A group of school pupils from Görlitz in eastern Germany posed for a photo while making a far-right hand gesture during a visit to the site of the former Nazi German concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, German news agency DPA reports. The image of the incident is now circulating on social media, prompting public outrage.

The incident occurred on 13 March during an educational school trip. Four pupils posed for a photograph in front of the former German extermination camp while making the so-called „White Power” gesture – a hand sign associated with white supremacist ideology. A spokesperson for the Saxon Office for Schools and Education confirmed the gesture.

According to the spokesperson, the Scultetus School’s management responded immediately. The students and their parents were summoned for a discussion, and the pupils received formal reprimands. In addition, it was agreed that they would carry out community service in a sheltered workshop.

As noted by the news portal Tag24, the gesture is commonly used as a symbol of white racial superiority. Although it is widely recognised as a hallmark of neo-Nazi and far-right groups, its use is not currently punishable under German law.

Unfortunately, the incident is not an isolated case. German media recently reported a similar incident at a secondary school in Bielefeld, western Germany. According to outlets such as BR24, pupils there were heard singing a racist chant following a visit to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp memorial. Witnesses reported students shouting: “Germany for the Germans, foreigners out.”

Source: PAP

Photo: Instagram/Bild.de/Auschwitz Museum

Tomasz Modrzejewski