Carnival float makers under investigation in Germany
February 8, 2016
Two parade float organizers are being probed by authorities for allegedly inciting hatred against refugees. One included the words "the plague is coming," referencing the refugee crisis.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Simbeck
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German authorities announced that amidst the revelry of Carnival Monday across the country, the creators of at least two parade floats were under investigation for inciting racial hatred. While past celebrations have seen floats take on politically tense themes, criticism of Berlin's handling of the migrant crisis may have crossed the line this year.
One of the incidents under police inquiry occurred in the Bavarian town of Steinkirchen by Pfaffenhohen on Sunday. Some 500 townspeople who gathered for the annual Carnival parade were treated to the scene of an army tank, bearing a black cross reminiscent of Nazi symbolism and bearing the words "Asylum Defense Force."
Parade organizers in Steinkirchen however, insisted that the float was tongue in cheek and that refugees had even taken part in the celebrations. However, the organizer of the float in question told a local newspaper "I don't want us to have to change here in Germany. I like things how they are."
2016 Carnival: Gone with the wind in Düsseldorf, Mainz
Carnival in Germany is normally a time to sing, dance and have fun. But this year, weather has played many eager Carnival fans a bad jest, with several parades canceled or downsized. Yet some spirit remained.
Image: Reuters/K. Pfaffenbach
Canceled!
Shrove Monday is almost unimaginable without the traditional parades through the German cities where it is celebrated as Rosenmontag, or Rose Monday. But the storm front Ruzica, which threatened gusts exceeding 100 kilometers per hour (60 mph), caused cancellations in several cities, including Mainz and Düsseldorf, where Carnival usually reigns supreme.
Image: Reuters/K. Pfaffenbach
Storm warning
Some Carnivalists remained undaunted, like this one in Düsseldorf. But what if a branch or part of a float had fallen on a group of people? With a heavy heart, the organizers in Mainz and Düsseldorf decided to call off the parade.
Image: Reuters/R. Orlowski
Satirical themes
In Düsseldorf, some of the floats were parked on public squares. Passersby could then at least see how Chancellor Angela Merkel is depicted as washed away by a "wave of refugees."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Gambarini
From blue to 'brown'
The float builders in Düsseldorf lived up to their reputation for not shying away from politically explosive subjects. This float describes the way the Alternative for Germany party has moved toward the political right; the color brown is often used in Germany to symbolize Nazism.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Weihrauch
A black eye for Trump
This is another of the floats that would have taken part in the Düsseldorf parade. The US presidential hopeful Donald Trump would not likely use his preferred modifier "greatest" to describe this irreverent depiction.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Gambarini
An abundance of candies
In Mainz, the floats stayed under cover. Here are some of them loaded with the candies that would usually have been thrown to the spectators. Now, it won't just be the children who are asking what's going to be done with all those thousands of sweets.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. von Erichsen
Cologne defies the forecast
In Cologne, another bastion of Carnival, the organizers decided to let the parade go ahead - but without horses, large figures on the floats and flags. And spectators embraced the motto: "There's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing."
Image: Getty Images/V. Hartmann
Eager anticipation
At the least, sturdy shoes were much in evidence among the spectators. But the jostling to pick up as many of the thrown candies as possible was not as intense as it usually is in Cologne.
Image: Getty Images/V. Hartmann
Police out in force
Police are making their presence known in Cologne over Carnival following the attacks that occurred on New Year's Eve.
Image: Getty Images/V. Hartmann
Umbrellas in local colors
Authentic Carnival fans will never let wind, weather or even fear of terrorism dampen their spirits. And when Cologne's white-and-red colors can even be seen adorning the umbrellas, it can't be long until the owners head off for their first glass of the local brew, called Kölsch.
Image: Getty Images/V. Hartmann
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'The plague is coming'
The second legally questionable float from the eastern town of Wasungen showed a train with "Balkan Express" written on it, above the slogan "the plague is coming," surrounded by parade marchers wearing locust costumes.
Local authorities are determining whether this falls into the category of free speech or if the float makers can be prosecuted for inciting hatred against migrants.
A third creation that garnered ire on social media across Germany was one made in the shape of a teepee with the words: "The Native Americans were helpless in the face of immigration. Today, they live on reservations."
Carnival floats are known for inciting controversy, from one this year in Düsseldorf portraying the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as Nazis, or last year's Chancellor Angela Merkel complete with Hitler mustache or Vladimir Putin displaying a Crimea-shaped bicep.
Authorities are carefully monitoring anti-immigrant sentiment, however, as crimes against refugee homes increased fivefold in 2015 as compared to the year before.
