"Asylum ranch" with a rainbow man at the stake - debate about a motor vehicle in Saxony

It's another video in which Germany discusses the limits of freedom of expression and freedom of art: At the weekend, several floats were pulled through Prossen in Saxon Switzerland in a carnival parade - including an "asylum ranch" with Indians, on which a man tied to a totem pole in a rainbow costume.

Footage of the move circulated on social media this week. Men and women on the float are dressed as Indians with wigs and feather headdresses. "Germany decadent and sick, Winnetou seeks asylum in Sachsenland" reads a sign on the car - an allusion to the debate about the Winnetou films and the question of whether disguising as an Indian is "cultural appropriation". The message: it isn't.

A man on the wagon wears a rainbow suit and is tied to a torture stake. Native Americans tied their enemies to these stakes. The rainbow flag, on the other hand, is a symbol of the gay and lesbian movement and is said to stand for diversity and tolerance. In the meantime, however, it is also used as a general identifier of progressive groups and is perceived as an expression of a "woken", i.e. politically correct attitude. The question that is in the room: Is that pointed criticism of the zeitgeist or tasteless?

The car is seen as inappropriate, xenophobic and homophobic by social media commentators. "Carnival is about stepping up and making fun of the powerful," writes Green MEP Erik Marquardt. "Anyone who believes that minorities should be symbolically tied to stakes and agitated against asylum seekers at carnival is simply a neglected sausage."

Above all, the motif of the man tied to the stake is criticized. "Tasty, disgusting and remembering the day of remembrance for the victims of National Socialism on Friday - especially the homosexual victims - unbelievably oblivious to history," says the queer-political spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, Falko Drossmann. "Carnival allows a lot and that's a good thing," he said when asked by WELT. “But contempt for human beings and exclusion have no place in Germany today. One can only be ashamed.”

The organizer of the carnival parade, the association Schiffergesellschaft Elbe Prossen, did not want to comment on the criticism when asked by WELT. The individual groups are responsible for the floats, explained chairman Jens George. Tilo Hamann, who disguised himself as Winnetou, cannot understand the excitement surrounding the motive car and the allegations of homophobia. "It's carnival. That's satire," said the 53-year-old WELT on the phone. "Everyone should make up their own mind about it." The criticism came mainly from "professional outraged".

The term "asylum ranch" was not meant to be xenophobic, as is now being interpreted. "If Germany no longer wants Winnetou, he is always welcome in Saxony," said Hamann, referring to the Winnetou Museum in Radebeul, Saxony. ARD had taken the popular western out of its program last year, and Ravensburger Verlag no longer delivered a Winnetou book. The step was justified with the "violation of feelings" and "cultural appropriation".

According to the organizer, 295 people took part in the parade. The number of spectators is estimated at around 2000 to 2500. The Schifferfastnacht is a tradition in several Saxon Elbe villages to drive out the winter. Two years ago, some people from Prossen also attracted attention with a float that was directed against climate activism with the inscription "Fuck you Greta".

Whether the "Asylum Ranch" this year will have more far-reaching consequences than a renewed debate on freedom of expression and freedom of art remains to be seen. As the police headquarters in Dresden announced, the representations on the motive car were submitted to the public prosecutor's office for examination. This now decides whether there is a possible initial suspicion – for example of insult or incitement to hatred. There have not been any reports to the responsible police department so far, as a spokesman said.