Overview

• On July 1, Senator Cansel Kiziltepe announced Yücel Meheroğlu as Berlin’s first anti-Muslim racism contact person and retracted the press release hours later after coalition partners said no formal agreement existed.
• Official monitoring data recorded 644 anti-Muslim incidents last year, marking a nearly 70 percent increase that equates to almost two reported cases per day in Berlin.
• The SPD argues that a dedicated ombudsperson is essential to design prevention strategies and support affected communities.
• The CDU and Governing Mayor Kai Wegner insist on aligning the role with the expert commission on social cohesion and securing Senate‐level approval before formalizing the post.
• Meheroğlu is working provisionally within the social administration while the coalition negotiates the role’s mandate, authority and scope.