For some University of Wisconsin students studying abroad, the war on Iraq has forced them to downplay their identity as American citizens.
UW senior and business major Andre Poremski said he has experienced discrimination in Germany by simply speaking English in public.
Poremski recently tried to buy olives from a French vendor in Freiburg, Germany, where he is currently studying. When the vendor overheard Poremski speak to his friends in English, he instantly became “bitter” and refused to sell them anything, Poremski said.
“He said we would have to leave and never come back,” Poremski said. “He didn’t even give us the chance to say we did not support our president.”
Poremski said he experienced similar incidents when he visited France several weeks ago.
UW junior and international studies major Tim Sherman, who is studying in Paris, said although the French citizens there are annoyed with English speakers, there are too many tourists for them to discriminate against Americans. He said anti-American sentiment seemed strongest before the war.
“It’s died down a lot since we have gone to war,” Sherman said. Sherman said he has never been approached by anyone about the Iraqi conflict, but other students in his study-abroad program are regularly approached about the war and said they feel harassed by the constant interrogations.
UW junior Matt Bruch, who is studying in Germany, said the other German students often ask him how he feels about the war in Iraq, but he tries to stay neutral to avoid any conflict. He said Freiburg is littered with antiwar graffiti reading “down with Bush” and “war is not the way,” and even his German contact person’s office is decorated with anti-Bush cartoons and propaganda.
Bruch said he upset another German student during one of his first nights in Germany, when he told the student about the frequent antiwar protests in Madison and how they did not accomplish anything.
“Everyone always asks about war,” Bruch said. “But in general, Germans are mostly curious to hear my opinion, and they respect me.”
Poremski said he has never been approached about the war in Iraq but said one of the “obnoxious” aspects of studying in Germany is that Germans frequently mention “American” in their conversations when he is nearby.
The U.S. Department of State recommends that students should refrain from drawing attention to themselves while abroad. A warning issued March 19 to students abroad warned them to be vigilant and avoid locations where Americans generally congregate.
Stuart Pitt, spokesman for the Consular Affairs Bureau, said students should be aware of their surroundings and pay attention to anyone tailing them.
“In today’s world, you have to keep a lower profile,” Pitt said.
He said any decision to order students to return to the U.S. would be made by individual universities and programs.
