Uproar at the fire brigade championship: Deutschlandlied causes horror!

Uproar at the fire brigade championship: Deutschlandlied causes horror!

An incident that overshadowed the fire brigade championship in Torgau, Saxony: At the opening of the competition on Thursday evening, the first verse of the Deutschlandlied was played, which caused heated discussions. The incident, which is seen as “violating democratic values”, now also has personnel consequences for the referee in charge, Richard Münder. He was immediately relieved of his functions in the German Fire Brigade Association and will no longer be allowed to wear a fire brigade uniform in the future World reported.

What had happened? The DJ who was responsible for the event had received a USB stick with the audio recording from a representative of the fire department association. This recording came from the popular pop singer Heino, who interpreted the entire anthem in 1979. Münder later explained that the incident was a “mistake” caused by hectic pace and improvisation during the award ceremony. Many in attendance were visibly disturbed by the inappropriate musical interlude, so the DJ was instructed to turn down the sound, but refused to admit a mistake.

The political implications

The first verse of the Deutschlandlied was originally written in 1841 by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben. Even though this verse is not officially banned, it is heavily politically charged due to its misuse during National Socialism. Loud MDR it is often associated with right-wing extremist sentiments. The vice president of the German Fire Brigade Association, Hermann Schreck, has distanced himself from the incident and emphasized that the association stands for democratic values. District Administrator Kai Emanuel also said that the events were “disturbing” and “embarrassing”.

Police investigated the incident and concluded that it was “not criminally relevant.” The fire brigade association also made it clear that there was no evidence of intentional action or political motives.

Firefighters meeting

The championship in Torgau took place with more than 600 firefighters. In addition to playing the fake anthem, the competitions also included events such as a 100-meter obstacle course and a “wet fire attack.” The best teams have the chance to qualify for international competitions organized by the World Fire Brigade Association, which is a major goal for many participants.

Interestingly, singer Heino took to Instagram to call for a second chance for the firefighter, who has worked for camaraderie for years. It remains to be seen how the situation will develop and what measures the fire service association will take to avoid such incidents in the future. The future of the German fire department and its values ​​is now even more important.