In many small towns and villages in eastern Germany, young people are confronted with neo-Nazi violence on a daily basis.  AMAL, an institution that provides advice and support to victims of racist and right-wing violence, published a comic book to show young people how they can defend themselves and organize help.


How can you make teenagers aware of extreme right-wing groups and the danger they are to society?  In order to catch the attention of young people, why not make use of a medium that appeals to them?  The staff members of AMAL - a project that provides advice and financial support to victims of racist violence in Saxony - and the regional anti-racism association “Akubiz” came up with the idea of producing a comic book about the topic.  The project “Enough is enough in Sachsnitz!” is meant to inspire young people to speak up for democracy, tolerance and human rights.

A "typical small town in eastern Germany“: Tarik, a Palestinian, Nancy, whose father is Cuban, and the punk girl Mandy are chased and attacked by neo-Nazis.  Fortunately, a committed social worker and courageous teenagers arrive to help them.  But in spite of this, the situation escalates.  The social worker advises them to ask for help at AMAL, an institution that offers help to people who have been victims of racist harassment or attacks.  Many young people are confronted with neo-Nazis violence on a daily basis.  Sometimes their friends are drawn into the right-wing scene, they see the local youth club being misused by right-wing extremists as a place for recruiting new members, or they themselves become victims of violence.  In response to such situations, the comic book shows young people how they can defend themselves and organize help.  The Amadeu Antonio Foundation supports the project as it is particularly suited to make young people aware of the problems and to offer possible solutions.

The innovative idea of the comic project (there is nothing like it in Saxony so far) helps to give teenagers a wake-up call, especially to those who live in the periphery of Saxony where the extreme right has been successful in spreading its hateful ideology.  The story is set close to reality in the lived-in world of teenagers and adolescents in Eastern Germany. Regional experiences of the AMAL project have contributed to the story: it emphasizes the discrimination against refugees and teenagers who look “different”.


Antonia Oettingen

You want to make a change by supporting young and committed initiatives to stand against racism and neo-Nazism? Why not make a donation to the Amadeu Antonio Foundation?