Rural Youth Hohenfurch: Brown slogans in the colorful hustle and bustle

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Screenshot of a YouTube video of the carnival parade with the Landjugend Hohenfurch

Photo: Toni Schwaiger / YouTube

You could imagine the Landjugend Hohenfurch as a nice group: “We would be particularly happy to see new faces,” the club writes on its website. However, the statement does not fit at all with the slogan that was heard from the rural youth car at the carnival parade in Landsberg on Thursday. “Foreigners out” was sung there. Appropriately to the melody of a song by an Italian musician. This is what several witnesses heard, this is what it was reported to the police and this is also what you can hear on a YouTube video.

The first board member of the Landjugend Hohenfurch, Moritz Taufratshofer, has not yet responded to a written request from SPIEGEL. He confirmed the incident to the "Münchner Merkur" and at the same time downplayed the alleged incitement: Yes, people on the car sang the xenophobic line. "But certainly not one with bad intentions." He sincerely apologizes "on behalf of the rural youth." Something like that is absolutely not tolerable. And further: “None of those on the car want anything like that. None of us in the club are xenophobic: that’s not us, that’s not the club.”

The police are still investigating. As the “Landsberger Kreisbote” reports, the responsible police station has received a complaint against the Hohenfurcher rural youth. “We are starting from the initial suspicion of incitement to hatred,” a spokesman is quoted as saying. The association will also be contacted and organizers who are planning to attend the rural youth will also be warned.

About possible consequences for rural youth themselves, Taufratshofer told “Merkur” that those who sang along had to take responsibility for it. He will now talk to the club members about the topic before every carnival parade so that something like this doesn't happen again.

At least this should be guaranteed next year. The Landsberg carnival association Licaria has excluded the rural youth from the parade next year. Licaria board member Thomas Bihler condemned the behavior “strongly.” This was “not a stupid boy’s prank,” he also told Merkur. The association calls for countering right-wing extremism. “We stand by our fellow foreign citizens,” many of whom were also involved in the carnival.

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