A video made with a mobile phone in which a group of young people can be seen chanting racist slogans on the terrace of a well-known club on the exclusive German island of Sylt, in the North Sea, has sparked outrage on social networks. . The recording quickly went viral and has sparked harsh criticism and calls for consequences.
The video, made by a woman who also participates in the chants, shows young people singing “Germany for Germans, foreigners out,” to the sound of the song L’amour toujours (Love always)by the Italian musician Gigi D’Agostini. In the barely 13 seconds that it lasts, you can also see one of those present doing the Hitler salute with his hand, but bending it to the rhythm of the music, at the same time that he puts his index and middle finger on top of his upper lip to emulate a Hitler mustache.
The popular Pony club in Kampen, known for its parties that attract, above all, the German upper class due to its high prices, has distanced itself from them. “We are deeply shocked,” its owners wrote on their Instagram account. “We distance ourselves from any type of racism and discrimination. All customers, regardless of ethnicity, are welcome,” they stressed. “If we had known about the incident, of course we would have expelled the customers in question. There is no place for racism,” they added.
Later, the club indicated that it had received the names of the people involved and announced legal consequences. “We will denounce this disgusting behavior and use all criminal law options,” he posted. Sylt is the largest of the Frisian Islands, which has long been a kind of private paradise for the German upper class.
The police in Schleswig-Holstein – the state to which Sylt belongs – initially announced that they would review the recording. “A video of people partying on Sylt is currently circulating on social media. “We are aware of this video and are examining it for criminally relevant content,” the police wrote this Friday on the social network
The police subsequently issued a press release in which they reported that, according to initial investigations into the video, which they received late Thursday night, the incident took place over the past weekend. “The video shows at least some of the people singing far-right lyrics (“Germany for Germans, foreigners out!”). “It is also suspected that a person is giving the so-called Hitler salute,” according to the statement. “The investigations by the public prosecutor’s office and the Flensburg police initially focus on the people who blatantly sing the aforementioned phrases. However, it is not ruled out that other suspects who do not appear in the video will be added to the investigation. “The police are following the first indications about the people involved,” he added.
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For the head of the Federal Office to Combat Discrimination, Ferda Ataman, “this is blatant racism, increasingly rooted in all media and age groups, which is experienced openly.” Meanwhile, the Minister of Integration of Schleswig-Holstein, Aminata Touré, declared to the German media RND that “this is not a stupid prank by children, but rather the worst Nazi behavior by adults on an open stage” of which “They should be ashamed.” For her part, the Minister of Education of the same State, Karin Prien, described the incident as a “sign of abandonment of prosperity.”
The recording spread quickly through social networks on the same day that Germany celebrated the 75th anniversary of its Basic Law. Sawsan Chebli of Berlin’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) was one of the first politicians to share the video on Thursday night. “’Germany for the Germans. Foreigners out. Foreigners out. Location: Sylt. And they feel so safe.” Subsequently, Greens deputy Johannes Wagner took the opportunity to warn of the rise of the extreme right, a shift in society that, in his opinion, must be taken “seriously.” “When right-wing slogans or even criminal offenses like a Hitler salute become ‘pop culture’, many things are going extremely wrong in our country,” he said in X.
It is not the first incident of this type to come to light. Earlier this year, German public broadcaster NDR reported on a Christmas party in Emsland, northern Germany, and a video apparently coming from a group from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In both cases the same slogans were shouted to the rhythm of the song. L’Amour Toujourswhich is originally a love song released 23 years ago.
In February, an incident in the Bavarian town of Landsberg also caused outrage. Several young people chanted racist slogans to the rhythm of the same song in a carnival parade. The police then opened an investigation for alleged hate speech. According to German media, similar recordings can be seen on the TikTok platform, where it seems to have become a trend. “The song by the Italian DJ is experiencing a revival among young people as a new anthem of the far right,” wrote the NDR about the catchy racist melody that reaches millions of young people through the popular video network.
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