The number of right-wing extremist incidents at schools in Brandenburg increased significantly in the 2022/2023 school year. The four state school boards reported 70 such statements or incidents by early June, while 30 were counted throughout the 2021-2022 school year, the Department of Education said.
The “Welt am Sonntag” previously reported about it. However, the ministry also pointed out that the 2021/2022 school year was still dominated by the Corona crisis.
In April, teachers Max Teske and Laura Nickel from Burg im Spreewald in Brandenburg published daily right-wing extremist incidents at their school in a fire letter. After that, they were increasingly exposed to hostilities. Among them were stickers, the state security is investigating. Both teachers announced on Wednesday that they wanted to change schools. Since the letter became known, reports of such incidents had increased.
Clear criticism from affected teacher
Max Teske criticizes the school authorities in Brandenburg. “I missed a clear stance. Nobody stood in front of us and said quite frankly that they would support us and do everything possible to ensure that right-wing extremism has no place in schools,” says Teske of the “Märkische Allgemeine” with a view to this State Education Authority in Cottbus and the Ministry of Education. “Instead, there was a lot of lip service. But that’s not enough.”
Brandenburg’s Education Minister Steffen Freiberg (SPD) had rejected criticism. The school authority took action immediately after the anonymous fire letter and he personally offered the two teachers his support.
Teske proposes that teachers be better prepared to deal with right-wing extremist incidents. “We need mandatory training for teachers,” he told the newspaper. “They need to know how to recognize, for example, right-wing symbols or statements, how to deal with them and how to protect victims of racism and right-wing extremism. At the same time, we need democracy education in schools – and we need it now.”
anti-Semitism and racism
In Brandenburg, 15 anti-Semitic and 14 xenophobic and 4 other extremist statements and incidents were also counted in the 2021/2022 school year. In the 2022/2023 school year, the school authorities reported 6 anti-Semitic, 15 xenophobic and also 4 other extremist statements and incidents.
Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) believes that a consistent approach is necessary. “The events at the Brandenburg school are an alarm signal,” she said “Welt am Sonntag”. “Freedom, democracy, tolerance and plurality are core values of our society, including in schools.” They must be defended where necessary. “Everyone has to contribute to this. This includes a coordinated and consistent approach by all those responsible.”
In the newspaper, the federal government’s anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, called for a nationwide obligation to report anti-Semitic incidents in schools. North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) pointed out that politically motivated crimes would be recorded nationwide according to uniform guidelines. However, this set of rules does not provide for recording a crime scene like a school.
