Visitors to the festive event in Lower Saxony were stunned when far-right songs—including music by Landser, a banned neo-Nazi band recognized as a criminal organization—were broadcast during the market.
One altered song replaced the lyric “On the coast of the North Sea” with “On the Aryan beach.”
Footage posted on social media showed marketgoers drinking mulled wine while antisemitic lyrics played in the background. The incident occurred at the 17th annual Christmas market held during the third weekend of Advent, which typically draws hundreds of attendees from the region.
“This is a catastrophe for us,” Otterndorf mayor Frank Thielebeule told BILD.
“For years we’ve had a peaceful Christmas market—and now we’re in the news for something like this.” He said the music was immediately shut off, and, fearing a repeat, the sound system was dismantled the next morning.
Police are investigating possible incitement to hatred and violations of youth protection laws. A security unit is focusing on a USB drive supplied by the sound system vendor but has not ruled out the possibility of remote interference.
The city said in a statement that it “clearly distances itself from all forms of extremism” and has reported the incident to the relevant authorities.
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Source: RMF24, Express.de