The rich and beautiful meet on Sylt; you don’t really associate the island with bawling right-wing extremists. A party video changes everything – suddenly people are talking about “Prosecco Nazis”.
Evening sun over Sylt, Kampen – the hotspot for rich holidaymakers. A wild party – but what can be heard and seen in the short video is astonishing.
The young party guests yell racist slogans to a pop hit, one man makes a gesture that is reminiscent of the Hitler salute. Those who can be seen in the video obviously have nothing in common with the image that most people probably have of right-wing extremists. They celebrate with champagne, in light blouses and shirts, wearing sunglasses and gold hoop earrings in their ears. The cliché of the Sylt chic crowd, the island of the rich and beautiful. Apparently completely unashamed and exuberant, they yell “Germany for the Germans – foreigners out!”.
Since Thursday evening, the short clip has been shared countless times on social media, and the horror is great. State security is investigating, politicians are expressing shock, and the owner of the well-known bar where the party took place is distancing himself. According to the “Bild” newspaper, the video was shot at Pentecost in the Pony bar 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, she said, “whether we are dealing with people who live in a parallel society that is neglected by prosperity and who trample on the values of our constitution.” The question is also what kind of hate-filled 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 must be confronted with loud opposition everywhere – among friends, at work, in sports. “It is important to speak up and stand up against such 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 must be checked. “One thing is clear: what you can see and hear there is deeply racist, deeply contemptuous of humanity.”
As the police in Flensburg announced, the state security service is now investigating – for incitement to hatred and the use of unconstitutional symbols. The video was leaked 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 using symbols in the video,” the statement said. However, it cannot be ruled out “that other suspects who are not shown in this video will be added during the investigation.”
Old party hit suddenly becomes a template for racists
The song being sung about is like the chic island: actually completely harmless. The partygoers sing and sway to the melody of the more than 20-year-old party hit “L’amour Toujours” by Gigi D’Agostino. The fact that songs are adapted to convey political messages is not a new phenomenon. But this song has been particularly affected in the recent past. In Lower Bavaria, for example, the police investigated a possible incident at a carnival parade in February. At the event in Stulln, a group of spectators chanted “Foreigners out” when the Italian’s song was played from a float, a witness told local press representatives. Similar incidents have also occurred at other events in recent months.
Rupert Grübl, head of the Bavarian State Office for Political Education, told Bayerischer Rundfunk in mid-May: “Young people may not even recognize the seriousness of the matter.” It is a tactic of the right-wing “to say: it’s not all that serious, it was just a joke. But with such things you naturally establish ideas in society through the spoken word. And you use the power of the word to break such taboos.”
Right-wing extremism and racism “not a so-called marginal phenomenon”
Tim Becker, the owner of the Pony bar, told the German Press Agency that they would no longer play the song in the future. “It was completely new to us that it was being misused.” And he fears that something will stick, “even if we really can’t do anything about it from our point of view.” In the future, guests will be encouraged more to report racist incidents to the bouncers. And the names of the five people involved and the surveillance camera recording have been sent to the police.
The Federal Government’s anti-racism commissioner, Reem Alabali-Radovan, told the dpa that it was shocking that none of the guests intervened and condemned the statements. “It clearly shows that right-wing extremism and racism permeate all social groups and are not a so-called fringe phenomenon – they reach deep into the middle class.” This dangerous ideology, which has been strengthened by inflammatory and uninhibited debates in recent years, is eroding the cohesion of society. “We must resolutely oppose this with all our strength.”
“Prosecco Nazis” and “fascist snobs”
The concern remains. The 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 the celebrity bar on Sylt. “Cult, glamour, nightlife,” it says on the club’s website, where, according to the menu, currywurst with chips costs 16 euros and where you can slurp six oysters for 30 euros.
Long-time Green politician Jürgen Trittin writes on Platform X about “Prosecco Nazis,” while the co-leader of the Green Youth, Svenja Appuhn, speaks of “fascist snobs.” And presenter Dunja Hayali tweets: “With Hitler moustache and champagne, but without “foreigners.” #Sylt. 2024.” On Friday, the Pony restaurant’s website also reads: “No place for Nazis! We distance ourselves from any kind of racism and discrimination.”