A few days ago, the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said that we still have “a problem with das deutsche Stadtbild” (the image of the country). In context, he was suggesting that immigrants, migrants, and people of colour are what make German cities unsafe or “look different” — implying that our presence causes violence and ruins the city’s image. Then he added that we should simply “ask women” about it. Women are very clear about this story: the fear in public spaces doesn’t come from immigrants and people of colour — it comes from men. Invoking women’s safety to justify racist narratives is not protection; it is manipulation. It weaponises gender to sustain xenophobia. What he calls a problem — an image problem — in our country is simply the visibility of people who look like me: brown hands, multiple languages, and cultures that already shape Germany as a country. This isn’t about food; it’s about who gets to belong in the picture, and who gets framed as the problem. Das d...