Racist slogans at a school festival: Saxony in crisis!

Racist slogans at a school festival: Saxony in crisis!

In recent months, worrying trends have emerged in Saxony: racist and nationalist attitudes have gained frightening visibility through the chanting of slogans to the international hit “L'amour toujours” by Gigi D'Agostino. Loud Jule The first public videos documenting such incidents were published on Sylt in May 2024. On June 22, 2024, the song was played during a graduation ceremony at the Lommatzscher Pflege high school in the Meißen district, which led to students chanting right-wing slogans.

Since then, the Saxon left-wing faction has regularly asked about legal consequences for these politically motivated crimes. An evaluation of such inquiries showed that 157 proceedings were initiated in connection with “L’amour toujours” from May 2024 to April 2025 alone. The number of right-wing motivated crimes in Saxony rose to an alarming 4,216 in 2024, compared to 2,704 the year before. The RAA Sachsen's Victim Advisory Service also reported 328 right-wing motivated attacks, which represents an increase of 32.3% compared to the previous year.

A look into the past

The developments are not an isolated phenomenon, but have deeper roots. If you look at history, you can see dark times in Saxony and especially in places like Magdeburg. In the 1970s, swastikas were found under school desks at the August Bebel School. This memory is brought to life by many contemporary witnesses who do not fit the image of the upright anti-fascist. Racism was part of everyday life back then, which highlights the need for a clear, anti-fascist creative will, which was nevertheless often perceived as staged.

The cry “Germany for the Germans, foreigners out” not only belies the Basic Law, which states in Article 1: “Human dignity is inviolable.” The exclusion of people based on their origin, gender or religion clearly violates the principles of our society. Antifascism is still relevant today and needs to come into focus again.

Current challenges in Saxony

The situation in Saxony is tense. Compared to other eastern federal states, Saxony has a high rate of violence. In 2015, the rate was 5.3 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. Bodily injuries in particular account for a large proportion of this. This violence is often associated with demonstrations by the NPD and violent right-wing groups. Since 2015, a noticeable increase in racist and xenophobic violence has been observed, often perpetrated by perpetrators who do not fit the typical profile of right-wing extremists. Over 70 percent of attackers act in groups and are often under the influence of alcohol.

The political and social challenges are great, and clear measures are required to sanction anti-human hate speech and strengthen democratic civil society. How MDR reports, the prospect of a more just society is like a common melody that can only be played through a shared commitment to humanity and against racism.

There are already signs of change - it is up to all of us to help shape this development.