Thousands brave rain at Jamel rock festival’s anti-extremism concert

Rain delayed the Jamel rock festival by a day, turned its grounds into mud and forced organizers to shorten the program. Thousands of people still came to the small village near Wismar, many in rubber boots and some barefoot, to hear six rock and punk bands and send a message against far-right extremism.

About 2,500 spectators attended the festival. The previous day’s concert had been cancelled after six hours of rain left the site too soft for trucks to deliver sound equipment to the stage. Organizers spread large amounts of bark mulch and laid mats to create safer access routes, although the ground remained muddy.

The Schuman Band, a project led by Rainer Schumann, drummer with Fury in the Slaughterhouse, opened the event. Other highlights included performances by Soffie and Deine Cousine. Tickets had to be allocated by lottery this year, partly because of the prominent musicians taking part.

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We got the problems with the mud under control today, we spread a great deal of bark mulch.

The festival, held since 2007 by Birgit and Horst Lohmeyer, is intended as more than a music event. It serves as a counterpoint to efforts by local neo-Nazis to transform Jamel into a far-right model community. Political workshops and information booths accompanied the concerts.

This year, the Lohmeyers awarded the democracy prize to Europaschule Rövershagen near Rostock. The school’s working group on war graves has examined the fates of victims of National Socialism and built a freight wagon memorial in its schoolyard, recalling the trains used to transport Jews and other Nazi victims to concentration camps.

Minister-President Manuela Schwesig, the festival’s patron, visited shortly before the state election. Addressing the Lohmeyers, she said, “Your home is our home,” and urged the audience not to give space to right-wing extremism. The crowd applauded.

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Your home is our home.