Anti-racism in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: “Think about the municipalities”

Aman Anosh is very worried that many migrants are considering moving away from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. "A woman wearing a headscarf told me that someone suddenly hit her in the head when she got off the bus. That kind of thing is scary. People feel alone and don't know who to turn to," says the 32-year-old from Afghanistan. With 157 right-wing motivated attacks in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a new record was reached in 2025. This was documented by the advice center for those affected by right-wing, racist and anti-Semitic violence in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Lobbi). The main motive was racism.

Anosh has lived in Rostock since 2018 and has been working for the One World Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state network since 2020, and has been coordinating its promoter program for a year. “We want to make global perspectives in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania more visible and strengthen civil society structures,” says Anosh. The promoters specifically approach initiatives and associations and clarify with them how they can specifically support their work. Jugend Spricht has also been part of the promoter program since April.

Aman Anosh founded the migrant youth organization seven years ago. He has now given up most of the tasks, but continues to volunteer in the association. At that time, Anosh had just come to Rostock to study service management. "I struggled for three years to be able to study at all. At the time, I despaired because everyone said I should do an apprenticeship instead." Other migrants asked him how he managed to get a degree. This is how he came up with the idea of ​​founding Jugend Spricht. The association wants to strengthen young migrant people.

He sees this goal holistically: "We fight every year to ensure that we receive money again as a civil society program. The AfD wants to abolish these structures." Together with his sister Hafiza Qasimi, he founded the start-up “Wannadate” in 2025. There they make energy balls out of dates and nuts. “This is a recipe from our childhood,” he says. But for him this is not just a start-up. "In anti-racism work, I tried to work with companies, but they showed little interest. My sister and I therefore decided to create a parallel structure to empower people - look, you can also found a start-up."

Anosh observes that it is becoming increasingly difficult to support civil society in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. He talks about a colleague who supports migrant women in rural areas on the border with Poland. “The AfD is the strongest force in their community, and every time they want to organize an event, the AfD tries to prevent it.” When it comes to right-wing extremism, Anosh calls for more thought to be given to the municipalities in which the AfD is already sometimes the strongest party.

Anosh has lived in Rostock for eight years and is well connected. But he also sometimes has doubts: "In Afghanistan I got involved politically and risked my life. And I'm starting to wonder whether it's the same here and whether it's worth getting involved in civil society."

But he is currently pursuing his goal: “I want many young, migrant people to stay in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and get involved in society.”

Before the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, we are introducing committed people from civil society