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A personal thread, as I’m in a political mood. Just in case you ever wondered where my last name came from (it didn’t sound like a German name to you, did it?) 1/Permalink On twitter.com
♻️ 12 Retweets ❤️ 51 Favorites Mood +2 🙂
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My last name, Tilkov, is Bulgarian. My father was named Jiko Tilkov Jikov, and Jiko Tilkov is the way the French transcribed his name when he arrived in France, seeking asylum after having fled from communist Bulgaria in the 1950s. 2/Permalink On twitter.com
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My father fled from communists, and was – naturally – granted asylum in Germany. Together with my mother, he built a company (actually, a number of them), and they were able to help their two sons through university. 3/Permalink On twitter.com
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The German constitution (“Grundgesetz”) , in article 16a (1) says “Politisch Verfolgte genießen Asylrecht.”, “Persons persecuted on political grounds shall have the right of asylum.”. I owe almost everything I am, and own, and all of my significant privilege, to that article. 4/Permalink On twitter.com
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The countries that have similar provisions in their constitutions, and act according to them, form the reasonable part of the world, and I think this is something to be proud of. Once you start questioning that, it’s a slippery slope to the shitty nationalist crap of the past 5/Permalink On twitter.com
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Now, I completely agree anyone asking for the right to permanently stay in a country that has a decent, democratic, human constitution, needs to adhere to that country’s laws. But as soon as they’re accepted as citizens of that country, that’s what they are. 6/Permalink On twitter.com
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My favorite nation, of all, is the United States, where as soon as you become a citizen, you’re entitled to the same pride as everyone who was born there. Oh, of course I mean the fictional US as depicted in “Hamilton”, romantic novels and movies, and Aaron Sorkin TV shows. 7/Permalink On twitter.com
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If you believe that your ancestry, the place you were born, or – worst of all – the color of your skin defines whether or not you’re a part of a nation, I think you’re completely misguided. Or actually, in any decent nation, you shoud be. //On twitter.com