Shock to Greifswald school: pupils posing with right -wing extremist gesture

Shock to Greifswald school: pupils posing with right -wing extremist gesture

In a worrying incident at the Greifswald fishing school, two students documented a right -wing extremist gesture during a study trip to the Auschwitz concentration camp. This so-called white power gesture, which stands for the superiority of the "white breed", was recorded by the students in a video, which could now result in considerable consequences. Minister of Education Simone Oldenburg (left) unequivocally condemned the crime and announced strict regulatory measures. The pupils were suspended by the lessons until the incident was clarified, whereby possible measures can include a reference to another school, a transfer to a parallel class or a suspension of up to three months. The school management informed the Ministry of Education, which led to the display of the incident on June 6th. Two accompanying teachers were also warned.

The fishing school is known for its regular study trips to memorials in National Socialism, and this incident is the first of this kind. It is also striking that the school is a focus school and has a high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and migration background. This proportion is currently 29 percent. In order to meet the challenges, the school conducts an anti-racism project in eighth grade and offers information and support on topics such as violence and right-wing extremists.

similar incidents in the region

A similar incident had already occurred at the Görlitzer Scultetus high school in March when four students with a white power gesture posed in front of the goal of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. One of the students published the picture on Instagram, which attracted the attention of a Dresden Antifa group that forwarded the photo to media representatives. The students involved, who come from a ninth grade, also had to expect consequences. Everyone received a school management and are obliged to do social hours in a workshop for the disabled. The sociologist and political scientist Johannes Kiess identified a "neo-Nazi trend" among young people in this context. The use of such gestures and symbols in young, internet refugees neo-Nazi circles, which seem more and more influence on the behavior of adolescents, are particularly striking.

an alarming trend

The frequency of right -wing extremist incidents at schools in Germany is worrying and has increased significantly in recent years. In Saxony, the number of registered right -wing extremist incidents rose from 73 in 2019 to 149 in 2023, while similar developments can be found in other federal states. Teachers report exclusion, anti -Semitic jokes and racist insults that occur even among elementary school students. Access to problematic content on social media seems to play a crucial role in young people, with more and more teachers reporting uncertainties in dealing with these issues.

The Conference of Ministers of Culture already recommended that they treat controversial issues in class in 2018, but only five federal states have anchored this in their teaching courses. Matthias Busch's demand to bind democracy education in all teaching courses is therefore becoming more important in order to strengthen teachers in their role as an enlightener and educator and to promote a preventive approach to right -wing extremist tendencies.