36 Boys

[Alpha Blondy]

 

Today, there are an estimated three million Turks in Germany, the largest ethnic community in the country.

 

Multiculturalism and the integration of immigrants has been a fiercely controversial topic in Germany.

 

The 1980s and 1990s witnessed an increase in the amount of racist violence in the country, with racism appearing to increase during the economic crisis throughout the 1980s, and as a result of German reunification in 1989.

 

Many such attacks were directed at the Turkish community.

 

"I came to Germany in 1970. Our aim was to earn enough to buy a place back home. But unfortunately we couldn't achieve that. So we waited for our children to grow up, we waited for our children to finish school," says Ali Riza Durmus, a former wrestler.

 

"Then we waited for them to get a job. Then we waited for our grandchildren to grow up. It's been 42 years of waiting like this."

 

By the end of the 1980s in West Germany, the children of Turkish immigrants had begun to form gangs to protect themselves from racist attacks. Such gangs emerged across the country.

 

The largest gang – in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin – called itself the 36 Boys, named after the old postal code of their area. The gang also included some non-Turks.

 

The unemployment rate among Turks is double that among native Germans. Studies show that a person with a Turkish name has less chance of getting a job interview than a similarly qualified person with a German name.

 

Today, former members of the 36 Boys are active within society helping to prevent juvenile delinquency. Now they meet under a new name – 36 Klan.

 

The 36 Boys represent an important symbol for many young people from ethnic communities seeking to find their way in modern-day Germany.

 

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recently watched this interesting documentary on AJE. there is much we could learn from their experiences - particularly their community activism. in our community, it appears the lack of leadership and the absences of role-models has induced a situation which is not conducive to our long term collective will. an entire generation of young people has been wiped out as criminals generates locked up in prison and those still within the confines of society are lacking the tools to make use of training and employment opportunities. our youngsters look towards african-american commercial rap stars as role-models and the selling of drugs as a means of survival. i worry very much.......