“Kampf der Nibelungen” (“Fight of the Nibelung”) is the largest annual martial arts competition of neo-Nazi sympathisers in Germany. Since the picture was taken, journalists and politicians alike have voiced their dismay on social media.
Some of the young people seen in the picture are members of the so-called M-Block, a group of football fans supporting the Luxembourgish national team. Next to the man wearing the controversial t-shirt is Bob Gebele, president of the M-Block.
Since people in the picture have been accused of being Nazis, Gebele has filed a lawsuit for defamation and distanced himself from right-wing scenes: “I have nothing to do with such matters. I am not doing particularly well at the moment, the situation is not bearable.”
The M-Block president further elaborated: “Well, the first thing I’ve done is to actually look up the meaning of the t-shirt since I had no knowledge of it. ... Out of all the people I talked to about this since, not a single one knew what it actually means without doing their own research.”
Gebele was unwilling to comment on the person wearing the t-shirt or to discuss their level of affiliation with far-right movements. Nevertheless, he ensured that M-Block officials will educate themselves about the topic and help raise awareness. He further noted that people can at times be unaware of the potential symbolism tied to their clothes.
Our colleagues from RTL also discussed the issue with Luxembourgish philology student Christophe Froeling, who is currently researching far-right scenes in the Grand Duchy: “So far, they have not been able to manifest as clearly in Luxembourg as they have in other countries. There are a number of reasons, one being the fact that we have a highly multicultural society living on a particularly small territory. Diversity is normal for us and it is a core aspect of the Luxembourgish ideology. However, that does not mean that we are entirely protected against large movements.”
Right-leaning voices also use subtle ways of conveying their messengers to the broader public and have recently been observed to present themselves in a more likeable fashion. Froeling thus advises people to familiarise themselves with the issue of neo-Nazis, populism, and right-wing extremism to better identify potential warning signs.
