Why Nazi slogans and xenophobia appeal to rich kids

Jens Thurau

DW

05/27/2024

A video from the posh holiday island of Sylt shows wealthy young people shouting Nazi slogans and singing xenophobic chants. Are the children of the rich particularly likely to be anti-democratic?

'Sylter against the right' — protesters stand outside the Pony Club where a video portraying racists gestures was filmed

 Lea Sarah Albert/dpa/picture alliance

The uproar in Germany over a 15-second video Chancellor Olaf Scholz called "disgusting" and Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser a "disgrace for Germany" has continued into a second week.

The video shows half a dozen young people in smart-casual clothes dancing and singing: "Germany for the Germans, foreigners out," to the tune of a 20-year-old party hit named "L'amour toujours." One of them does a Hitler salute while holding two fingers between his upper lip and nose as if to imitate the Nazi dictator's mustache.

The video was recorded last week in the Pony Club on Sylt, a North Sea island much frequented by wealthy holidaymakers.

VIDEO:   When the celebrities discovered Sylt  02:31

Since the video emerged, more right-wing incidents have come to light on the island: Police are investigating the verbal and physical attack on a 29-year-old Black woman.

Those shown in the video also now face criminal investigations. "Incitement to hatred" carries a minimum prison sentence of three months and a maximum of five years, while the use of symbols and gestures of unconstitutional organizations, such as a Hitler salute, can lead to a prison sentence of up to three years.

In an attempt to explain the events, Faeser and other politicians were quick to suggest the perpetrators may be wealthy individuals who experienced neglect as children and now "trample on the values in our Basic Law."



The term "Wohlstandsverwahrlosung" has been bandied around: The term refers to rich children who grow up in a world full of material abundance, have unlimited options, never experience pressure to secure their own livelihood and end up being neglected by their parents. As adults, they display a sense of entitlement to a higher social standing, their wealth allowing them to follow their every whim without having to fear consequences or take responsibility.

Social psychologist Pia Lamberty of CeMAS, a non-profit that monitors the spread of conspiracy ideologies, said the Sylt incident is proof that there are right-wing extremist and xenophobic attitudes in all sections of society.

"The media attention has to do with the fact that this did not take place somewhere deep in Saxony [a far-right stronghold], in a pub or nightclub, but rather where the rich and famous are," she told the German news agency dpa.

The island of Sylt, especially the small town of Kampen with its 500 inhabitants, has been a vacation destination for party-loving young people from wealthy families for many years. Business leaders and celebrities have bought vacation homes all over the island, where hotel and real estate prices are exorbitant, as are the prices for food and drink.

The inhabitants of Kampen are in a state of shock. The managers of the Pony Club are said to have received death threats. The island's local politicians fear for its good reputation: Mayor Stefanie Böhm said, "Kampen is a cosmopolitan village. these people represent neither the village nor the island."

Festival organizers across Germany have said they are banning the "L'amour toujours" tune from their events.



This article was originally written in German.