Deepening the subject matter outside of school, perhaps also promoting team spirit and doing so in beautiful nature, not far from Berlin: This is how a school class from the capital imagined a planned math camp in southern Brandenburg, which has now turned into a nightmare.

Because of racist insults, the students have broken off their trip to a holiday resort prematurely, as the police announced on Monday. The state security is investigating incitement to hatred and threats.

Drunk and partly masked

Politicians, the affected institution and the municipality condemned the incident, and the Berlin education administration promised help. Previously, the "B.Z." had reported on the incident.

The pupils of a tenth grade of the Lina-Morgenstern-Gemeinschaftsschule in Berlin-Kreuzberg had rented a math camp with teachers in a holiday facility in Heidesee (Dahme-Spreewald).

Also accommodated at the same time as them was a group from the region celebrating the 18th birthday of a person. The young people were obviously bothered by the other guests from Berlin, some of whom were recognizably Muslim and wore headscarves.

According to the police, the school class was racially insulted and threatened from this group on Sunday night. According to the officials, they were able to prevent a physical altercation. According to the Berlin education administration, the young people were drunk and partly masked.

Students are interviewed

Brandenburg's Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke condemned the racist incident in the leisure facility as "repulsive" and "frightening". "We will not tolerate right-wing extremism in Brandenburg, we will not tolerate racism in Brandenburg, that is the clear message," Woidke told RBB on Monday.

To this end, all the possibilities offered by a strong democracy would be used. First, however, the investigating authorities would have to do their work, and further conclusions could then be drawn according to the results.

Accusation of incitement to hatred

After the racist insults, the state security is now investigating the crime. It is about the accusation of incitement to hatred and threats. The identities of 28 people had been established, a police spokeswoman told dpa on Monday.

It is still unclear whether all of them are suspects. The questioning of the students about what is happening will take some time. Police officers had already questioned the first witnesses during the night.

After the incident, the class drove back to Berlin early on Sunday, and some parents picked up their children on site. A spokesman for the education administration spoke of an isolated case, an accumulation of such events had not occurred. He is not aware of any other recent case, the spokesman said.

According to the observation of the Turkish Federation in Berlin-Brandenburg, such cases are nothing new. "We've seen something like this more often," said board spokeswoman Ayşe Demir. Racism has increased in all areas of society, the spokeswoman said, including public transport.

However, it makes her particularly sad when children and young people are affected by hostility of this kind. In this context, Demir called for broader awareness on the part of politicians.

Berlin's Senator for Education, Katharina Günther-Wünsch, promised quick help to the affected young people in Berlin. "Even today, we will offer appointments at the school for the psychological processing of what happened for the students and their parents."

The crisis and intervention team of the school psychological and inclusion pedagogical counseling and support centers was immediately notified, said the CDU politician.

The facility in Heidesee is a former GDR children's holiday camp and continues to be operated as a children's and youth facility. Among other things, it offers school and daycare trips, club trips with children and young people as well as families.

Managing Director Nora Runneck was dismayed. "We condemn all forms of xenophobia and racism in the strongest possible terms." In her five years as an employee, there had been no such incident.