Schule des Ungehorsams: Von der Schule zur Polizeiakte

In the organizer's words:

In Berlin schools, it can be observed that dissenting political opinions are increasingly being reported to the police. The Bundestag declaration on "Resolutely countering anti-Semitism and hostility towards Israel at schools and universities and securing the free space for discourse" from January 2025 also expressly calls for this.

The state of Berlin does not compile publicly accessible statistics and data on securitization and police intervention at schools. Nevertheless, it can be observed that head teachers, teachers and educators tend to call the police to intervene instead of reacting with educational measures. This trend is alarming, as schools should remain an educational space in which the rights of children and young people are protected and not jeopardized by police intervention. At the same time, right-wing politicians are trying to scandalize the migration history of pupils. This interview with legal scholar Nahed Samour sheds light on how the repressive education system is paving the way for increasing surveillance, criminalization and political persecution of schoolchildren.

Nahed Samour is a legal and Islamic scholar and researches religion and race in international, constitutional and administrative law, including school law, at Radboud University, Nijmegen.