being used alongside an article describing Germany's lack of willingness to accept more refugees, as it could indicate the desire to generate sympathy for the refugee cause. By showing a non-threatening portrayal of vulnerable subjects, as women and children are often regarded, the journalists at Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung have deviated from the more pre-2015 Refugee Crisis standard of using primarily photos of male refugees which are then associated with terrorism.