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42-408: The Foundation is named after Amadeu Antonio Kiowa , one of the first victims of far-right violence after the reunification of Germany in 1990. The Foundation devises and executes a variety of projects campaigns, both online and offline, and collaborates with diverse institutions in the media, in civil society and at state level. Its work has included the following: Alongside this online provision,

84-521: A Gallic rooster in the coats of arms of Frankfurt and Słubice. The official name Frankfurt (Oder) and the older Frankfurt an der Oder are used to distinguish it from the larger city of Frankfurt am Main . The city's recorded history began in the 13th century as a West Slavic settlement. During its history, it was successively part of the Kingdom of Poland , the Margraviate of Brandenburg ,

126-477: A ballad to Kiowa with "Willy", which describes the murder and denounces xenophobia. Since the beginning of 2012, the Light me Amadeu initiative began collecting signatures to rename the street where Kiowa was killed. The decision to change the name was postponed various times by councilors in the area. Another proposal sought to name a civic education center after Kiowa, as well as a civic promise award. This concept

168-431: A nightclub to "clap Blacks" ( Neger klatschen ), according to one of the participants in the trial. The following night, the skinheads encountered Kiowa and two Mozambican men. Kiowa was brutally beaten by the neo-Nazis. One of the perpetrators jumped with both feet onto Kiowa's head as he laid on the ground. Kiowa suffered fatal injuries to the head. He never recovered from the resulting coma and died eleven days after, as

210-460: A result of the attack. The two men that were with Kiowa were attacked with knives, with them escaping, but with serious injuries. During the incident, twenty police officers, in full equipment, remained at a short distance, without intervening. Three armed civil police officers that accompanied the group also did not intervene. One of the police officers said that he went back with his two colleagues because "he had wanted to avoid having problems with

252-472: Is "Region in Aktion" (region in action), which analyses how civil society can be supported in the wake of electoral victories by far-right parties in rural areas such as Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Brandenburg . The Foundation also builds networks between initiatives at local level, promoting alternative youth cultures and communities to weaken the support for intolerance and racism. Within its financial support,

294-519: Is the Fforst House, a German-Polish student project, which has been granted support by the town's administration and by the Viadrina , having been described by the former president of the university, Gesine Schwan , as the place where "Europe begins". The current mayor is René Wilke (independent, formerly Left ) since 2018. The most recent mayoral election was held on 28 February 2018 and

336-634: The Lubusz Land was part of the Kingdom of Poland . The Piast duke Henry the Bearded granted Zliwitz staple rights in 1225. In 1226, construction of the St. Nicholas Church (today's Friedenskirche ) began. In 1249, the settlement became part of the Margraviate of Brandenburg . The town of Frankfurt received its charter in 1253 at the Brandendamm . The early settlers lived on the western banks of

378-643: The Napoleonic Wars , Frankfurt became part of the Province of Brandenburg in 1815. In the 19th century, Frankfurt played an important role in trade. Centrally positioned in the Kingdom of Prussia between Berlin and Posen (Poznań) , on the river Oder with its heavy traffic, the town housed the second-largest annual trade fair ( Messe ) of the German Reich , surpassed only by that in Leipzig . One of

420-669: The Oder ' ; Central Marchian : Frankfort an de Oder, Polish : Frankfurt nad Odrą ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam , Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel . With around 58,000 inhabitants, it is the largest German city on the Oder River, and one of the easternmost cities in Germany. Frankfurt sits on the western bank of the Oder, opposite

462-831: The Thirty Years' War , Frankfurt was the site of the Battle of Frankfurt an der Oder between the Swedish Empire and the Holy Roman Empire . After a two-day siege, Swedish forces, supported by Scottish auxiliaries, stormed the town and destroyed many buildings, e.g. the Georgen Hospital . The result was a Swedish victory. By the end of the Thirty Years' War, the town's population had decreased from 12,000 inhabitants to 2,366 inhabitants. In

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504-676: The 16th century the oldest church of the town (today's Friedenskirche ) was secularized and was even used as a granary , and from the 17th century it served as the church of the French Huguenots . The city was briefly occupied by the Russian Imperial Army during the Seven Years' War , in August 1759, in the prelude to the battle of Kunersdorf . With the dissolution of the Margraviate of Brandenburg during

546-671: The Barnimer initiative Light me Amadeu has organized protests and acts against xenophobia, as well as having hosted commemorative events every year on the anniversary of his death. A plaque in homage to Kiowa was built at the scene of the murder. The African cultural association Palanca organized the exposition Geschichte der angolanischen Vertragarbeiter em Eberswalde ("History of contracted Angolan workers in Eberswalde"), which includes sections about Kiowa. Konstantin Wecker dedicated

588-610: The Bohemian Crown , Prussia and Germany. After World War II , the eastern part of Frankfurt became again part of Poland under the terms of the Potsdam Agreement and was renamed to Słubice , while the western part of Frankfurt became a border city of the German Democratic Republic in 1949. During the communist era, Frankfurt reached a population peak with more than 87,000 inhabitants at

630-615: The Foundation carries out a significant amount of operating work. Through this, it considers possible strategies against right-wing extremism on the local level and researches the structure of the scene (for example, the examination of the role of women in the movement). One such project is "Kein Ort für Neonazis" (No Place for Neo-Nazis). Here the Foundation provides financial, administrative and expertise support for initiatives immediately prior to local, state or federal elections. Another project

672-500: The Foundation has so far supported more than 770 initiatives and projects which engage with racism, anti-Semitism, and right-wing extremism, and which advocate for a democratic culture and the rights of minorities. The Foundation leverages its profile and resources to expand its role beyond Germany. Through developing strategic partnerships around Europe and in the United States, the Foundation hopes to meet challenges abroad with

714-594: The German invasion of Poland , which started World War II . During World War II the Germans brought numerous forced laborers , both men and women, from Poland and the Soviet Union to the town. In early 1945, death marches of prisoners of various nationalities from the dissolved camps in Żabikowo and Świecko to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp passed through the city. There was no fighting for

756-675: The Holocaust . The procession of the new Torah scroll began from the spot where the town's Frankfurter Synagogue stood prior to World War II, 500 meters from Germany's current border with Poland. Celebrants marched with the scroll into the town's Chabad -Lubavitch centre, where they danced with the Torah , which had been donated by members of the Chabad-Lubavitch community in Berlin. The Margraviate of Brandenburg's first university

798-563: The Oder; later the town was extended to the eastern bank. After a war broke out over control of the region in 1319, the town came under the control of the Duchy of Pomerania . In 1319, Wartislaw IV , Duke of Pomerania, granted new privileges to the town. The town fell again to Brandenburg in 1324. In the Late Middle Ages , the town dominated the river trade between Wrocław and Szczecin . From 1373 to 1415, along with Brandenburg, it

840-624: The Polish town of Słubice , which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945, and called Dammvorstadt until then. The city is about 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of Berlin , in the south of the historical region Lubusz Land . Within Frankfurt's city limits lies the recreational area Lake Helenesee . The name of the city makes reference to the Franks , and means Ford of the Franks , and there appears

882-1097: The Silesian Frederick William University in Breslau , presently the University of Wrocław . The university was refounded in 1991 with a European emphasis as the Viadrina European University , in close cooperation with the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań; they jointly run the Collegium Polonicum in Słubice. The Frankfurt (Oder) Bahnhof is a station served by the Berlin-Warszawa-Express and has regular regional connections to Magdeburg and Cottbus . Within

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924-560: The act as such in 1992: When the Angolan Antonio Amadeu was killed by 'skins' in Eberswalde nearly two years ago, it became clear that the protests in East Germany were not just a form of juvenile disturbances. She expressed doubts that the lawyers were really able to "judge right-wing crimes and left-wing crimes with the same criteria" and described the judiciary in Germany as a "political judiciary". The event

966-666: The city, there is a network of five tram lines . 1. FC Frankfurt is the town's local football team. Frankfurt (Oder), being located on the border to Poland, plays a special role in connection with German–Polish relations and European integration . The European University Viadrina has one of its buildings in Poland, in the neighbouring town of Słubice. The university also has a number of projects and initiatives dedicated to bringing Poland and Germany together, and offers its students pro bono Polish courses. Another project that contributes to German–Polish integration in Frankfurt (Oder)

1008-582: The end of the 1980s. Following German reunification , the population decreased significantly, but has stabilized in recent years at about 58,000 inhabitants. As of 2020, the city plays an important role in German–Polish relations and European integration . Frankfurt is home to the European University Viadrina , which has a campus in Słubice, the Collegium Polonicum . Prior to 1249, a West Slavic settlement named Zliwitz along with

1050-432: The first known victims of far-right racist violence in reunified Germany. The verdicts reached during the course of the trial of the murderers were widely criticised as being too lax, as the court had sentenced them to four years in prison for bodily injury that resulted in death ( Körperverletzung mit Todesfolge ). Much of public opinion and the media had called for homicide charges to be filed. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation

1092-533: The group". In 1994, the District Court of Frankfurt (Oder) rejected the accusation against the police officers for Körperverletzung mit Todesfolge durch Unterlassen (Bodily injury that resulted in death by omission). Six of the perpetrators had criminal cases processed against them. The International Court of Justice in Geneva sent an observer, fearing that the victim would be seen as responsible and

1134-520: The local football club, FV Preussen. Kiowa's mother, Helena Alfonso, of Bakongo origin, lived in Rocha Pinto, in the Samba district of Luanda. In 2001, with the help of donations, she went with one of her children to Germany to do a blood test to confirm the paternity of Kiowa and obtain compensation pension as result of her son's murder. They received 3,600 marks in donations. However, they were

1176-527: The main escape routes for insurgents of the unsuccessful Polish November Uprising from partitioned Poland to the Great Emigration led through the city. In 1842, the Berlin–Frankfurt (Oder) railway was opened. The SS Einsatzgruppe VI was formed in the town before it entered several Polish cities, including Poznań , Kalisz and Leszno , to commit various crimes against Poles during

1218-403: The perpetrators would be let go with impunity. The sentences were reached just based on the testimony of an accomplice that initially refused to testify, but after gave in after a confidentiality agreement. In 1992, the district court of Frankfurt (Oder) sentenced five of those involved to a maximum of four years in prison for bodily injury that caused death, and some with suspended sentences. It

1260-420: The relationship, while anticipating a child in 1990, changed abruptly as many of the vertragsarbeiter lost their jobs and their residency authorization was in limbo due to the cancelling of contracts made with their home countries. On the night of 24 November 1990, far-right skinheads from various cities grouped together at the apartment of a neo-Nazi in Eberswalde. They came together with 50 other people at

1302-564: The same success and determination that it has at home. Its partners in Germany and abroad are as follows: The Foundation is partially funded by the government of Germany through the initiative Demokratie Leben! . Amadeu Antonio Kiowa Amadeu Antonio Kiowa (12 August 1962 – 6 December 1990) was an Angolan man who resided in Germany (earlier in East Germany ) as a foreign worker (known as vertragsarbeiter ). He became one of

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1344-530: The targets of racist incidents in Eberswalde. Among other events, her baby carriage was painted with swastikas and afterwards was damaged beyond repair. Schimansky later married a man from the Republic of the Congo , with whom she had three more children. She adopted her new husband's surname, Mukendi. The family moved to Berlin . Gabriele died in 2015; their son Amadeu Schimansky lived in Eberswalde and played in

1386-614: The town in 1945 during World War II even though the town was declared a fortress ( Festung ) in an attempt to block the Red Army 's route to Berlin . The nearly empty town was burned down by the Red Army. The postwar East German–Polish border ran along the Oder, separating the Dammvorstadt on the eastern bank – which became the Polish town of Słubice – from the rest of Frankfurt. While part of communist East Germany , Frankfurt

1428-678: The victims of a robbery where $ 800USD was taken from them at the Friedrichstrasse rail station . A TV crew from ARD accompanied them from the blood sampling and documented the result. Helena Alfonso received 1,500 euros in order to provide a proper burial for Amadeu and to repair the gravesite. The family was later given 5,000 euros after the 20th anniversary of his death in 2011 by the municipal council of Eberswalde. Frankfurt (Oder) Frankfurt (Oder) , also known as Frankfurt an der Oder ( German: [ˈfʁaŋkfʊʁt ʔan deːɐ̯ ˈʔoːdɐ] , lit.   ' Frankfurt on

1470-724: Was Frankfurt's Alma Mater Viadrina, founded in 1506 by Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg . An early chancellor, Bishop Georg von Blumenthal (1490–1550), was a notable opponent of the Protestant Reformation , as he remained a Catholic . Frankfurt also trained the noted archbishop Albert of Brandenburg around 1510, who also became a vocal opponent of the Reformation. The university was closed in 1811, and its assets divided between two new universities founded under King Frederick William III : Frederick William University of Berlin, presently Humboldt University ; and

1512-563: Was administered within Bezirk Frankfurt (Oder) . It became part of the reconstituted state of Brandenburg with German reunification in 1990. In the post-communist era, following the collapse of its main employer VEB Halbleiterwerk , Frankfurt has suffered from high unemployment and low economic growth . Its population has fallen significantly from around 87,000 at the time of German reunification in 1990. The only remnant of semiconductor technology industries in Frankfurt by 2003

1554-555: Was classified as a murder by many outlets, including Die Zeit , Der Spiegel , Die Tageszeitung , Berliner Zeitung , Norddeutschen Rundfunk , Netzeitung , Mut gegen rechte Gewalt, Netz gegen Nazis and the Amadeu Antonio Foundation. Kiowa and his death were memorialized in many ways. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation, in memory of Kiowa, was founded in 1998 to strengthen civil society against far-right extremist violence in everyday life. Since 2007,

1596-611: Was founded in his memory in 1998. Kiowa was born in 1962 in the town of Quimbele , in Uíge Province , northeast of the capital Luanda , to Helena Alfonso. He was the oldest of 12 children. On 3 August 1987, he arrived in East Germany along with 103 other Angolans. He had hoped to study aeronautic technology, but as with many Angolan foreign workers at that time, he became a butcher at EWG Ewersbalder Wurst in Eberswalde , Brandenburg , where he met his girlfriend. The status of

1638-581: Was not possible to determine who dealt the fatal blows. The other 21 participants who were on trial were not imprisoned. The sentences were widely criticised by public opinion. The Commissary of Foreign Businesses of Brandenburg, Almuth Berger, feared that such sentences could be interpreted as an "encouragement of xenophobic attacks". The Minister of Justice of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate , Peter Caesar, warned that acts of violence against foreign citizens are not instances of "juvenile delinquency". Similarly, criminal law specialist Monika Frommel described

1680-605: Was part of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown . In 1430, Frankfurt joined the Hanseatic League . In 1432, the Czech Hussites captured the town. In the 16th century, many Polish exports, including grain, wood, ash, tar and hemp, were floated from western Poland via Frankfurt to the port of Szczecin, with the high Brandenburgian customs duties on Polish goods lowered in the early 17th century. In April 1631, during

1722-550: Was presented and later accepted by the municipality of Eberswalde by a large margin in November 2012. The center was inaugurated on 9 August 2014. In 2022, a street in Eberswalde was renamed for Amadeu Antonio. Kiowa's pregnant companion, Gabriele Schimansky, gave birth to a son whom she named Amadeu. In January 1991, his body was transferred to Angola, where it was buried at Sant'Ana Cemetery in Luanda. Gabriele and her son were

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1764-702: Was the Innovations for High Performance Microelectronics (IHPM) institute. Today, the towns of Frankfurt and Słubice have friendly relations and run several common projects and facilities. Poland joined the European Union on 1 May 2004, and implemented the Schengen Agreement on 21 December 2007 leading to the removal of permanent border controls. In March 2008, the Jewish community of Frankfurt celebrated its first Torah dedication since

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