Nazi slogans
Sylt bar justifies itself after racism scandal
The restaurant “Pony” in Kampen. Photo
© Georg Wendt/dpa
The Sylt bar where party guests shouted racist slogans is defending itself against accusations of not having intervened immediately. One expert sees a normalization of right-wing extremist content.
After the racist shouting of several party guests in a bar on Sylt, the operators of the bar have justified their handling of the incident. “If our staff had noticed such behavior at any time, we would have reacted immediately. We would have immediately informed the police and filed a criminal complaint. We have now been able to do that,” wrote the operators of the well-known Pony bar in the upscale holiday resort of Kampen on Instagram last night. The people in question have been identified and reported. Meanwhile, the SPD withdrew an Insta post about the racist Sylt yelling.
In a video lasting just a few seconds, which went viral on Thursday and is said to have been made at Pentecost, young people can be seen and heard shouting racist slogans to the tune of the more than 20-year-old party hit “L’amour toujours” by Gigi D’Agostino. They sing “Germany for the Germans – foreigners out!” in an apparently completely unashamed and exuberant manner. One man makes a gesture reminiscent of the Hitler salute. None of those standing around seem to be bothered by this. State security is investigating for incitement to hatred and the use of unconstitutional symbols.
Politicians expressed their shock. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) described the slogans on Friday as “disgusting” and “unacceptable”. Federal Minister of the Interior 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.”
Consequences for those involved
For some of those involved, the racist yelling has already had professional consequences. The advertising agency group Serviceplan Group announced on Instagram on Friday evening that it had dismissed an employee without notice who had been involved in the incident. “We do not tolerate racism in any form within our agency group,” the company said.
Hamburg influencer Milena Karl also said she fired an employee who was involved in the incident. “Apart from the already abhorrent content of the video, I was shocked, hurt and disappointed to see that one of the people in the video was employed by me,” she wrote in an Instagram story. She terminated the employment relationship with immediate effect and expressly distanced herself “from all people who appear in this video.” “I am a migrant myself and as an expectant mother, everything that can be seen in this video represents a society in which I do not want to raise my child.”
Incident also in Lower Saxony
Sylt is not an isolated case. In recent months there have been repeated incidents in which Nazi slogans were shouted to the song – for example in Bavaria and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In Upper Palatinate, the police are investigating a possible incident at a carnival parade in February. Similar incidents have also occurred at other events in recent months.
On Friday it was announced that a similar incident had occurred in Lower Saxony over Pentecost. Racist slogans were shouted at the shooting festival in Löningen, west of Cloppenburg, including to the tune of “L’amour toujours”. State security is also investigating there. Witnesses who filmed what happened reported the incident to the police.
SPD withdraws Insta post
On Friday, the SPD wanted to take a stand against the racist party roaring on Sylt with an Instagram post – but was met with incomprehension and criticism and finally corrected itself. In reference to the slogans shouted there, the party had originally written on the platform under a black, red and gold banner: “Germany for the Germans who defend our democracy.” After a large number of negative reactions, however, the post was deleted. A party spokeswoman confirmed the content of the message, which is no longer available, when asked on Friday evening.
Instead, the party wrote (spelling as in the original): “We have just published a post in which we strongly condemn what we all saw in a video from Sylt. We did not manage to find a tone that would resonate with everyone. We would like to sincerely apologize for this. We want to make it clear that we do not want to leave this country to right-wing extremists and hate preachers.”
Expert sees normalization of right-wing extremist content in Sylt video
From the point of view of expert Pia Lamberty, the Sylt video shows a normalization of right-wing extremist content in society. “Without any form of opposition, social norms are simply broken,” said the co-director of the Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy (Cemas), which investigates radicalization tendencies and conspiracy theories on the Internet. “People can express extreme slogans in public without hesitation.” The song “L’amour toujours” is now increasingly linked to racist slogans, said Lamberty. “That does something to the brain.” In this way, right-wing extremists are creating acceptance of such slogans in wider society.
For the Cemas expert, the case makes it clear: “Right-wing extremism is not just a problem that you see in East Germany or among people who have a lower income, but also among higher classes.” The main threat to those affected is the structural power that these people could potentially exercise one day. The video shows: “Racism also comes from people who have studied at universities or are in management positions.” Right-wing extremism and racist attitudes are something that can be found throughout society.
Sylt Bar on Instagram