Tobias Schulze, board member of Tennis Borussia Berlin, together with Gerda Smorra (l) and Anna Ohnweiler from the group “Grandmas against the Right” before the Paul Spiegel Prize is awarded Photo: Paul Zinken/dpa
From BZ/dpa
For their commitment to combating anti-Semitism and promoting tolerance, the initiative “Grandmas against the Right” and the sports club Tennis Borussia Berlin have been honored with the Paul Spiegel Prize for civil courage.
The Central Council of Jews awarded the prizes on Sunday at a ceremony in Berlin. The prize is named after the former President of the Central Council, Paul Spiegel (1937-2006).
The group “Grandmas against the Right” was founded on Facebook in 2018. It sees itself as a non-partisan group of older women. According to the website, she is committed to preserving parliamentary democracy and is opposed to “threatening developments such as anti-Semitism, racism, misogyny and fascism”. The Central Council recognized her campaigns for tolerance and human dignity.
Numerous guests follow the presentation of the Paul Spiegel Prize Photo: dpa
According to the Central Council, Tennis Borussia Berlin receives the Paul Spiegel Prize for its long-standing commitment against homophobia, racism, right-wing extremism and anti-Semitism. According to the club, the Active Fans department founded the “Football Fans Against Homophobia” initiative, which promotes more tolerance towards gays and lesbians internationally in football stadiums and in the media.
The Paul Spiegel Prize for civil courage has been awarded by the Central Council since 2009. The prize is endowed with 5000 euros.
