Against the backdrop of the AfD's recent upgrade to "confirmed right-wing extremist" status by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the Education and Science Union (GEW) is calling for clear options for schools to deal with democr...

"Statements and calls for violence must be consistently condemned and prosecuted under disciplinary and criminal law," said GEW chairwoman Maike Finnern to the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" (Sunday edition). "The task of politicians and school administrations is to create the framework for action and to provide structures and instruments so that schools and teachers have clarity about where red lines lie and can act professionally." From the union representative's perspective, various measures are necessary for this. According to her, schools need "systematic complaint and reporting procedures, prevention and intervention concepts with defined action chains, independent counseling and complaint centers, and stronger protection against discrimination." At the same time, Finnern warned against blanket consequences for teachers with AfD party membership.

It is not productive to "place teachers and young teachers under general suspicion." However, Finnern advocates investigations by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in individual cases, "for example, if there are corresponding grounds for suspicion that an AfD member working as a teacher has violated their oath and disregarded their educational mandate."