Anti-discrimination counseling centers in Saxony-Anhalt registered significantly more cases last year. In 2025 a total of 322 discrimination cases were recorded, about 50 more than the year before, the Social Ministry in Magdeburg announced. The count also included “sexual identity.” The counseling centers warned of a growing social brutalization and a “normalization of discriminatory and dehumanizing statements”.
Social Minister Petra Grimm-Benne expressed concern about the development. “Discrimination is poison for the coexistence in our society, where every person should have equal opportunities,” said the SPD politician. Counseling services strengthen those affected, provide orientation, and help them assert their rights.
The central anti-discrimination office Saxony-Anhalt registered 168 cases, 35 more than the previous year. The most common issues were racist attributions or ethnic origin, followed by multiple discrimination and disadvantages due to a disability. Experiences of discrimination were reported particularly often at authorities, at the workplace, and in educational institutions.
“We are currently witnessing a rapid societal brutalization, which especially frightens, intimidates, and threatens people perceived as migrants,” said Mika Kaiyama, deputy managing director of the State Network of Migrant Organizations Saxony-Anhalt. For people with a migration background, racism is increasingly a decisive factor in whether they want to stay in Saxony-Anhalt.
The advisory center for antisemitic violence and discrimination in Saxony-Anhalt (OFEK) supported 31 clients seeking guidance. Two-thirds of the cases involved verbal or digital antisemitic violence. OFEK counselor Elitsa Kirova explained that antisemitism shapes the everyday life of many affected individuals.
The counseling centers offer affected people pre-legal support, such as drafting complaints under the General Equal Treatment Act. Minister Grimm-Benne also called for long-term funding of such services by the federal and state governments.
