Turkish victim of German racism says 'times are tough'

Gönül Glowinski was sitting outside the cafe she runs with her husband in Lichtenberg, Berlin on Friday evening when two Germans, accompanied by a pit bull, approached her. Next thing she knew Glowinski, a German of Turkish origin, was fighting for her breath as one of the men tried to choke her, while the other set the dog on her husband running from inside to help her. The attack was preceded with perpetrators hurling racist insults.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Glowinski said she opened the cafe some five years ago and has been subjected to similar attacks since then. "[Xenophobic] attacks have increased in the past five years. I personally feel them, with people murmuring and sometimes openly saying racial abuse while passing by here," she said.

Recounting the attack, Glowinski says she was resting in a chair outside the cafe when two assailants arrived and started swearing at her. "I stood up and reacted. They walked toward me and tried to choke me. My husband saw them and ran out to stop them. In seconds, they ordered the dog to attack him. The dog bit him," she says, adding that the assailants fled when people passing by intervened. The culprits are still at large with a police investigation underway.

"We are going through tough times. Racism and xenophobia are not limited to Germany. It can happen in every country," she said, adding that her morale is good because she is never afraid of racists.