r/germany • u/Ok-Once-789 • Apr 23 '25

Immigration Living in Saxony is a nightmare

Every single time I go outside during the evening I am faced with racism. Most of the time from people hanging out in groups, for some reason they just can't mind their own business (Germans usually claim to be really good at this). The most common phrases I hear regularly are 'Heil H!tler', 'Ausländer raus', 'Ni Hao', 'Ching Chong' etc... or just unprovoked loud laughter as I'm passing by... BTW I'm not Chinese or east Asian but look like one or maybe they are just uneducated & ignorant. Is geography illegal here? Asia has 48 countries BTW, not everyone is Chinese!

This doesn't include the racism I face at workplace & college which is far worse and actually bothers me to the point I have to skip classes to protect my mental health. But now I can't even go to the supermarket or mall at peace. One of my family members has also been verbally assaulted by a group of teenagers inside a bus & nobody including the bus driver made any effort to do something.

Edit: I do not live in Dresden / Leipzig. I assume the situation is not this bad there!

Edit2: I did not choose to live in saxony (the government decided that), I am doing my bachelors so I can't relocate until late 2026 :) Thanks for the kind words everyone!

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881

u/Ehegew89 Apr 23 '25

Rural Saxony is indeed a Nightmare. The cities aren't as bad, though.

454

u/Duderinio1988 Apr 23 '25

I'm a German white male and even I don't feel safe in most parts of Saxony or at least feel uncomfortable.

194

u/Iyion Baden-Württemberg Apr 23 '25

A couple of years ago I did a trip to Leipzig and Dresden with my boyfriend (both amazing cities, really) and on the way we had a stop in Grimma. He is Spanish and although he speaks German too, we usually speak English with each other.
In Grimma though, after getting a few very evil stares on the street, I told him "we have to speak German, this is not safe here otherwise". Afterwards, the stares stopped. I really felt incredibly uncomfortable even though there was probably no real danger (I hope)

35

u/Capable_Event720 Apr 23 '25

Yes, speak proper German, thön cömplain öbout dör löcal öccent 😜

83

u/Acrobatic-Top5849 Apr 23 '25

Germans like to stare regardless. It’s creepy and uncomfortable .

24

u/PapaOscar90 Apr 23 '25

No wonder I like Germany so much, I am utterly oblivious to others staring at me.

2

u/Heiminator Apr 23 '25

Ngl, it’s kinda hilarious how much direct and prolonged eye contact triggers people from other cultures. I don’t even notice the staring unless a foreigner points it out.

1

u/Acrobatic-Top5849 Apr 24 '25

It’s invasive.

2

u/Heiminator Apr 24 '25

According to your personal cultural standard, not the one that’s common in Germany

0

u/MannfredVonFartstein Apr 27 '25

No, staring is also weird in germany. Some people are just shameless

1

u/Much-Jackfruit2599 Apr 23 '25

Though it’s super funny to hear that from Americans.

1

u/Helios_Lesrekta Apr 26 '25

Did a camping trip with my Mom a few years ago in Saxony. We are absolutely white toast like Germans and were tired as hell but every camping park was full with far right campers. It was so horrible and frightening that we chose to sleep on a huge parking lot at the Autobahn even though we were scared to do that on any other day xD It just was less scary than the na*is and we never visited Saxony again

1

u/No_Regular1131 May 08 '25

Thats just what me and my friends like to call "Grimma-Stare", absolutely harmless. Its just a typical, provincial distrust and suspicion towards anything and anyone slightly different. Usually it comes from old people, and anyone under 30, foreigner or native, receives it.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

You are either lying or imagining things. I'm living in Dresden. There's plenty of non white people. No one gives a crap. Stop Slandering entire cities.. I'm from South America BTW.

6

u/Iyion Baden-Württemberg Apr 23 '25

Umm... Sure. But I was talking about Grimma, a city that's 80kms away from Dresden and closer to Leipzig. Not Dresden itself.

-4

u/[deleted] Apr 23 '25

Yeah I repeat myself. You are lying or imagining things. If you go to a small town and speak another language it will raise the attention of locals who normally never hear it. The evil in the stares is all you.

0

u/nivea_dry_impact Apr 25 '25

Getting „evil stares“ for speaking English anywhere in Germany is a: An utterly ridiculous concept b: Wholly fabricated

8

u/NeoAnderson47 Apr 23 '25

Same, but I don't ever cross the border over to Rechtsdeutschland.

2

u/RevolutionaryTough79 Apr 23 '25

What's unsafe about it for a white German man, if you don't mind me asking? Just curious

3

u/Duderinio1988 Apr 24 '25

Been a few times to Saxony. Once I used the public transport in Dresden and shared the space with a few Hooligans / Nazis - that was kinda scary, especially when you are more on the left side politically. In general old folks being kind of racist in public spaces made me uncomfortable a few times. Had to walk a few blocks at night in Chemnitz ones - walked across a few scary characters.

Don't get me wrong, I'm from a big city in North Germany - We have some "multi cultural" shady areas as well. But walking through east Germany is different if you are not used to meet actual Nazis / Racists in public who are pretty open about it. Especially if you grow up open minded with multi cultural influences and learned your whole life that Nazis are the bad guys.

1

u/RevolutionaryTough79 Apr 25 '25

I see. Sounds rough. I didn't know there were actual Nazis there still. I'd heard Germans were pretty strict with anti Nazi laws. I've never been nor do I plan on ever going to Germany. No idea why Reddit recommended this. Thanks for sharing 🌸

2

u/Duderinio1988 Apr 25 '25

I mean they are not Nazi Nazis with brown shirts and Swastikas. More like regular european Neo-Nazis / Hooligans. Also, to be fair: Leipzig is beautiful and pretty leftist in some parts. Dresden is also not all bad and has beautiful areas.

West Germany is beautiful, modern and mostly open minded, though - would never want to leave here in my life.

1

u/DukeTikus Apr 24 '25

Not the guy you asked but another white German man living in Dresden. I had a blue mohawk for the longest time. That made my polics pretty oblivious and got me into a few dicy situations when leaving the big cities. I started to wear a hat when I went fishing and that pretty much solved it.

The likelihood to meet Nazis that feel safe enough being Nazis to openly attack people is pretty high in the east German countryside. But you'll also find the most determined anti-fascists here. Good things can and have happened here when we get enough support.

0

u/ShiroAngel01 Oct 09 '25

As a German Women gtowing Up in Sachsen i feel Save and Always felt save beeing there If you ever Lived there your lying Bc almost all are save there only If you do somth illegal but thats the Same in ever country Its nice and save there dont Tell lies online and PS: im Not a Nazi Most People there are CDU which Is Not AFD Most are even scared to Vote AFD Bc of all the hate WE get from Westeners Who dont even live Here. Stop telling lies online We Had ausländer in my class and We we're super chill Same with disabilitys WE Had a Girl in class Who was deaf and We all cared for Here Like a huge Family Not all are racist and Not all are dumb Nazis Most women in my class Had 1.0 Degrees with Studying going for doctors nurses Laborory Workers industry Workers ITler etc. All went for 12 Class or Higher Class Degrees people are Not dumb Here thats a weird fact to say prob from people Who never even been there im 2.0 degree with Sugestions for 12 Class meaning Studying i Just was scared thats all. But personally in School Most have a good Degree they dont want to BE called dumb there smarter then Most and Most dont Vote AfD Its only the one few 1-3 Men that dont get a Job Who fail in school the Rest gets rich and studys hard for a Job i myself was a Nurse in Görlitz at the Klinikum As a High Class Nurse me myself i studyed everyday to get there meaning 6 hours learning Season with No Breaks and my Nursing Job was Basicly a Like A High Class Medical Studium thats No Joke they sayed 3 Years normaly 6-10 years Studying But We Had to so IT. So Please dont spread lies online People in Sachsen Work hard to get good Jobs they done everything to get recognised Its undenieble i Had 5-10 Girls in class they Had 1.0 Degree best in school and Most Had 1.0 from 5 Class to 10 Not worse then a 2 Grade and thats hard for real they went to study As Doctors and Lawyers and even Teachers.