Source: The Local
Some members of Duisburg’s Turkish community say a new trash can campaign encouraging “Mehmet” and “Gülcan” to throw away garbage is racist.
The western German city of Duisburg launched a campaign about a month ago to encourage people to throw away their trash, posting motivational slogans on around 6,000 bins with sayings like “Come here, Kevin” and “Clean, Steffi”.
Some also include Turkish names, with phrases like “There you go, Gülcan” and “Do it, Mehmet.” And for those who only see these last two examples, the campaign may come across as targeting the Turkish community.
“Does Duisburg have the impression that only Turks throw their trash on the ground,” wrote one person on Twitter. “What’s next?”
Categories: Europe, Europe and Australia, European Union, Germany