One week before I was scheduled to move to Chemnitz, right-wing protests broke out following the murder of a German man by a group of non-Germans at a city festival. The suspects involved included two Kurdish immigrants, one Iraqi and one Syrian. In the wake of the German man's death, countless rumors swirled around the city regarding what exactly happened in the moments before the murder. Following the murder, right-wing protesters took to the streets chanting things like "Ausländer raus!" (Foreigners out!) and some even displayed Nazi symbolism, which is illegal in Germany. There were some reportings of right-wing Germans following and harassing people of color on the streets. The protests became increasingly violent as right-wing protesters clashed with left-wing counterprotesters and the police were not able to control the masses. While no one was killed, it left a feeling of unrest in the city.
Needless to say, as a young black woman, I was terrified by what I was seeing in the news. While the Fulbright Commission gave me the option to complete my teaching assistantship somewhere else, I decided to give the city a chance. As I had guessed, the daily life in the city was not as affected by the violence as was portrayed in the media.
