Service staff at Munich’s Oktoberfest have launched an initiative calling for greater respect and opposing racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination during the festival.
According to Deutsche Welle (DW), service personnel at the Oktoberfest have reported encountering sexist comments as well as racist and discriminatory remarks from visitors.
Many such incidents go unreported and therefore do not appear in official statistics.
In response, a group of service workers launched an initiative known as “Staff Against the Right,” calling for a respectful and inclusive atmosphere at the festival.
The organisers said their own experiences at the Oktoberfest, alongside recent electoral successes by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt, contributed to the creation of the campaign.
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Calls for greater tolerance
The initiative’s members are seeking greater awareness of discrimination and have publicly spoken against racism, sexism and other discriminatory behavior at the festival.
Their campaign comes as Oktoberfest staff work among millions of visitors attending the 16-day event.
By the halfway point, organisers estimated that around 3.8 million people had visited the festival.
Security, reported offenses
The Oktoberfest is subject to extensive security measures.
DW reports that the festival grounds are monitored by 56 police CCTV cameras, with around 600 police officers and thousands of private security personnel deployed.
By the halfway point of the festival, police had recorded around 470 offenses, including reports involving assault, sexual harassment and upskirting, or the secret filming or photographing of people under their clothing.
Representatives of the Oktoberfest vendors have said that the festival community rejects discrimination, racism and sexism.
The initiative’s organisers nevertheless argue that greater attention is needed to discriminatory behavior experienced by service personnel and others working at the festival.
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