Last September, Green Party politician Jakob Blasel posted on Instagram during the “Exit Gas – Enter Future!” climate protest, with one clearly visible banner calling for people to “burn the old white men.” At the time, Basel was the leader of the Green Youth movement.
Despite multiple complaints filed regarding the banner, the Berlin Senate has now defended it, claiming it was not directed against any specific segment of the population. This was the response from the Senate Department for the Interior to a written inquiry from AfD representative Marc Vallendar, cited by Junge Freiheit.
🇩🇪🔴"Burn the old white men."
Last September, Green Party politician Jakob Blasel posted a video on Instagram of a Fridays for Future climate protest, which featured a demonstrator holding a racist and ageist sign that read: "Burn the old white men."
Blasel shared this hateful… pic.twitter.com/EvnRFYN0GU
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) May 28, 2026According to the Senate, the appeal represents criticism of current climate policy expressed in an “exaggerated and polemical form.” Such formulations are “in principle” protected under the freedoms of expression and assembly, as long as they “clearly do not aim at the commission of specific criminal offenses.”
All investigations into the matter, including charges of incitement to hatred, as well as rewarding and condoning criminal offenses, have now been discontinued. In total, nine criminal complaints were filed in connection with the sloga, five of which the Senate decided could be evaluated.
Other slogans, such as “The excavator must burn,” were also present at the demonstration, according to JF, along with around 3,000 participants.
Basel has made a career of being in the headlines.
In January 2025, after the CDU passed a law to tighten immigration, the Green Youth proposed a “firewall” against both the CDU and CSU, as long as Merz remained at the head of that alliance. Basel said at the time: “Conservatives who are supporters of Nazis cannot become coalition partners. Greens must not enter a coalition with the CDU and CSU.”
In terms of climate emissions, non-White countries are increasingly taking the lead in terms of climate emissions. For example, China leads Germany by a substantial margin in per capita emissions, equaling roughly 9.1 tonnes per person. Meanwhile, in Germany, per capita emissions are lower, sitting around 5.6 to 7.0 tonnes per person.
While Germans on the right who point out statistical data about the overrepresentation of foreigners in crime statistics are being prosecuted, those on the left can openly discriminate against White people with little consequence, and in the case of Basel, even make highly threatening comments.
