Right-wing extremist content: Identitarians distribute leaflets in schools

Right-wing extremists are already targeting children and young people for recruitment. "Teachers hate these questions": This slogan is emblazoned on flyers currently being distributed in front of schools as part of a campaign.

The right-wing extremist Identitarian Movement (IB) is currently distributing flyers to schools in several German states, including Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Everything appears to be a coordinated campaign. The Identitarians are specifically targeting students with their mailings. What's behind this? How great is the danger?

The Identitarians are a right-wing extremist movement that espouses racist and Islamophobic views and repeatedly draws attention to itself with protests. The activists occupy buildings; a few years ago, they unfurled a banner at the Brandenburg Gate with the slogan: "Protect borders - save lives." In Germany, the group is monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The IB sees itself as a "patriotic youth movement." It is active nationwide with regional subgroups and makes extensive use of social media, the constitutional guardians write.

The movement primarily appeals to young people, writes the Baden-Württemberg Office for the Protection of the Constitution. It spreads its extremist messages primarily online and through banner and poster campaigns. According to the report, the group has approximately 100 members in the southwest.

According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, ethnic origin alone is the determining factor for belonging to the German people. According to their philosophy, every people should live exclusively on their own territory and thus preserve their identity. Accordingly, the Identitarians are calling for a reversal of migration movements under the slogan "remigration."

Advertising campaign for new members

The leaflets currently circulating are titled "Teachers hate these questions" – an initially apolitical phrase that also appears repeatedly on social media platforms like TikTok. The back covers address various political issues. For example, they suggest that German youth are now a minority in major cities and that "mass immigration" is leading to increased violence against women. The leaflets stoke mistrust against people with a migrant background, writes the Southwest Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

But the uncertainty about the future among young people is also addressed. "Remigration" is offered as the solution to all problems. "Defend yourself!" is the final message. "Join the Identitarian Movement." One goal of the campaign, according to the intelligence agencies, is to recruit new young members.

Effect on children and adolescents

"This is typical fear-mongering," says Rolf Frankenberger, scientific director of the Institute for Research on Right-Wing Extremism at the University of Tübingen. Portrayals of one's own population as a minority and calls for "remigration" are familiar. What's new, however, is that young people's fears about the future are being addressed. Shrinking pensions and the collapsing healthcare system are also mentioned. The flyers deliberately portray a generational conflict with the "boomers," explains Frankenberger.

The Identitarians are good at hyping themselves up with such campaigns and portraying themselves as more important than they actually are, the researcher says. The danger of the leaflets, however, lies in the fact that they could lure young people online, where they could potentially become radicalized in right-wing circles, the expert says. He estimates that the Identitarians' target group is adolescents between 13 and 16 years old. "Those who are in the middle of puberty, seeking orientation, grappling with questions of identity."

Dealing with content

From researcher Frankenberger's perspective, the flyers should definitely not end up in the trash. "It's best to take them to community education classes," he says. Such issues need to be addressed and the problems discussed.

The Bavarian Ministry of Education emphasizes that schools can contact the regional commissioners for democracy and tolerance in the event of extremist incidents. Extremism prevention is also enshrined in curricula, as are visits to concentration camp memorials. Minister of Education Anna Stolz (Free Voters) also points to the "constitutional quarter hour" introduced in Bavaria. This strengthens awareness of values ​​such as freedom, human dignity, and the rule of law. The spread of disinformation and the risk of radicalization pose a growing challenge not only for Bavarian schools, according to the ministry.

The Ministry of Education in neighboring Baden-Württemberg sees disinformation as a threat to social cohesion. Therefore, a task force has been established in the southwest to pool resources and counteract it with media and democracy education in schools. In addition, a new subject will soon be introduced in secondary schools: computer science and media education. In this subject, students learn to critically examine information and sources, as well as analyze and classify interests in the dissemination of information.