Racism on Trial

Racism on Trial is a campaign initiated by Justice Collective to reveal and resist racism in the criminal legal system.

Each year, criminal courts in Germany fine, jail, and sentence to probation hundreds of thousands of people. While powerful actors in our society frequently call on policing, criminalization, and punishment to address societal harms, these measures do not solve underlying problems. Because of systemic factors, people from racialized groups and migrants bear the brunt of these measures.

At the same time, politicians and media outlets spread false narratives about “migrant crime”, holding impacted communities responsible for their own criminalization. These narratives stigmatize racialized people and provide justification for punitive policies all the while obscuring the harmful impacts of the criminal legal system, including on migrants.

The Racism on Trial campaign aims to dislodge stigmatizing “migrant crime” narratives, creating the space to interrupt mass criminalization and the unjust realities of the punishment system.

Our work is based on courtwatching: We regularly watch cases tried in criminal courts, focusing on so-called “mass offenses”, since these make up a large part of the courts’ day-to-day activity. Courtwatching exposes the realities of the system while also offering solidarity to impacted people, who are often alone in court. So far, we have observed over 300 cases in Berlin’s criminal courts.

The Racism on Trial platform is a campaign resource for people interested in organizing against criminalization and an information hub for those impacted by the system. It features a selection of reports from courtwatching that serve as documentation of injustice and as a window into the system, as well as analysis, commentary, resources, and much more.

Explore Racism on Trial today.