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RACISM

Berlin school group flees holiday camp after racist abuse

A school group from Berlin fled a holiday camp after allegedly being racially abused and threatened by other guests, police said Monday.

Berlin school group flees holiday camp after racist abuse
The entrance to the holiday camp on Monday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Michael Bahlo

Law enforcement were called to the site in the eastern region of Brandenburg overnight into Sunday after the teenage pupils, most of whom were of an ethnic minority, were allegedly hurled racist abuse by another group attending a 18th birthday party.

The teacher supervising the Berlin school group, who were participating in a maths workshop, ended the trip prematurely after the incident.

Officers subsequently escorted the school children from the Frauensee camp, southeast of Berlin by the Heidesee Lake.

The regional police unit responsible for politically motivated crimes was investigating the alleged verbal assault and potential incitement to hatred, a spokesman said.

READ ALSO: What Germans really think about the country’s racism problem

According to German daily Tagesspiegel, officers took the names of 28 individuals at the holiday site, although it was not clear if all were suspects.

A number of those involved were inebriated or wearing hoods, police told the paper.

Some of the school group were said to be “shocked” by the incident, according to the father of a pupil quoted by the BZ daily.

“We strongly condemn any form of xenophobia and racism,” the head of the camp Nora Runneck said in a statement.

“I will not put up with such attacks and we must not,” said Berlin’s education minister Katharina Guenther-Wuensch.

The school children would be offered appointments with a physiologist to help them process the incident, she said.

The incident showed the need for more “educational work with young people”, said Ludwig Scheetz, the head of the Social Democrats in Brandenburg’s regional parliament.

“We can no longer play down right-wing extremist activities,” Scheetz said.

In recent years, Germany’s eastern states have been a hotbed for far-right activity.

Last month, teachers from Brandenburg wrote an open letter to decry racist behaviour at schools, including Nazi salutes by children.

The far-right Alternative for Germany party currently leads most polls in the state, where elections are due in 2024.

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RACISM

Outrage after partygoers filmed shouting racist chants on German island of Sylt

A short video of young people singing racist lyrics on the German holiday island of Sylt while celebrating has gone viral, sparking concern and calls for action against those involved.

Outrage after partygoers filmed shouting racist chants on German island of Sylt

The luxury island of Sylt has been the top trending term on X (formerly Twitter) since Thursday night when a video clip showing a group of young people singing racist slogans while partying on the island went viral.

In the short video clip, taken on a phone by someone in the crowd, people are heard shouting “Ausländer raus” (foreigners out) and “Deutschland den Deutschen” (Germany for Germans) to the melody of the song “L’Amour Toujours” by Gigi D’Agostino. 

A man is also seen holding his fingers on his upper lip as if to indicate a Hitler moustache, and raising his arm in what vaguely looks like a Nazi salute.

Most of the people seen in the video are young adults.

Perhaps equally striking is the fact that nobody in the crowd of more than a dozen or so people seem at all bothered by the racist slogans or gestures. 

As reported by German daily Bild, the video was captured during the Pentecost holiday weekend at a venue called “Pony” in the town of Kampen. 

Explaining to Bild why they had failed to notice the incident, the restaurant’s boss said they had “around 500 people on the outdoor terrace” during Pentecost.

The venue has since distanced itself from the action, writing in a statement on Instagram: “If we had known about the incident, we would of course have expelled the guests in question.”

The operators added that some of the people belonging to the group were known to them by name, and they would file a complaint. 

How are people reacting to the video?

The original video was quickly removed from X, but reposts and screen grabs from the video have spread rapidly as people in Germany voice severe criticism of the racist slogans and behaviour.

On Friday afternoon, Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted to say it was “unacceptable”.

“Such slogans are disgusting,” he said.

German journalist and television presenter for ZDF, Dunja Hayali was among the first prominent voices to react to the video. She described the scene: “With a Hitler moustache and champagne, but without “foreigners”. #Sylt 2024.”

She also noted that the news came on the day that Germany was celebrating the anniversary of Basic Law.

Additionally, the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, which works to reinforce democratic and civil values, spoke out in favour of police investigations of the incident.

The Schleswig-Holstein police department wrote on X on Friday morning that they are aware of the video and have forwarded it to the relevant authorities to check for criminal content.

Plenty of other voices have joined in the criticism, which ranges from severe shock and sadness to humorous condemnations.

German author Katja Berlin took note of the apparent wealth of those seen in the video writing, “Perfect promotional video for increasing inheritance tax to 100 percent. Maybe even 130 percent.”

An island of viral moments

Sylt is a German island in the North Sea that is known to be a summer vacation destination for some of Germany’s rich and famous.

In the summer of 2022, memes about the ‘invasion of Sylt’ went viral following the introduction of Deutsche Bahn’s Deutschlandtiket, after BILD ran an article suggesting that the island’s elites were worried about all the riff-raff that could use their €9 subscription ticket to access the island.

This sparked a series of escalating memes about the invasion of Sylt that summer, including an alleged punk rock festival planned for the island.

READ ALSO: What is Sylt and why is it terrified of Germany’s €9 holidaymakers?

Some of the old jokes have resurfaced amidst the current controversy.

For example, musician and social worker, Ulrich Schneider responded to the news saying, “Dear punks, get going, you are needed again on #Sylt.”

Racist songs spreading on social media

Seen in broad daylight, at a public venue, the video from Sylt struck a chord and has stirred up an intense reaction. But it is not the first incident of its kind in recent times.

In fact, the same racist lyrics applied to the same song has been spreading among far-right social media circles. 

As reported by NDR, the song was heard at a Christmas party in Messingen, Emsland and can be traced back to a TikTok trend that originated in Bergholz, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

READ ALSO: A fight for the youth vote – Are German politicians social media savvy enough?

Videos of people chanting the xenophobic slogans to music have since spread all over Germany and Austria.

In February several young men who shouted the song at a carnival parade are now under investigation for incitement to hatred.

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