Scandal in Pankow: Young people show Hitler salute and shout slogans!

Scandal in Pankow: Young people show Hitler salute and shout slogans!

On the evening of May 27, 2025, a passerby alerted the police after watching a group of young people in a green area on Bahnhofstrasse in Pankow, who called xenophobic slogans and showed the Hitler salute. The police found six young people on site: a 14-year-old, a 15-year-old and four 16-year-old. These children and adolescents initially observed a single young person who demonstrated the Hitler salute before the entire group started to make racist statements and play a song with the appropriate text. After completing the police measures, the young people were released in consultation with their legal guardians. The police protection of the Berlin State Criminal Police Office has taken over the investigation to pursue such scandalous incidents and, if necessary, take legal action.

These events in Pankow are reported in the context of a worrying trend, such as merkurist.de. The Hessian State Criminal Police Office (LKA) has warned of so -called “challenges”, which circulating on social media and are aimed specifically at children and adolescents. With these challenges, xenophobic slogans in the form of videos are tuned to well -known pop songs. This is often dismissed by the young people as "harmless fun", but such acts can fulfill the criminal offense of sedition, which can result in serious legal consequences. The LKA recommends parents to monitor the cell phone use of their children carefully and to establish clear rules for media consumption in order to protect them from such influences.

right -wing extremism among young people

such incidents are symptomatic of the increasing spread of right -wing extremist ideologies among young people. According to the [Federal Center for Political Education] (https://www.bpb.de/shop/zeitschratzen/apuz/30250/Rechtsextremistischen-get- von-jugendlichen/), right-wing extremists in society. Singh surveys show that a significant number of xenophobic, racist and anti-Semitic views have a significant number of respondents. These attitudes are particularly common in groups of male adolescents and young adults, which often have both low educational qualifications and high unemployment. More than 75 % of right -wing extremist crimes are committed in groups, which indicates a social dynamic that uses violence as a means of exchange and recognition within the group.

In this context, the analysis of the social background and the influencing factors on youth is important. Inadequate family ties, negative childhood experiences and emotional neglect can promote the development of right -wing extremists. Media attention to this topic and the sensitization of parents and educators are crucial to stop the escalation of these dangerous ideologies in our society. Civil society responsibility to struggle against right -wing extremist violence and ideologies is therefore more urgent than ever.