According to the Information and Documentation Centre for Anti-Racism Work (IDA e.V.), safe spaces are
“spaces (physical or digital) in which persons are to feel safe in order to share their experiences of discrimination and to empower one another. Safer Space assumes that there are no completely safe spaces. In safer spaces, participants can feel accepted and taken seriously.” 181
Safer spaces / protected spaces are central to woke activism as places for empowerment. From a woke perspective, it is almost impossible to escape systemic power structures. Racism is allegedly present in all social areas, including spaces, institutions, and relationships.182
Systemic racism allegedly burdens BIPOCs in their everyday lives. To feel more protected and safer, BIPOCs therefore need “safe spaces”. In such spaces, strict guidelines on hate speech and inclusion are prescribed, as they are under the control of woke activists (see Tolerance and Protection). In some cases, access is granted only to persons with a marginalised identity.