Evening sun over Sylt, Kampen – the hotspot for rich holidaymakers. An exuberant celebration – but what can be heard and seen in the short video is stunning.
The young party guests shout racist slogans to a pop hit, and one man makes a gesture that is reminiscent of the Hitler salute. Those who can be seen on the video apparently have nothing in common with the image that most people probably have of right-wing extremists. They celebrate with bubbly, in light blouses and shirts, wearing sunglasses and gold hoop earrings in their ears. The cliché of the Sylt chic, the island of the rich and beautiful. Apparently completely unabashedly and exuberantly, they shout “Germany for the Germans – foreigners out!”
Since Thursday evening, the short clip has been shared dozens of times on social media, and the horror is great. State security is investigating, politicians express shock, and the operator of the well-known bar where the party took place distances himself. According to the “Bild” newspaper, the video was made at Pentecost in the Pony restaurant in Kampen.
Faeser demands: Racists must experience loud opposition
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) told the newspapers of the Funke media group: “Anyone who shouts Nazi slogans like “Germany for the Germans – foreigners out” is a disgrace for Germany.” The question arises as to “whether we are dealing here with people who live in a parallel society that is neglected by prosperity and tramples on the values of our Basic Law.” The question is also what hateful climate encourages such people to express themselves in such a profoundly racist way in public.
“There must be no creeping normalization here,” demanded the minister. In addition to possible criminal consequences, racists should experience loud opposition everywhere – in their circle of friends, at work, in sports. “It is important to open our mouths and take a stand against such human hatred,” Faeser called for civil courage. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said it was important that the Schleswig-Holstein police investigate and that the authenticity of the video also had to be checked. “One thing is clear: What you can see and hear is deeply racist and deeply inhumane.”
As the police in Flensburg announced, the state security agency is now investigating – for incitement to hatred and the use of unconstitutional license plates. The video was passed on to the police. “The investigations by the Flensburg public prosecutor’s office and the police are initially directed against the people who are obviously singing along to the above-mentioned statements or making license plates on the video,” the statement said. However, it cannot be ruled out that “further suspects who were not shown on this video will be added to the investigation as part of the investigation.”
Old party hit suddenly becomes a template for racists
The song sung about is like the chic island: actually completely harmless. The revelers sing and bob to the tune of the more than 20-year-old party hit “L’amour Toujours” by Gigi D’Agostino. The fact that songs are rewritten for political messages is not a new phenomenon. But this song has been particularly popular recently. In Lower Bavaria, for example, the police were investigating a possible incident at a carnival parade in February. At the event in Stulln, a group of spectators chanted “Foreigners out” as the Italian’s song was played from a car, a witness told local press representatives. Similar incidents have also occurred at other events in recent months.
Rupert Grübl, head of the Bavarian State Center for Civic Education, told Bayerischer Rundfunk in mid-May: “Young people may not even recognize the seriousness of it.” It is a tactic of the right to “say: It wasn’t all that serious, it was just a joke. But with things like that you naturally establish ideas in society through the spoken word. And you exploit the power of the word to commit such taboo violations.”
Right-wing extremism and racism “not a so-called marginal phenomenon”
Tim Becker, the owner of the Pony restaurant, told the German Press Agency that they no longer wanted to play the song in the future. “It was completely new to us that this was being misused.” And he fears that something will get stuck, “even if we really don’t think we can do anything about it.” In the future, guests will be encouraged to report racist incidents to the bouncers. And the names of the five people involved and the surveillance camera footage were sent to the police.
The federal government’s anti-racism commissioner, Reem Alabali-Radovan, told the dpa that it was astonishing that none of the guests intervened and banned the statements. “It clearly shows that right-wing extremism and racism run through all social groups and are not a so-called fringe phenomenon – they reach deep into the middle class milieu.” This dangerous ideology, which has been reinforced by inflammatory and disinhibited debates in recent years, is destroying the cohesion of society. “We must resolutely oppose this with all our might.”
“Prosecco Nazis” and “fascist snots”
The concern remains. Concern about the cohesion of society, that racism and hostility could become socially acceptable. From those who have nothing to do with apparent Nazi sleaze, who can afford to celebrate Pentecost in a celebrity restaurant on Sylt. “Cult, glamour, nightlife,” says the club’s website, where, according to the menu, currywurst with fries costs 16 euros and where you can sip six oysters for 30 euros.
Long-time Green Party politician Jürgen Trittin writes on Platform And presenter Dunja Hayali tweets: “With a Hitler beard and bubbly, but without “foreigners.”
