Who is we?

I come from Syria. My Syrian passport was confiscated by the Syrian secret service. I was able to flee with a travel document from the German embassy in Lebanon. This substitute passport saved my life, but it does not grant me the same rights as Germans. This makes it hard for me to plan by future. You need a German passport in order to put down roots here. I would like to vote, since democracy makes it possible to belong. The country should belong to those who take responsibility.

I was born as a foreign national in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Until I was sixteen I had a Turkish passport, but I have never lived in Turkey. Before I was naturalized, I was always afraid I would be expelled. My parents were honest, hard-working people. But we lived in an area where many people had a precarious living situation. Armored men once stormed our apartment since they suspected us of counterfeiting. They didn’t find anything, but I was still afraid I would have to leave Germany. Without a German passport I always felt like I was someone who wasn’t actually allowed to be here. Every time I traveled to Turkey I was afraid I would never see my home again. Now I have a German passport and I use it for all my travels.

I was born in Germany and my ancestors also came from here. As a citizen I have all political and social participation rights. For my sense of belonging, though, it is more important that I have access to free education and social benefits, and that I live in a country under the rule of law. Although Germany offers all that, I often view the state and politics critically. I get involved for a society in which the common good and human rights are what guide everyone’s actions.

I was born and raised in Germany. My father is a Black American, who as a soldier was stationed in Germany. I have never lived in any other country as long as I have lived in Germany. The center of my private and professional life is clearly here. But I don’t always feel accepted as a member of society. Especially in rural areas I am often asked here I come from. When I say “Bremen” in response they usually then ask about my “real origins.”

I have both German and American citizenship from birth. I was born in Berlin and went to school here; I studied in Germany and I work here. I view myself primarily as a German citizen, but I also feel very closely tied to the American language and culture. In Germany I feel accepted but sometimes people ask about my heritage because of my name. I often travel to friends and relatives in the United States and I exercise my right to vote in elections there.

I come from Brazil. I came to Germany after my university studies in 2007. I didn’t receive an unlimited work permit until 2013. I applied for naturalization in 2016. I had to verify my financial independence and pass language and civics tests. Eight months after applying, my naturalization was approved. Since 2016 I have been a German citizen and I work as a teacher. I feel very good in Berlin and have made a lot of close friends.

I was born in Germany and I have German citizenship. I have been living in London since I was 21. I primarily feel like a Londoner, but also like a German and European. Since Brexit a lot has changed for me. Although I am married to a British woman, it was not clear whether I could stay. Meanwhile I also have British citizenship. It was a difficult, drawn-out process. I would never have given up my German citizenship.

I was born in East Germany in 1955. As a teenager I had problems with the strict limits set by the East German dictatorship. I wanted a self-determined life and freedom of opinion. That is why I decided to flee to West Germany. My cousin in the West procured a passport for me, on which he forged stamps and attached a new photo. I managed to flee under the name Philip R. in July 1974. In the West I received a new passport without any problem – this time with my real name.

I was born in the Soviet Union, in Siberia to be exact. As a Volga German, my mother had been deported there in 1941. In my childhood people called us “fascists.” Later, no one knew anymore about my German roots. I was content with my life, but in 1994 my mother wanted to follow our relatives to Germany. The first few years here were tough. For a long time I felt like a Russian. As some point I stopped renewing my Russian passport, but I am still saving my first German passport.

I was born in Syria. I lived there until I fled in 2015. I never had Syrian citizenship. My parents fled from Palestine to Syria in 1948. Like them, I have a Syrian passport for Palestinian refugees. I nevertheless felt accepted as a member of Syrian society. In my German passport substitute it says “uncertain citizenship.” I consider that an empty space that hurts. I do have a heritage.