Bad Hersfeld school authority bans Omas gegen Rechts from school appearances

The school authority in Bad Hersfeld has canceled all upcoming scheduled appearances by the group Omas gegen Rechts, following an anonymous complaint. The group, which consists of 85 members in Bad Hersfeld and approximately 40,000 nationwide, had been conducting project days and reading sessions at various primary and secondary schools to promote tolerance and democracy.

The school authority cited the requirement for neutrality as the reason for the ban. This decision relates to the Beutelsbach Consensus, a 1976 framework for political education in Germany. The consensus mandates that teachers must not impose political opinions on students, that controversial topics must be presented as such, and that students must be empowered to analyze political situations independently.