BERLIN: A central Berlin street was officially renamed on Saturday despite a last-minute legal challenge, bidding farewell at an unveiling ceremony to a name marked by racist overtones.
Berlin’s Mitte district, along with several civil initiatives, has long sought to rename Mohrenstrasse, as the term “Mohr” was historically used to describe people of African descent, often in a derogatory manner.
The word, which stems from the Latin “Maurus” (Moor), was associated with colonialism, slavery and racist caricatures.
This week, city workers installed signs bearing the street’s new name, Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Strasse – a tribute to the first known African philosopher and lawyer to obtain a doctorate at a German university in the 18th century.
However, with the planned unveiling set for Saturday to coincide with the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, the initiative faced a last-minute legal hurdle.
The Berlin Administrative Court on Thursday upheld an urgent appeal by a resident against the renaming, ruling that the street could not be renamed until the lawsuit had been settled.
Undeterred, the Mitte district appealed to the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court, which cleared the way on Friday evening for the renaming to go ahead as planned.
Both courts had previously ruled that the renaming could take place in an earlier lawsuit. – Bernama-dpa
