History of the Foundation
History of the Foundation
June 2023
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation turned 25 years old. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the number of far-right violent crimes skyrocketed. One of the first victims was Amadeu Antonio, who was beaten to death by neo-Nazis. This period became known as the "Baseball Bat Years."
We named our foundation after Amadeu Antonio because his fate is our mission. Far-right violence did not end with the turn of the millennium; we now count 219 victims of far-right violence since 1990. There is still much to be done to combat hate and marginalization. That is why we keep a close watch, raise awareness, and bring these issues into the public discourse.
March 2022
After almost 25 years, the founder of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, Anetta Kahane, stepped down as chairwoman and focused more on her work as a publicist. The new board, consisting of Timo Reinfrank, Tahera Ameer, and Lars Repp, took over the leadership of the foundation on April 1, 2022. From the beginning, Anetta Kahane focused on under-represented topics, sought like-minded individuals, and founded networks. Her goal was to take action where political leadership failed and where democracy and human rights were in danger — a vision she realized with the founding of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, and we continue to follow to this day.
October 2021
During the coalition negotiations, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation submitted 20 demands to the new federal government for the protection of democracy and against right-wing extremism, antisemitism, and racism, to be included in the coalition agreement. With a high-profile campaign, the Foundation brought its demands to the public and to the heart of the government district — with success: many of these demands, either specifically or generally, were incorporated into the new government's coalition agreement.
May 2020
Tens of thousands of people followed the Amadeu Antonio Foundation's digital action day against conspiracy myths and antisemitism, held under the slogan #glaubnichtalles ("Don't believe everything"). Fake news and conspiracy narratives surrounding the coronavirus reached millions and often included antisemitic tropes. As many people did not want to stand idly by but didn't know how to react, the action day provided practical tips and background information. Alongside experts on the topic, numerous influencers, musicians, journalists, and scientists participated.
February 2020
On February 19, 2020, the racist attack in Hanau claimed the lives of Ferhat Unvar, Gökhan Gültekin, Hamza Kurtović, Said Nesar Hashemi, Mercedes Kierpacz, Sedat Gürbüz, Kaloyan Velkov, Vili Viorel Păun, Fatih Saraçoğlu, and the attacker's mother, Mrs. R. Together with the Anne Frank Educational Center, the Association of Counseling Centers for Victims of right-wing, racist, and antisemitic violence, the Initiative February 19th Hanau, and the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation launched a fundraising campaign for the victims. More than €500,000 were raised to alleviate the material consequences of the attack.
October 2019
After a failed attempt to storm the synagogue and commit a massacre, a right-wing terrorist in Halle opened fire, killing two people. One of the crime scenes was the "Kiez-Döner" snack bar. A customer was shot dead, while the owners, Ismet and Rifat Tekin, survived the attack, traumatized. In addition to the financial losses due to the extended closure and renovations, further costs were incurred. The CURA Victims' Fund provided financial support to Kiez-Döner, helping the owners cope with the aftermath of the terrible crime.
April 2019
The increasing attacks on democracy — from contempt for human rights and institutions to sweeping defamation of the media to the far-right's cultural war — demand a clear stance and a strong, active civil society. With the funding campaign "Strengthening Civil Society! It’s in Your Hands," the Amadeu Antonio Foundation supported initiatives and projects in Saxony, Brandenburg, and Thuringia ahead of the local and state elections. These initiatives work to build a democratic civil society, equality, and protection of minorities on the ground.
October 2018
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation celebrated its 20th anniversary. From a foundation with three employees and a small office, it has grown into a team of over 60 staff with branches in Jena and Hanover. The foundation has supported and accompanied more than 1,300 projects since its inception. While the founding themes were engagement against racism, right-wing extremism, and antisemitism, today the foundation takes a more comprehensive approach to group-based enmity. This includes combating other forms of discrimination, such as homophobia, transphobia, anti-feminism, and anti-Romaniism.
Fall 2017
The year was marked by the confrontation with the "new" right: since the AfD entered the Bundestag in autumn 2017 with 12.6% of the vote, civil society has faced new challenges. Through parliamentary inquiries, peppered with tendentious questions, the AfD has tried to discredit and pressure actors who work for diversity and democracy. Small and large initiatives have been subjected to slander campaigns based on false accusations. Repeatedly, the AfD has called for the cessation of public funding for democracy projects. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation, together with other initiatives, stood up against these attempts to vilify efforts for equality.
The confrontation with the "new" right also took place at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation was invited by the fair’s organizers to make a stand for diversity and against human contempt after the far-right Antaios publishing house announced its participation. The book fair demonstrated what happens when space is given to the "new" right — they attempt to occupy it by all means. Despite already enjoying significant media attention, they interrupted ongoing interviews, disrupted events, and besieged the Foundation’s stand with threatening gestures, constant photo and video recordings, and intimidation. Though aggressive in their actions, the "new" right continuously portrayed themselves as victims of alleged restrictions on free speech. Around them gathered far-right groups such as the Identitarian Movement, neo-Nazis, and extremist sympathizers.
November 2016
The Federal Association of German Criminal Police Officers (BDK) awarded the Amadeu Antonio Foundation the Bul le mérite in 2016. This honor recognizes individuals and organizations committed to a pluralistic society. BDK chairman André Schulz explained that the foundation has consistently strengthened democratic civil society against right-wing extremism, racism, and antisemitism since its establishment.
July 2016
The Amadeu Antonio Foundation toured 11 cities in the summer of 2016 with Ben & Jerry's. Ben & Jerry's has been socially engaged since its founding, advocating for political causes such as "Marriage for All" and fair global trade. Against this backdrop and given the tour's massive reach, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation was pleased to amplify the theme of social inclusion and participation. In cities like Rostock, Münster, Hamburg, and Leipzig, local initiatives were supported in launching projects for democratic culture and inclusive societies. The tour, themed "One Sweet World," promoted greater solidarity, participation, and diversity, showing that there is no room for hate and rejection.
April 2016 A collective donation drive between the CURA Victim Fund of the AAF and the Leipzig Rote Stern (Red Star) raises over €40,000. The drive is organized to benefit the residents and business owners of Wolfgang-Heinze-Straße in Leipzig’s Connewitz neighborhood. On January 11th 2016, a mob of right-wing hooligans vandalized numerous cars and storefronts throughout Connewitz. Much of the damage was not fully covered by insurance. 525 donors from throughout Germany helped make the victims of the attack whole.
September 2015 The Amadeu Antonio Foundation receives the first annual Joseph-Ben-Issachar-Süßkind-Oppenheimer Award. The award, given out by the Baden-Württemberg state Parliament and the Israelite Religious Community of Württemberg, honors outstanding work against xenophobia and anti-minority hate in academics and journalism.
February 2015 The Amadeu Antonio Foundation founds, together with leading Jewish academics and anti-Semitism experts, the “Network for Research and Combat against Anti-Semitism”—NEBA (Netzwerk zur Erforschung und Bekämpfung des Antisemitismus in German). NEBA is dedicated to keeping political decision-makers informed about new developments in anti-Semitic ideology and sharing research about effective anti-anti-Semitic praxis with the public at large.
June 2014 On June 9th, 2004, members of the “National-Socialist Underground” (NSU) set off a nail bomb in the middle of Keupstraße in Cologne. Twenty-two were injured, four of whom critically, and a subsequent investigation by the Federal Criminal Police Office revealed the device could well have injured dozens more. However, the authorities ruled out right-wing extremist responsibility for the attack for years. Later, when the NSU was unmasked, it became clear that they were not only responsible for the Cologne bombing, but also a brutal series of ten murders across Germany. In cooperation with the organization “Mut gegen rechte Gewalt” – “Courage against Rightist Violence” – the Foundation organizes a ten-year anniversary event in Cologne to commemorate the victims of the attack. Over 150,000 converge on Cologne’s Mühlheim neighborhood, in which the bombing took place. The Foundation simultaneously publishes the book “From Fall of the Wall to Nail Bomb.”
February 2014 The Amadeu Antonio Foundation becomes U.S. tax deductible, thanks to the U.S.-based nonprofit, FJC: A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds. Now U.S. taxpayers who wish to support the important work of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation can easily do so with a check made out to FJC and the Foundation's name in the memo line.
April 2013 The Foundation takes its English-language exhibit, ''Germany after 1945: A society confronts racism, anti-Semitism and neo-Nazism'' to New York. Baruch College hosts an evening event featuring the exhibit and a panel discussion.
August 2012 The German Parliament calls for the strengthening of all democratic groups against right-wing extremism, anti-immigrant groups and anti-Semitism, following the uncovering of a decade-long murder spree carried out by the National Socialist Underground (NSU), a German neo-Nazi terror cell. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation responds with its report, ''The Cartel of Apologists: How German authorities systematically trivialize everyday right-wing terrorism''.
December 2011 The concert, Rock gegen Rechts, in the city of Jena is attended by 50,000 people as a response to the uncovering of the NSU terror cell. German musicians Udo Lindenberg and Peter Maffay perform.
October 2010 With the help of more than 60 social networks, the Foundation begins soziale-netzwerke-gegen-nazis.de as a means of addressing hate speech online. Within a half-year, more than 600,000 people are active members and no-nazi.net is born.
August 2009 The Foundation begins ''No Place for Nazis'' in advance of national elections to raise awareness of right-wing parties in German parliaments. Beginning the campaign in the federal state of Thüringen, the work expands to Sachsen-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern by 2011.
November 2008 Heeding Germany's Central Council of Jew's warning about growing anti-Semitism, the Foundation organizes an exhibit, ''Anti-Semitism in the DDR'', which goes to more than 250 places. ''Action Week Against Anti-Semitism'' is also created, resulting in 160 civil society initiatives and 250 events nationwide.
April 2007 In cooperation with the Cultural Foundation of Dresden, the Bank of Dresden, Dresden's Church of our Lady and the Freudenberg Foundation, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation offers the first Saxony Award for Democracy. The prizes go to projects and initiatives advocating human and minority rights, local democracy, and working against right-wing extremism, racism or anti-Semitism.
November 2006 The Amadeu Antonio Foundation, in cooperation with "Blick nach Rechts" (A look to the Right), oversees the Federal Authority for Civic Education’s new internet project, bpb.de/rechtsextremismus. This information portal updates the public on neo-Nazi violence.
September 2005 In cooperation with the campaign “Laut Gegen Nazis”—“Loudly Against Nazis”—the Foundation starts a series of concerts against right-wing violence, for the first time featuring locations in former West Germany. An audiobook version is created to accompany the concert tour, featuring texts from prominent authors and patrons such as Johannes B. Kerner and Peter Lohmeyer.
July 2004 The Amadeu Antonio Foundation sets up its own fund for victims of neo-Nazi violence, CURA at opferfonds-cura.de. It provides victims of neo-Nazi violence and their families direct and bureaucracy-free support. The fund builds on the success of the CURA Campaign founded in 1993 by Ursula Kinkel.
April 2003 mut-gegen-rechte-gewalt.de is started by the Foundation and stern.
February 2003 With the support of the AAF, the Barnim-Uckermark Community Foundation is created in Brandenburg. This community organization is the first of its kind in former East Germany with the support of democratic culture as an explicit part of its constitution.
Early 2002 The Foundation organizes school tours throughout former East Germany by Brothers Keepers, an afro-German music collective. Throughout the tour, members of the group meet with school classes to discuss everyday racism and rightist violence.
July 2001 In collaboration with the national weekly, Die ZEIT, the Foundation begins a fundraiser to establish the Network for Democratic Culture. With the goal of buying a ''democracy'' house in the city of Wurzen, "Die ZEIT" readers donate 20,000 euros and the Foundation puts in an additional 51,000 euros. The house is bought in November 2002 and opens in 2006.
Autumn 2000 Together with the Center for Democratic Culture and the movement, “Courage Against neo-Nazi violence”, the Foundation develops the innovative EXIT program for those who want to leave the neo-Nazi scene.
Summer 2000 The Foundation successfully lobbies for the establishment of a federal program to combat neo-Nazi hate groups, an idea supported by the Berlin legislature. The result is CIVITAS: Initiative against right-wing extremism in the former East Germany. Its implementation in 2001 marks the beginning of a five-year program between the Foundation for Democratic Youth and the Amadeu Antonio Foundation.
June 2000 The campaign "Stand Up Against Right-wing Violence" begins with the help of the Hamburg-based magazine, stern. The longstanding partnership is highlighted by a series of concerts against right-wing violence, “Rock against right-wing violence”.
Early 2000 Monika Kruse, a prominent Berlin DJ and producer, founds the initiative „No Historical Backspin“. She, alongside many of her colleagues in the house and techno scene, pledges to donate all proceeds to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation’s CURA fund, which financially supports victims of right-wing and racist violence.
December 1999 A stonemason's business was attacked after he organized the probono restoration of 103 gravestones in the Jewish cemetery of Berlin-Weissensee that had been destroyzed by neo-Nazis. The Foundation's fundraiser raises 60,000 Euros -- enough to repair his propery and establish the Stonemason's Fund for Victims of neo-Nazi Violence.
Autumn 1999 Then Speaker of German Federal Parliament, Wolfgang Thierse, becomes official patron of the Foundation.
Autumn 1998 Amadeu Antonio Foundation created