A series of racially motivated attacks in Germany is raising concerns over security at the World Cup. Sahar El-Bahr reports Seeking to decrease fears raised by recent racist attacks, Germany's top security officials say the authorities will prevent the upcoming World Cup from being used as a platform by far-right extremists. But with only a week to go before the kick off of the world's most prestigious football championship, a recent series of racist attacks, especially on dark-skinned victims, has swept Germany, triggering heated debate on how safe the 2006 tournament really is. German officials underline that security measures will be tight during the entire tournament, however, attacks on foreigners especially dark-skinned Germans, are on the rise, casting doubts about whether football fans will be safe and whether Germany will live up to the motto of the tournament, "A time to make friends". Almost one million of the 3.5 millions football fans who are expected to attend the games in Germany are foreigners. Horst Schmidt, the vice president of the organising committee of the World Cup, says "there is no reason to panic. The group was doing all that is humanly possible to assure security." Geraled Asamoah, the only dark skinned player -- originally from Ghana -- in the German football team urges Germany to fight vehemently against racism. "We must not give racism any opportunity. Some have waited deliberately to use the stage of the World Cup to draw attention to this terrible plague." "Anybody who threatens, attacks or worse, kills anybody because of the colour of his skin or because he comes from a foreign country will face the full force of the law," the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Last week, four German right-wing youths were sentenced to up to three and half years in jail for beating and humiliating a 12-year-old dark-skinned German boy of Ethiopian origin in early January. A court found that the attackers, aged 16 to 20, had acted out of racist motives. In April, an engineer of Ethiopian origin was beaten and is lying in coma. Early last week, a Turkish-born top state lawmaker and politician was hit on the head with a bottle by two men. Giyasettin Sayan, 56, was beaten by attackers who shouted anti-Turkish slurs during the assault. He was treated in hospital for a concussion. Sayan, a German who has lived in Germany since the 1970s, is a member of Berlin's ex-communist Left Party. The attack triggered condemnation from party members. Nicholas Zimmer, a top lawmaker in the state's conservative Christian Democrats quarter, said "extremists are all of our enemies. We will not tolerate any violence against people or property in Berlin." Claudia Roth, federal leader of Germany's Greens, emphasised that the attack on Sayan, "in the middle of the capital, is a sign of a greater problem." A report issued last week by the agency responsible for tracking extremists said the number of people joining neo-Nazis rose from 3,800 to 4,100, while the number of right-extremists considered violent also rose from 10,000 to 10,400. However, Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said federal and state officials have worked for months with organisers to ensure the 9 June-9 July World Cup would be well-prepared to ensure a peaceful tournament. "We will not tolerate any form of extremism, xenophobia or anti-Semitism," Schaeuble said after presenting an annual report on security threats and crime by Germany's domestic intelligence agency. The report showed that extremist attacks had increased by 27 per cent in 2005 in comparison with 2004. Schaeuble added: "we will do everything in our power to prevent the soccer World Cup from being used by extremist organisations to spread their abhorrent thoughts." Another report by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution released recently showed an increase in violence by sympathisers of Germany's far-right fringe, with acts of violence committed by far-right extremists rising to 958 last year from 776 the previous year. The recent attacks have triggered debate over whether certain parts of Germany, particularly in the former communist east, have become too dangerous for World Cup visitors. However, Schaeuble stressed that such "no-go areas" would not be accepted. "There are no areas where visitors should have reason to feel unsafe," he said. "We are confident that our security measures are sufficient to provide for all the guests, and we will see them through." Schaeuble did not say whether authorities believed there was any risk of such attacks during the World Cup. Germany's federal prosecutor agrees that the danger and risk of racist attacks existed in some parts of the former East Germany. "The situation is such that exceptionally brutal attacks may happen, which could lead certain parts of the population to avoid living in those areas," Kay Nehm told Deutschland radio. "When you notice that there is a development that runs contrary to the state's interests, then you have a duty to try and do something about it," he added. Meanwhile, a former German government spokesman, Uwe-Karsten Heye, who is a spokesman for the former government led by Gerhard Schroeder, currently runs an anti-racist group "Show Your Face". Heye warned that foreign visitors to the World Cup should avoid some areas around Berlin because of the risk of racist attacks. "There are small and mid-sized towns in Brandenburg and elsewhere where I would advise anyone with a different skin colour not to go," Heye said. "They may not leave with their lives," he cautioned. Heye's statements were criticised by politicians who believe Heye had damaged Germany's image shortly before the beginning of the football tournament. Notably, last week a German businessman was ordered to appear in court for selling anti-Nazi T-shirts, flags and other stickers featuring a crossed-out swastika, a symbol banned in Germany in any form. The man is accused of "selling unconstitutional symbols". German law forbids the commercialisation of Nazi symbols, even if the seller is opposed to Nazism. Schaeuble indicated that his ministry planned a campaign in schools targeted at teaching children the importance of tolerance and openness, as part of wider efforts to prevent young people from becoming attracted to far-right ideas.
