Four ninth-grade students from Görlitz, a city near the Polish border, are facing consequences after being photographed making a far-right gesture during a school trip to the Auschwitz concentration camp museum in Poland.
The image, captured on March 13, shows the students performing the “white power salute,” a symbol commonly associated with extremist groups.
While the gesture is not outlawed in Germany—unlike the Nazi salute—it drew immediate attention and action from authorities. The Department of Schools and Education in Saxony confirmed that the matter had been reported to police and is currently under investigation.
School officials quickly addressed the incident, calling in the students and their parents for a disciplinary meeting. The principal issued a formal reprimand and assigned the students community service in a workshop for people with disabilities.
“The students realized what they did was wrong,” the school principal said.
Prosecutors stated there have been no other known instances of far-right extremism in local schools.
This case comes after a similar situation last year, when police in Lower Saxony investigated a video showing five students giving the Nazi salute prior to a visit to the former Auschwitz concentration camp.
