I was extremely disappointed by the racist attitude of the gentleman working at the night reception. Both my wife and I were so disturbed that we couldn’t sleep the entire night.

The very first thing he said to me was, “You haven’t paid yet, please make the payment.” I replied that I had already paid, but he insisted—multiple times—that I hadn’t. Why would I lie? I have plenty of proof: tons of emails, bank statements, and so on.

Then, while I was filling out the form, I politely let another customer go ahead of me. When I returned, he suddenly started speaking in German. I said, “Sir, we were just speaking in English, please continue in English.” He said, “Oh, sorry,” and switched back for a moment—but then immediately asked, “How long have you been here? Why haven’t you learned German yet?” in a rude mood.

Who do you think you are to question me like that? What gives you the right?

I told him exactly what I thought that night: I am an engineer in a highly international field. I’ve been here for a year and a half. Of course, I’m learning the language to integrate better, but I don’t owe him any explanations!

I want to say this to all the tourists, businesspeople, and residents from around the world who visit Frankfurt: don’t give racists like this man a platform. Avoid supporting businesses that tolerate this kind of behavior whenever possible.

Yes, I am a Turk and a Muslim. But I came to Germany to be part of the system and contribute positively to it. What may seem like a small incident to some has caused deep emotional harm to us.

Wishing you all better and more respectful days ahead