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Sport

29th May 2016

German politician makes racist statement about German footballer Jerome Boateng

Carl Kinsella

German politician and deputy chairman of the Alternative for Germany party Alexander Gauland has caused more than a slight stir with his recent remarks about German football Jerome Boateng.

Gauland, a proponent of anti-immigration sentiment said of Boateng, that while some people might appreciate his performance on the football field they would not want ‘someone like him as a neighbour’.

Boateng was born in Berlin in 1988, before the fall of the Berlin wall. His lineage is Ghanaian and his brother Kevin-Prince plays for the Ghanaian national team.

Responding to the racist remark, German coach Joachim Low said:

“It isn’t the first time that we have been confronted by such remarks. They require no comment; such people discredit themselves on their own.”

The German people also responded with the hashtag #boatengmeinnachbar (Boateng My Neighbour) to highlight their disagreement with Gauland’s views.

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Topics:

Football