‘Racist’ Berlin underground station to be renamed

While the name of the station has been criticised for decades, the debate came to a head in recent weeks on the back of Black Lives Matter protests across Germany and the world. 

During one Black Lives Matter protest, demonstrators covered the station’s name with cardboard to ‘rename’ it as ‘George Floyd Street’. 

READ: Tens of thousands rally across Germany against racism and police brutality

BVG, the city’s transit authority, announced on Friday said the time for the debate surrounding the station’s name has come to an end. 

“As a cosmopolitan company and one of the largest employers in the capital, the BVG rejects any form of racism or other discrimination” the company said in a statement.

The renaming process will take several weeks, the company said. 

The station will be renamed Glinkastraße, after a street which intersects Mohrenstraße in the city’s Mitte district. 

Berlin will also consider renaming the street, however the process is likely to take longer due to consultation requirements.