Wolgast: German flags on Dead Sunday – mayor outraged!

Wolgast: German flags on Dead Sunday – mayor outraged!

In the small town of Wolgast, located in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, German flags recently became an unexpected topic. During the night from Saturday to Sunday, unknown people hung a large number of German flags on public poles. This spontaneous action is now causing a stir, especially because it took place on such a sensitive date as Dead Sunday.

Mayor Martin Schröter commented on this inappropriate choice of time and emphasized that he fundamentally had nothing against the visibility of the German flags. However, he does not consider the flags to be attached to poles, which further complicates the situation. The people behind the action are still unknown and the police have opened the case but will not investigate further as flying the flags without prohibited symbols is within the legal framework.

Legal aspects of the flag campaign

The question of whether it is legally acceptable to display German flags in public appears to be clearly regulated. As in other cities where similar incidents took place, hanging German flags is permitted as long as no criminal symbols are displayed. Police in Hilchenbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, also found no crime when citizens there displayed German flags on lanterns and fences. In this case, no action was taken as there was no threat to traffic or other regulatory issues. The situation was not particularly offensive to the city of Hilchenbach either. ndrt.de

Political dimensions and misunderstandings

Politically, however, the discussion about German flags could become more explosive. Alice Weidel, the leader of the AfD, sparked a new controversy. She claimed that state security would initiate an investigation if citizens raised German flags. However, this claim has been debunked as false as there is no investigation into this matter, which indicates a misunderstanding. Your statement is based on an article that speaks of an investigation, but the portrayal was incorrect. tagesschau.de

Weidel also calls for German flags to be raised and these actions to be shared on social media through photos with the hashtag #HissDieFlagge. This initiative appears to be a form of protest, similar to the British “Operation Raise the Colors”, with even right-wing extremist groups being involved in such actions in the UK.

In Wolgast, however, the ill-advised action leads to confusion rather than a clear political line. The authorities and Mayor Schröter now have to wait and see how this discussion develops and whether this incident polarizes the local population more or perhaps triggers a constructive dialogue.