Bengaluru, June 9: Six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker feels racism in Germany needs to be discussed openly after the tennis icon drew criticism on social media for taking part in a Black Lives Matter protest.
The 52-year-old claims he was the target of angry comments from Germany on Twitter after participating in an anti-racism demonstration in London over the weekend.
Becker spoke out in a video message posted on Twitter.
"I must have hit a sore spot with my Tweet about my family history" and Black Lives Matter, said Becker, whose ex-wife Barbara is the daughter of an African-American, while the mother of his second wife Lilly comes from Suriname.
#word .... #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/2lEsF7vTQ6
— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) June 8, 2020
"In our country it's swept a bit under the carpet and I think that's a pity.
"We should talk about it much more publicly. We're all one family," said Becker, who called for more social engagement against racism in his native country.
In an earlier Tweet, Becker said he was "shocked, shaken and horrified" by the "many insults ONLY from Germany".
Ich bin erschüttert,schockiert,erschrocken über die vielen Beleidigungen NUR aus Deutschland 🇩🇪 für meine Unterstützung der #BlackLivesMattters Demo gestern in London! Warum, weshalb,wieso??? Sind wir ein Land von Rassisten geworden...?
— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) June 7, 2020
"Why, why, why? Have we become a country of racists...?," he added.
The death of George Floyd, who died in police custody on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sparked protests across Europe and Germany at the weekend.
ATP's big three -- Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer -- have already come out in support of the campaign against racial discrimination.
Djokovic, Nadal and Federer join anti-racism campaign
According to German police, around 10,000 protestors gathered at Berlin's Alexanderplatz, while there were similar numbers for demonstrations in Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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