Spreewald
Right-wing hostilities: Teacher accuses authorities of omissions
The teacher Max Teske and his colleague Laura Nickel leave their school in Spreewald after right-wing hostilities. photo
© Patrick Pleul/dpa
Right-wing extremist incidents at a school in the Spreewald, a fire letter from two teachers – and no clear stance from the authorities. At least that’s what the teacher Max Teske, who is now leaving the school, criticizes.
After leaving his school in Spreewald because of right-wing hostilities, the 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.”
In April, Teske and his colleague Laura Nickel publicized daily right-wing extremist incidents at their school in Burg im Spreewald in a fire letter. They were then increasingly exposed to hostilities and were also threatened on a social network.
Both teachers announced on Wednesday that they would change schools. 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.”