February 18 – Bundesliga side St. Pauli, one of Germany’s most politically active clubs, have decided to suspend the playing of a traditional anthem at their stadium after it was found to have a Nazi-related past.
The club’s famous “Das Herz von St. Pauli” (The heart of St. Pauli) has been banished following research by the club’s museum.
“We absolutely know and understand that the song has great emotional significance for many people,” emphasised club president Oke Göttlich in a statement.
“This can remain the case on a personal level, but an anthem in the stadium has a special function: such a song should bring people together, it should be a shared and unifying moment.
“In view of the discussion surrounding the song, such a moment cannot be created at present, as many members and fans have made it clear that they no longer feel comfortable with the song.”
St. Pauli, like many German clubs, made it clear how they feel about the country’s Nazi past on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz with a banner that read “no forgiving, no forgetting.”
Lyrics to the St Pauli song were written by Josef Ollig, whose previously unknown war-time activities were documented in a podcast by the St. Pauli Museum.
The museum discovered that Ollig, a journalist who was drafted into the Luftwaffe in 1940, worked as a war correspondent and produced reports that appeared alongside Nazi propaganda.
St. Pauli opted not to play the song before their Bundesliga match against Freiburg on Saturday, a decision that has caused division among fans with some booing Göttlich and others applauding. It was the first time in around 20 years that the club did not play the anthem before one of their home games.
Contact the writer of this story Andrew Warshaw at moc.l1740265385labto1740265385ofdlr1740265385owedi1740265385sni@w1740265385ahsra1740265385w.wer1740265385dna1740265385