Martin Sellner lures right-wing extremist settlers to Schwerin – excitement in the city!

Martin Sellner lures right-wing extremist settlers to Schwerin – excitement in the city!

On Wednesday, the residents of Schwerin had the opportunity to listen to a right-wing extremist lecture that sent waves of indignation through the city. Martin Sellner, a well-known Austrian right-wing extremist and leader of the Austrian Identitarian Movement, found himself in the Treffpunkt Nord canteen, a place that had previously served as a stage for an AfD citizens' dialogue. The event may have remained hidden, but the circumstances under which it took place caused a lot of talk.

Not only is Sellner a key figure in the New Right in German-speaking countries, but he is also associated with dangerous ideologies, such as the Great Exchange Theory. He co-founded the Identitarian Movement years ago and has since established himself as an influential player in the right-wing extremist scene. How Catapult MV explained, the reading, for which participants had to register via a secret Telegram group in order to find out the exact meeting point, was well attended. The listeners included not only sympathizers, but also ethnic settlers and members of the right-wing extremist youth group Sturmvogel.

The event and its background

However, the evening was not without shadows. At the same time, a state parliament meeting took place in Schwerin Castle, which prevented AfD politicians from taking part. Behind the scenes, Sellner, who has had several run-ins with the law in the past due to his extreme views and activities and was denied entry into several countries, was well connected. He has a close relationship with Nikolaus Kramer, an established AfD politician from Greifswald. The city of Schwerin only found out about the reading through press inquiries and is not planning to take any action against it, which raises questions about responsibility.

The Identitarian movement that Sellner represents has represented a dangerous current in Germany since its founding in 2012. Its members see themselves as defenders of a “Western culture” that they perceive as threatened by Islam. This ideology is based on ethnopluralism, which views ethnic groups according to culture and not biological criteria and from which Federal Agency for Civic Education is described.

The public's reaction

In the city, around 25 people gathered for a rally against Sellner's reading. Despite the potential dangers posed by such events, police presence remained high at both the reading and the counter-demonstration. Skepticism and resistance to right-wing extremist ideology are still strong - and not without good reason.

The incident in Schwerin is not the first of its kind, and it is clear that the far-right movement is still trying to gain a foothold. It is also worrying that Sellner, who is one of the loudest voices in this context, addresses young people and propagates a dangerous ideology. Society must remain vigilant so that the values ​​of openness and tolerance do not suffer from the attacks of these extreme currents.