Racism Incident During School Trip in Berlin

Students from a sixth-grade class in Kreuzberg, Berlin, reported experiencing multiple incidents of racism during a recent school trip to Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. According to the Berlin Senate's education administration, the students encountered offensive remarks from a group of peers from Brandenburg while at a youth hostel.

The situation escalated to the point where a Nazi salute was allegedly observed. A parent of one of the affected students, a twelve-year-old girl, expressed concern over the verbal abuse directed primarily at the boys in the Berlin class, which consists of approximately 80% children with a migration background. The parent described the experience as a series of aggressive and racist threats.

Following the incidents, teachers from the Kreuzberg school attempted to address the issue with their counterparts from Brandenburg. While the educators from a school in Strausberg were cooperative and engaged in discussions with their students regarding the matter, the teachers from a southern Brandenburg school reportedly dismissed the concerns raised by the Berlin teachers.

The parent lamented that instead of receiving support, the students endured derogatory remarks for the entirety of the five-day trip. Alarmingly, the school and parents were only informed of these incidents after the trip concluded, with some parents having raised concerns before the journey.

A spokesperson for the Berlin Senate's education administration stated that the local school authority in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg is maintaining close communication with the school involved. They have already proposed support measures, and the school plans to reach out to the anti-discrimination officer within the education, youth, and family department of the Senate.

Ario Mirzaie, a spokesperson for the Green Party and advocate against right-wing extremism, emphasized the severity of such attacks, categorizing them as deliberate intimidation tactics often accompanied by threats of violence. He urged the governments of Berlin and Brandenburg to respond decisively to the rising tide of right-wing extremism among youth.

Mirzaie specifically called on the Brandenburg Minister of Education, Steffen Freiberg, to investigate the incidents thoroughly and take appropriate measures against the two schools involved. He stressed the importance of acknowledging the gravity of the events in Greifswald, which are part of a broader trend of increasing right-wing violence and propaganda in both Berlin and Brandenburg.

The management of the youth hostel where the incidents occurred claimed they were unaware of any such events during the students' stay. The hostel, which can accommodate up to 300 guests, stated that it primarily focuses on providing lodging and meals rather than constant supervision of guests. The facility is equipped with various recreational amenities, including beach volleyball and football fields.

The hostel's manager expressed regret that they were not informed of the troubling behavior at the time, especially since the reported incidents spanned several days. The manager acknowledged that while minor disputes can happen, such conduct is unacceptable and would have warranted intervention.

This incident is reminiscent of a similar occurrence in 2023, when a group of tenth-grade students from Berlin, mostly with a migration background, faced racist insults while attending a math camp at a holiday facility at Heidesee in Brandenburg. After experiencing abuse from other guests, the students chose to leave the camp early.

The incident drew attention from various sectors, including a response from the Federal President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. However, the Cottbus Public Prosecutor's Office later dropped the investigation due to insufficient evidence to identify the alleged perpetrators, highlighting the challenges in addressing such incidents effectively.