Greifswald: Students show right-wing extremist gesture in Auschwitz – threatened with reprimand!

Greifswald: Students show right-wing extremist gesture in Auschwitz – threatened with reprimand!

On June 12, 2025, an incident at the Greifswald fishing school caused a stir. Two students recorded a video of a right-wing extremist gesture during a study trip to Auschwitz and uploaded it to TikTok. This gesture is known as a white power gesture and represents the supposed superiority of the “white race”.

Education Minister Simone Oldenburg (Left) strongly condemned the act and announced that strict regulatory measures would follow. The affected students are suspended from school until the incident is clarified. Possible consequences include expulsion to another school, transfer to a parallel class or even a suspension of up to three months. The school management reported the incident on June 6 after informing the Ministry of Education.

Reactions to the incident

In addition, two teachers who accompanied the trip were also warned. The Greifswalder Fischerschule has a high proportion of students with a migrant background, currently 29%. In order to meet the special challenges, there is already an anti-racism project in the eighth grade. In addition, school social workers and teachers support students in dealing with issues such as violence and right-wing extremist attitudes.

A similar incident occurred in Görlitz in March, where four students from Scultetus High School posed with a white power gesture. This was made public by a Dresden Antifa group, and the students then had to do community service in a workshop for the disabled. Although such incidents are rare, they attract a lot of public attention and cause concern, as MDR notes.

An alarming trend

The frequency of such incidents shows how dangerous right-wing extremist ideologies are, especially among young people. Sociologists like Johannes Kiess speak of a “neo-Nazi trend” in schools and emphasize the role of social media in the spread of extremist ideas. Platforms like TikTok are ideal terrain for right-wing extremist actors to appeal to young people. Federal Agency for Civic Education emphasizes that many young people come into contact with this content, often without wanting to.

TikTok's algorithm promotes emotional and extreme content that can go viral in no time. Children and young people in particular are often unprepared when they come across such content. Therefore, it is paramount that schools promote media literacy and teach students how to deal with hateful content. Awareness-raising measures to combat racism and anti-Semitism are crucial in order to recognize and counteract discrimination at an early stage.

The events at the Greifswald fishing school and the incidents in Görlitz highlight the challenges that schools and societies face in protecting the young generation from the danger of right-wing extremist ideologies.