The Social Democratic Party (SPD) has apologized for a post on Instagram that included an image of a black and red sign reading, “Germany for Germans who defend our democracy.” The party’s original intent was to take a stand against racist behavior following a racist incident in Sylt. The post was removed after receiving numerous negative reactions.
A party spokesperson clarified that the post was intended to criticize the far-right. The spokesperson stated, “We immediately posted a statement strongly condemning what we all saw in the video from Sylt. We failed to strike a tone that resonated with everyone, and we sincerely apologize for this. Our goal is to make it clear that we do not want to leave this country to right-wing extremists and hate preachers.”
The controversy began with a widely circulated video on the internet showing wealthy youths chanting, “Germany for Germans – foreigners out.” The video, filmed in front of a pub on a North Sea island to the tune of the song “L’amour Toujours,” sparked nationwide outrage. The owner of the pub where the video was filmed announced that he would take legal action against the youths involved.
It appears that incidents of racism against foreigners in Germany are on the rise. Following the Sylt incident, racist chants were heard at a shooting festival near Vechta, where youths shouted racist slogans to the tune of the same song. Witnesses recorded the incident and reported it to the police.
State security authorities in Lower Saxony are investigating the racist chants in Vechta after receiving the video filmed by witnesses. State security is also investigating the Sylt incident. Additionally, the police have received numerous similar reports of incidents that occurred in recent months.
The Bremen portal reported a similar incident in Löningen. Andreas Sagehorn, the chief of Oldenburg police, stated that in a global and tolerant society that has just celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law, such behavior is inconsistent with our view of humanity.
