From the group of punks that invades Germany’s bougiest island every summer to the Iranian artist rapping about her passport struggles, Inside Germany is our weekly look at some of the recent news and talking points that you may have missed.
In Germany, life falls into a seasonal rhythm.
The autumn is marked by beer fests, cooler weather and vibrant foliage. Then comes the winter, a time for reflection – ideally alongside a good friend in a hot sauna. The spring brings a sense of rejuvenation, and excitement for the travel you have planned and the summer season to come.
And now it’s July, so naturally the punks have taken Sylt again!
This year’s month long, and legally permitted, protest marks the fifth summer in a row that a punk occupation has taken place on Germany’s infamously posh summer vacation destination.
In case you missed it, the now annual punk takeover of Sylt can be traced back to at least 2022, and seems to have started organically.
That year saw the introduction of the 9-euro ticket (the first iteration of what is now the Deutschlandticket), which led to a sort-of joke that Germany’s poor, left-leaning city folk would head north and fill up the country’s pristine beaches. The joke grew into a viral meme, and then an actual movement. Ironically, the whole thing may have been sparked by an article in Bild which worried about exactly that.
READ ALSO: Punks take over posh German island to take on the far right
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A group of punks stroll through the pedestrian zone in Westerland on the island of Sylt. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Axel Heimken
Long known as a summer play place for Germany’s rich and famous, Sylt has been home to a fair share of controversies. Such as in 2024 when a video of young people shouting Nazi slogans to the tune of a popular song went viral.Â
The punk protest here can be seen as standing against conservative and far-right politics, and drawing attention to the social injustice that wealthy people can afford to holiday in Germany’s nicest locations while lower income taxpayers generally cannot.
The district of North Frisia had tried to stop the protest this year, but an administrative court ruled in favour of the protesters, saying it was protected freedom of expression.
The initiative “Action Sylt” which organises the protest, pays fees for utilities to the district while the camp is established.Â
Where is this?
Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Jennifer Kramer
Festival season is in full swing in Germany now.Â
Just this weekend, festival seekers could choose between; electronic music at Open Beatz Festival in Herzogenaurach, darkwave and gothic music at Amphi Festival in Cologne, or classical and opera at the Bayreuth Festival.
Of course, reading this on Saturday, it’ll be a tad late to get into those (with the exception of the Bayreuth Festival which continues through most of August).
But, if you’re interested, there are plenty more festivals to choose from in the coming weeks. We detailed a few of them in our August events roundup, which you can read here.
The above photo was taken as Das Fest, a favourite summer-time event in Karlsruhe.
A theme song for the immigration office
“Got an appointment, for an appointment, for an appointment for next year…” sings Faravaz in her recently released song “Passport”.
Being “stuck in the middle between Berlin and Tehran”, Faravaz Farvardin has probably seen immigration challenges on a level that those of us coming from the United States or the United Kingdom can’t imagine.
Still, that above lyric is bound to strike a nerve with just about every non-EU immigrant in Germany, regardless of their country of origin.
@faravaz I am still a refugee ?
If you can’t play the video embedded above, you can see the clip here on TikTok here or listen to the full song on Youtube.
For now, Faravaz is a little-known artist in Germany. But she joins a long list of immigrant artists to jump into the country’s music scene – some of which have found tremendous success.
Starting with music from the ‘Guest Worker’ generation, immigrants have noticeably influenced German music since at least the 1960s.
Then in the 1990s, in response to a rising anti-immigrant and xenophobic sentiment, second generation Turkish-German artists contributed to the booming German hip-hop scene. This continued to develop until today, and led to the rise of some of the biggest artists in recent decades, like Haftbefehl.
READ ALSO: Why is everyone in Germany talking about a documentary called ‘Babo’?
If you’re interested in checking out some of Germany’s musicians with an immigration background who are popular at the moment, you might try Reezy, Ayliva, Jazeek, or Pashanim, just to name a few.
Do you have a favourite foreign musician who’s big in Germany? Tell us in the comments.