The punks are back in Sylt, having set up a now infamous protest camp on the Frisian island for the third time in three years, and this time they are speaking up against the far-right.
Aktion Sylt, the name of an organising group behind the camp has said the action aims to make “safe retreats for fascist subsidy collectors, tax-evading Nazi heirs and backward world destroyers things of the past!”
The camp is officially registered with local authorities, and permitted to remain for up to six weeks, until September 6th.
“There will certainly be several hundred people here in the camp in the course of the action,” 24-year-old protest camp organiser and spokesman Marvin Bederke told DPA.
Why are punks protesting in Sylt?
Sylt is arguably Germany’s most prestigious summer vacation destination.
The northern island is home to a number of tourist resorts and white sand beaches that attract surfers and sun-bathers.
READ ALSO: Where can you go surfing in Germany?
It’s become infamous as the place for rich and famous Germans to party on the beach. Indeed, Finance Minister Christian Lindner – who has an estimated net worth of €5.5 million – held his star-studded wedding to journalist Franca Lehfeldt there back in 2022.
The Frisian island also hit the headlines that year when the €9 ticket was introduced, allowing people to travel anywhere in the country for less than ten euros per month. At the time, a now-notorious Bild article fretted that the island would be overrun by poor, left-leaning city folk.
Sylt vor 2022 // Sylt ab 2022 pic.twitter.com/NlWbt80J1c
— Grindmaster Fesxh / NZHNTR (@grndmstrfesxh) May 5, 2022
This triggered a series of memes that snowballed until the real-world ‘punk invasion of Sylt’ was born.
READ ALSO: What is Sylt and why is it terrified of Germany’s €9 holidaymakers?
It’s not just about cheap transport anymore
The island of Sylt made the news again earlier this year after a video of young people shouting Nazi slogans to the tune of a popular song went viral.
The incident sparked outrage across Germany. But some responded with humour, alluding back to invasion of Sylt memes, and suggesting the punks had work to do.
Macht es nochmal, liebe Punks#Sylt pic.twitter.com/Mr1Y8agRbt
— fefelo (@fefelo4k) May 23, 2024
Shortly after, a small group of punks was seen on Sylt with a banner reading “loud against the far right”. They preemptively promised a strong showing at this year’s protest camp.
READ ALSO: FACT CHECK – Are people punished for using Nazi slogans in Germany?
And the police are okay with this?
Camp organisers had previously registered the camp with local authorities.
The spokesman for the district of North Frisia confirmed to ZDF that they had received a registration request for a protest camp from July 22nd until the beginning of September.
They added: “In principle, there are no reasons under assembly law to prohibit the protest camp…”
The anti-capitalist Anarchist Pogo Party of Germany (APPD) also promoted the protest as early as April of this year.
In a post promoting the event on Instagram, they said they “are already looking forward to the traditional storming of the paid beach… and to the repurposing of the Westerländer town hall into the largest punk pub in the north”.
View this post on Instagram
They also noted, with humour, that the municipality of Sylt’s previous attempts to brush off or quiet the protest have been unsuccessful: “Let’s see what they come up with this year. Maybe combat druids, or inflatable AFD politicians? We are excited.
“And we gladly take any Sylter High Society bullying as an opportunity to just piss them off more.”
The camp’s residents are required to sleep in tents, use chemical toilets and dispose of their litter for the duration of the protest.
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