Islamization: In Berlin shops you can hardly get German flags, but you can get Ramadan items
Why is that? The answer is more banal than you might think. They are rarely offered in shops selling everyday goods. NIUS asked Berlin supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations whether they had German flags in their range. The results were sobering.
World Cup 2006: The whole country shone in black, red and gold. Cars with flags attached to them were everywhere. Such images have seeped into the collective memory as “summer fairytales”. And today?
Euro 2024: The difference is impossible to miss. Of course, there are other pictures that don't look quite so gloomy. But the bottom line is that the difference between the summer fairytale and the Euro present is one of total difference.
NIUS wanted to know: Is it because of the unavailability of German flags? NIUS asked fifteen supermarkets in Berlin whether they sold German flags. The result: only one had them in its range. Three others at least offered other fan articles such as pennants for sale. However, the majority of them do not have anything for Germany fans.
In the more traditional, non-left-leaning south of the country, you can still come across him: the fan merchandise front-runner, where you can stock up on black, red and gold for the European Championship games as usual.
NIUS also asked Berlin drugstores. Of the five DM branches, only one sold Germany fan merchandise. There were no flags, but there was a black, red and gold pen that you can use to paint the national colors on your face. DM told NIUS that there were generally no EM banners in Berlin DM branches this year. When asked, the exact reasons for this could not be given.
What is available in Berlin, however, are Ramadan products during the weeks of Islamic fasting. For example, Ramadan calendars were offered for sale. Or there was a Ramadan table with the corresponding oriental foods such as dates and baklava. There is nothing wrong with that. The only strange thing is the disproportion: a European Championship in one's own country is hardly served in terms of products and offerings, whereas the traditions of other cultures are served much more.
But what about the car flags?
Of ten gas stations in Berlin that were contacted at random, only two had the German flags in their range, which have been known throughout the country since 2006 at the latest. Where else, if not at the gas station, would you expect to buy these fan items?
Overall, it is clear that if you want to buy a German flag in Berlin, you have to look for one specifically. Of course, they are still available in larger department stores - as well as in special flag shops like the Flaggenhaus at Alex. It is encouraging that sales are actually improving compared to the major football events of recent years, as the store told NIUS.
Source: NIUS
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