Alarming images: Young people show Hitler salutes in Luckenwalde!

Alarming images: Young people show Hitler salutes in Luckenwalde!

In May 2025, a photo showing 13 young people in Luckenwalde's city park caused a stir. It presumably shows Hitler salutes and the “White Power” symbol. This incident also brought Brandenburg's Interior Minister René Wilke to the fore. In a statement, Wilke expressed concern about the spread of right-wing extremist thought patterns among young people, supported by the request from CDU state parliament members Kristy Augustin, Danny Eichelbaum and Rainer Genilke. Eichelbaum even described the incident as an alarming sign of the increasing influence of right-wing extremist ideologies.

The minister's statement comes in a context that reveals alarming figures. In 2024, the Ministry of the Interior in Teltow-Fläming recorded a total of 338 politically motivated crimes, of which 196 could be attributed to right-wing extremism. Particularly worrying is the increase in right-wing extremist acts, which increased from 130 in 2023 to 196 in 2024. This trend is not isolated; The numbers in the entire state of Brandenburg speak a similar language. Here the number of right-wing extremist crimes rose from 2,453 to 3,609 - an increase that affects both young and older people.

Young people in focus

One aspect highlighted in Wilke's remarks is the role of young people in these statistics. Of the 135 suspects in Teltow-Fläming, 37 were minors between the ages of 14 and 18 and nine were between 18 and 21 years old. This development shows that right-wing extremist ideologies are also gaining a foothold in younger generations. Wilke appealed to schools and society to actively address this problem. Despite existing prevention offerings such as “School without Racism – School with Courage,” systematic effectiveness analyzes are often missing.

As part of a comprehensive assessment of politically motivated crimes in Brandenburg, the Interior Ministry also found a 42% decrease in politically motivated acts of violence. The number fell from 300 violent acts in 2022 to 174 in 2023. However, this is in stark contrast to the massiveness of right-wing extremist crimes and raises the question of where this trend comes from.

A whole-of-society approach is required

Wilke emphasized that a whole-of-society approach is essential to combat these phenomena. Particularly noteworthy is the influence of social media on the opinion formation of young people. The online world provides a platform where right-wing extremist content can be easily distributed and consumed. This leads to radicalization, which the ministry strongly warns against. Eichelbaum also emphasized that young people between the ages of twelve and 17 must be the focus of prevention measures in order to identify emerging extremism at an early stage and take action against it.

In a broader perspective, the number of recorded right-wing extremists in Brandenburg has increased overall, currently numbering around 3,650, of which 40% are considered violence-oriented. Interior Minister Wilke and other experts point out the urgency of stopping this trend before it becomes normal. According to reports from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which are anchored in similar movements, the number of right-wing extremist crimes is increasing alarmingly there too. A look at the statistics shows: The cross-border issue of right-wing extremism requires united and consistent action.

The situation therefore requires all available resources and the willingness of politicians, schools and society to act together against emerging extremism. This lived community and concrete measures could be crucial to protecting the social climate and bringing about sustainable change.

For detailed information about the incident in Luckenwalde and current developments in the region, read . maz-online.de. For a comprehensive overview of politically motivated crimes in Brandenburg, visit . rbb24.de. A further look at developments in Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania can be found at . zeit.de.