Right -wing extremism at schools: Greifswald students Examatriculated!

Right -wing extremism at schools: Greifswald students Examatriculated!

Greifswald, Deutschland - A worrying incident has caused a stir in Greifswald in the past few days. After a right -wing incident, two students from the local school were expelled from school during a study trip to Auschwitz. This decision was made by Ostsee-Zeitung Confirmed, which also reported on a video recording that shows a young person in the memorial area with a right-wing white-power gesture. Felix Wizowsky, Chairman of the State Student Council of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, described the incident as the "tip of the iceberg" and emphasized that right-wing extremist statements and incidents in schools are increasingly the order of the day.

Taily pedagogical facilities are affected by a wave of right -wing extremists, and the unreported figure of such incidents is high. The student representatives of the East German federal states complain about a falling inhibition threshold and demand consistent countermeasures from politics. Tagesschau reports on frightening incidents such as swastikas in classrooms and right-wing ideas, which is conveyed in class.

on the inaction of the schools

A major problem is the lack of reaction of schools to right -wing extremists. Such incidents are often not reported out of fear of a bad reputation or violation of political neutrality. Felix Wizowsky expressed that pupils with clothing that shows half a swastika over the schoolyard and call themselves Nazis. Parents often block measures against these developments. In the current context, the parents of the referred ninth graders have already submitted an urgent procedure to the administrative court in Greifswald to contest the references.
A non -public discussion is imminent, whereby no further information is given due to the age of the parties.

The situation in schools urgently requires measures. The education ministries of the respective federal states refer to existing strategies to combat right -wing extremism, but reality speaks a different language. In Saxony in particular, the number of right -wing extremists rose from 73 in 2019 to 149 in 2023, which illustrates the urgency of a reform. Various state student councils therefore speak out for strengthening politics and social studies as well as for further training for teachers in dealing with right -wing extremist ideas.

The role of teachers

Survey have shown that many teachers are unsettled and often do not intervene if they perceive right -wing radical statements or actions. Examples of teachers who have been hostile to right -wing extremist incidents are not uncommon. Education researcher Nina Kolleck therefore calls for a systematic training and further training of the teachers to strengthen them in preventive work. After all, the University of Potsdam offers seminars that are not mandatory. In other federal states such as Saxony, such advanced training is now compulsory for prospective teachers.

The need for more educational offers on this topic is not only seen by teachers themselves, but also in publications such as those of the that provide materials and handouts. These aim to sensitize young people in dealing with right -wing extremism and racism.