Brandenburg's Minister-President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) has expressed outrage over a xenophobic incident that took place at a disco in the municipality of Falkenberg in the Elbe-Elster district. At a teenage party held at the club "Blue Velvet," attendees chanted the racist slogan "Deutschland den Deutschen. Ausländer raus", "Germany for Germans. Foreigners Out", to the melody of the popular song "L'amour toujours." The incident has drawn widespread condemnation and comparisons to a similar, high-profile episode that occurred on the island of Sylt.
In a post on Instagram, Woidke described himself as "speechless ", at the use of what he called "Nazi slogans," adding: "We must never remain silent about this." Speaking to the broadcaster rbb, he did not mince words: "It is a repulsive event that is taking place there. This event shows that we have a massive social problem in Brandenburg." Woidke also acknowledged that similar incidents have occurred elsewhere in Brandenburg and in other German states.
The event, which took place approximately a week before the story became public, was attended by around 100 to 150 children and teenagers, some as young as eleven years old, according to the club's operator. The incident came to light after a video was published on Instagram by the initiative "Unteilbar.Elbe-Elster."
The club operator told rbb that he personally intervened when the situation escalated. "After I had noticed that the situation had escalated, I went to the DJ booth and made an announcement that 'this does not belong here.'" He acknowledged, however, that it had been difficult to determine exactly who had been singing the slogan.
Despite the gravity of the incident, the operator pushed back against calls to ban specific music tracks from clubs. "We will not, as a matter of principle, ban music just because it is being misused," he said. Police have since launched an investigation against persons unknown.
Anne Brügmann, a representative of the victim support organisation "Opferperspektive," drew attention to a broader pattern during her comments to rbb. "We have a major problem in Brandenburg with a right-wing youth culture," she said. She also highlighted the social pressure that comes with speaking out against such behaviour, noting that those who push back increasingly face threats and intimidation.
The district administrator of Elbe-Elster, Christian Jaschinski (CDU), also condemned the incident in clear terms. "Such expressions are unacceptable and have no place in our society," read a statement issued by his office.
The Brandenburg Greens were equally emphatic. "This is not a minor offence but an alarming sign of how far right-wing extremist slogans have become normalised, even among young people." The party warned that teenagers chanting racist slogans at parties should not be dismissed as a fringe phenomenon, but rather as the expression of a problem that has been underestimated for too long.
Greens state chairwoman Juliana Meyer directed criticism specifically at the club operator. "Anyone who plays this song publicly today knows that it has long been misused by right-wing extremists and racists as a vehicle for hate slogans." Meyer stated from Potsdam that no one could claim ignorance as a defence.
The Greens also used the incident as an opportunity to criticise funding cuts to democracy promotion projects and political education programmes, arguing that such reductions directly undermine efforts to build civic awareness and democratic values among younger generations.
Returning to the broader picture, Minister-President Woidke emphasised that addressing the root causes of such incidents cannot fall to politicians or law enforcement alone. "This is a problem that can only be solved by society as a whole." He called for the strengthening of civil society organisations, underlining the importance of instilling in young people a deep appreciation for democracy and freedom.
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