Northeim district council: AfD application for flags in schools accepted!

Northeim district council: AfD application for flags in schools accepted!

On Friday, the district council of the Northeim district dealt with a proposal from the AfD district council faction, which is causing a lot of discussion. The application entitled “Show the flag for Germany – Permanent flagging of all schools and service buildings in the Northeim district” was accepted with only one dissenting vote and will now be referred to the district committee for further discussion einbeck-news.de reported.

The application, which was submitted on May 21, 2025, calls for all schools and administrative buildings in the district to be permanently flagged with German flags. A lack of a responsible technical committee was the reason why the district council followed the proposal to deal with the application in the district committee.

Similar developments in Saxony-Anhalt

A similar proposal is making headlines in Saxony-Anhalt. The Jerichower Land district has decided that in future all public buildings with flagpoles must display a German national flag. This also affects the schools in the district. The motion, initiated by the AfD, received the support of the CDU and was approved with a majority at the end of March merkur.de reported.

The measure is causing waves: critics see it as superficial symbolic politics. They fear that hoisting the national flag in front of schools could divide more than one, especially at a time when right-wing tendencies are increasing in society. One prospective teacher even says that this development contributes neither to the creation of a common identity nor to improvements in educational institutions. Rather, it is feared that the focus on flags distracts from fundamental problems such as dilapidated school buildings and educational inequality mdr.de determines.

Costs and implementation

Another point raised in the debate is the costs associated with displaying the flags. The SPD municipal mayor Marko Simon expressed concerns about the need to regularly replace the flags due to weather conditions. The CDU recently received attention through its collaboration with the AfD, which also secured a majority on controversial proposals such as the migration proposal.

Overall, it remains to be seen how the discussions about the flag will develop in the coming weeks. The fact that there are similar efforts in several districts could indicate a trend that will influence not only the political landscape, but also school operations in Germany.