On the same day a professor challenged Germany’s border regime, three other plaintiffs— a Syrian-French journalist, an Austrian law professor and a Black commuter—announced separate lawsuits alleging systematic racial profiling during spot checks at the French and Austrian borders. At a Strasbourg press conference on 27 November, civil-rights NGOs GFF, ECCHR and ENAR argued that the Bundespolizei selects passengers “based on skin colour or Arabic names”, violating EU anti-discrimination law and the Schengen guarantee of free circulation.
Lead plaintiff Sandra Alloush says officers removed her from a Strasbourg–Stuttgart train in June, strip-searched her and sent her back on foot to France despite holding a valid residence permit. Co-plaintiff Werner Schroeder—also suing separately in Munich—was allegedly restrained on the Kufstein–Rosenheim route after refusing ID. The third case involves a passenger singled out at Freilassing on the German-Austrian line in July.
![Three travellers file racial-profiling suits over German border policing]()
The cases spotlight a rising legal pushback: Berlin’s Administrative Court has already ruled several “push-backs” to Poland illegal, yet enforcement practices remain unchanged. Corporate DE&I officers say minority staff on cross-border assignments increasingly report intrusive checks, dampening willingness to take short-term postings.
If courts confirm discriminatory selection criteria, Germany could face damages claims and be forced to retrain border units. Global-mobility teams should log staff incidents, review travel-risk guidance and consider alternative routes via air corridors where automated e-gates (EasyPASS) reduce officer discretion.
Lead plaintiff Sandra Alloush says officers removed her from a Strasbourg–Stuttgart train in June, strip-searched her and sent her back on foot to France despite holding a valid residence permit. Co-plaintiff Werner Schroeder—also suing separately in Munich—was allegedly restrained on the Kufstein–Rosenheim route after refusing ID. The third case involves a passenger singled out at Freilassing on the German-Austrian line in July.
The cases spotlight a rising legal pushback: Berlin’s Administrative Court has already ruled several “push-backs” to Poland illegal, yet enforcement practices remain unchanged. Corporate DE&I officers say minority staff on cross-border assignments increasingly report intrusive checks, dampening willingness to take short-term postings.
If courts confirm discriminatory selection criteria, Germany could face damages claims and be forced to retrain border units. Global-mobility teams should log staff incidents, review travel-risk guidance and consider alternative routes via air corridors where automated e-gates (EasyPASS) reduce officer discretion.
