Agency Report –
A Berlin court has temporarily blocked the renaming of a controversial street in the German capital, halting the change even after new signs had already been installed.
The Berlin Administrative Court has upheld an urgent appeal against the renaming, a spokesman said on Friday. The street cannot be renamed until the lawsuit has been settled, he said.
Activists have long sought to rename Mohrenstrasse in central Berlin, as the term “Mohr” was historically used to describe people of African descent in a derogatory manner.
The word stems from the Latin “Maurus” (“Moor”), and became associated with colonialism, slavery and racist caricatures.
The planned new name, Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Strasse, is a tribute to the first known African philosopher and lawyer to obtain a doctorate at a German university in the 18th century.
The first signs for Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Strasse had already been installed, with the official unveiling planned for Saturday.
However, in its announcement, the Berlin court stated that there was no particular urgency to rename the street.
Both the administrative court and the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court had already ruled that the renaming could go ahead in a previous lawsuit.
