Students sing "Germany for the Germans, foreigners out"
A summer festival at a school in Stuttgart has sparked widespread outrage after students chanted xenophobic slogans to a popular party song, prompting sharp criticism from school officials and renewed debate over extremist attitudes among young people.
The incident took place at the Merz Schule (Merz School) after the official part of the school's summer festival had ended. Around 200 teenagers remained on campus to celebrate when the DJ played Gigi D'Agostino's hit "L'Amour toujours." Instead of singing the original version, several students chanted the slogan, "Deutschland den Deutschen, Ausländer raus" ("Germany for Germans, Foreigners Out"), a phrase that became widely known after a similar controversy on the island of Sylt in 2024.
School principal Frederik Merz condemned the incident and said the DJ immediately stopped the music after hearing the chants. One recently graduated student who took part was removed from the event and later expressed remorse. The school reviewed video recordings and concluded that only a minority of those present participated in the chanting.
In the days following the event, the school held discussions with students to address what had happened. According to the principal, many students were genuinely upset by the incident, but he expressed concern that such slogans appeared to have become increasingly normalized among some young people. He also said he was surprised that some students with migrant backgrounds had joined in the chants, suggesting many did not fully understand the impact of the words.
German police said the chants do not currently meet the legal threshold for criminal prosecution, although they described the behavior as deeply offensive and in poor taste. The principal questioned whether existing laws adequately address such incidents and called for a broader discussion about where freedom of expression ends and hate speech begins.
The Verband deutscher Privatschulen Baden-Württemberg (Association of Private Schools of Baden-Württemberg) also condemned the incident, stating that discrimination and extremist views have no place in schools. The organization urged a full investigation and said educational institutions must respond firmly while continuing to promote diversity, inclusion and respect among students.