A viral video showing young partygoers singing racist lyrics on the island of Sylt, a popular vacation spot for German high society, has sparked outrage in Germany, with Olaf Scholz calling it “sickening” on Friday.
The video circulating on social media shows a group of young people on the terrace of a bar singing the lyrics “Germany for the Germans, the foreigners out” to popular dance music. One of them can also be seen giving what appears to be a Hitler salute, which is banned in Germany.
“Such slogans are sickening. They are unacceptable,” reacted Chancellor Scholz on his X account. The police announced that they had opened an investigation into the incident, which allegedly took place last weekend in a bar called Pony, in the town of Kampen.
The young people sang to the tune of “Love Always” by Italian DJ Gigi D’Agostino, to which right-wing extremists in Germany have repeatedly chanted their slogans in recent months.
The song “Love Always” will no longer be played in the bar
The bar concerned released a statement on its website and Instagram, saying it was “deeply shocked” by “this disgusting behavior”. “We distance ourselves from all forms of racism and discrimination,” he added. Its manager told Die Welt television channel on Friday that five suspects had been identified and banned from entering. He also pledged not to play the song in the future and advised other bar owners to do the same.
In an interview with the Funke media group, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser described the incident as a “shame for Germany”, denouncing a “creeping normalization” of racism.
The far-right AfD party has seen strong growth in the polls since 2023 with a radical, nationalist and ethnic political line. His voting intentions have recently eroded due to a succession of scandals.
Sylt, located on the North Sea, is a popular vacation destination for wealthy Germans. Finance Minister Christian Lindner notably chose it to celebrate his wedding in 2022. Tickets for the evening shown in the video cost 150 euros, according to the daily Bild, which also published a photo of the bar with several Porsches parked outside. ‘outside.
