Discussion
Is Germany going full MAGA?
A school woodworking teacher has received a formal reprimand for answering honestly when a student asked him, if he had voted for the far-right extremist party AfD.
The school board now claims that it was a breach of political neutrality rules when the teacher replied, he had not voted for AfD, because the national security service had classified it as extremist.
Reprimanded for NOT condoning the nazis… in Germany… in 2026. What the Fuchs?!
@randahl There are websites where people can "report" teachers (specifically teachers) for "breaching neutrality", specifically against the far right, in Germany. Obviously not operated by a neutral party.
I'd be surprised if it's not connected somehow.
@randahl Not gonna link to that directly, but here's an article in Der Spiegel about it: https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/bildung/lehrkraefte-umfrage-die-grosse-angst-vor-politischen-debatten-im-klassenzimmer-a-3454943f-9ceb-42c5-b046-2e1c419fa608
@randahl and this happened in Saxony, where the AfD is already strong.
Apart of that, there is nothing officially by law that a teacher has to be neutral. Especially not on the background that he has to stand in and support democracy. So, teachers can not be neutral, when it comes down to the blue pestilence.
FYI, the climate demonstratress, who wanted to become a teacher, was rejected in Bavaria. When I recalled it correctly, she got offers from other states, who wanted to have her.
@randahl
Hadn't heard of that one, but "had not voted for AfD, because the national security service had classified it as extremist" doesn't sound like anything he could be reprimanded for. It is a fact that the Bundesverfassungsschutz classified the AfD as extremist and strongly suspects the AfD to be anticonstitutional. There are lengthy expert papers corroborationg that view.
So the teacher just said what happened and who he didn't vote for. And /...
@randahl
.../ teachers are not obliged to be politically
neutral. They are required to exercise moderation, i.e. they must not agitate for or against any constitutional party, they must not "overwhelm" students but have to help students form their own opinion based on facts.
Imo, the school board in your story is full of shit.
@gnaddrig same rules in Denmark, apparently.
@randahl As usual the case is more complex as it fits into a few sentences.
The case will go to court and there is a good chance the teacher will prevail. As he was asked, it will be difficult to prove him at fault as long as he didn't distort anything.
The general guideline is that teacher shall be above party politics but that they don't need to be neutral on values.
Schools are matters of the state, not the federal government. So the case until now was in the hand of a very conservative school administration. In most states, nobody would probably not have raised an eyebrow.
The harmonization between the states is done through the courts which now hold the case. In November we will see, if I am right (or at least the first round).
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