World Cup Patriotism in Berlin: Immigrants Defend the Flag While Left-Wing Germans Tear It Down

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Bassal himself simply cannot understand why all the protests are coming from the German side. "For the fascists, we are foreigners and for the anarchists, we are ..." He pauses a moment. "Actually, I have no idea what we are to them."

There is a moment of silence in the store. The only sound is the hum of a person-sized refrigerator. Then a small boy enters the store. He reaches for one of the small flags meant for mounting on cars.

"What sort of flag do you have there?" Bassal asks the child.

"Germany," the child, who also appears to be of immigrant descent, replies quickly.

"And what do you love?" Bassal asks.

"Germany," the child calls out.

Bassal smiles, satisfied.

Sign of Integration

"We won't let them take away our beautiful Germany, the one we have in our hearts," Bassal explains and bangs on the glass counter again. He was born here, he has always lived here and he feels like a proper German, he says.

"We have to get away from calling these people foreigners," agrees customer Manuel Hornauer. The 19-year-old student has come to the store to look at electronic devices but stays to hear about the giant flag in detail. "It is super when they are so integrated."

There is also a positive side to the so-called "flag flight," Safter Cinar, the spokesperson for the Turkish Federation in Berlin, told the Berlin-based daily Berliner Morgenpost. The fact that the immigrant population is so proud of their German flags, and the German football team, is a good sign of integration, he said.

Because 11 out of the 23 players on the German national side come from immigrant families, it is easier to identify with them, Cinar argues. Talented players like Tunisian-German midfielder Sami Khedira and playmaker Mesut Özil, a German of Turkish descent, "show that the children of immigrants have a chance here," Cinar says.

As for the fact that many of the German flags in Neukölln appear alongside Turkish flags, Cinar sees this as a positive thing. "One does not cancel the other out," he concludes.

'Germany Is Going to Win'

Now the little shop is almost full of people, all curious to hear the story of the giant flag. Bassal has mixed feelings about his flag's notoriety. It is good that people want to know about it, he notes, but he is a little concerned that there will be further attempts to tear the flag down. In order to keep the flag safe, he is going to make sure there is someone on guard in the store at all times, day and night.

Still, when it comes time for photography, he recovers his mood fairly quickly. He wants to change first. "To make myself look good," he says.

Bassal disappears through a door and returns a few seconds later wearing a scarf and a hat in the German colors. He is determined to wear the national colors with pride.

And there is another thing he is also sure about. "Germany is going to win the World Cup," he says.

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• Part 1: Immigrants Defend the Flag While Left-Wing Germans Tear It Down
• Part 2: The Right to Love Germany