The 9-euro ticket causes chaos in regional trains throughout Germany at Whitsun. On Sylt, there is also growing unrest about an ever-growing group of punks who use the ticket for a “chaostage” trip to the north.
no This is probably not how the Westerlanders imagined the start of their Pentecost weekend. It’s not just the gray of the young June sky that seems to want to swallow even low-lying thatched roofs when there’s a fresh breeze. Some of the numerous guests who flood Germany’s favorite island year after year like a tourist tsunami at the unofficial start of the summer season also look strikingly different from the usual “rest”.
Not Gucci and Boss, but gold and precious stones are causing a stir this time on the “Island of the Rich and Beautiful”. But huge nose rings, extensive facial piercing, brightly colored hair, joints and streams of alcohol determine the image of the “Fat Wilhelmine”. The Sylt landmark at the fountain in Westerland’s city center was taken over by half a hundred roaring punks on Saturday. They came from all parts of Germany to shock the Sylt scene with “chaos days”.
Her husband interjects that “the 9-euro ticket was an invitation to these people to come here.” But his wife immediately picks up the argument again: “These young people also have two years of Corona behind them. And they too have the right to come here by train for 9 euros.”
At the fountain, it gets pretty loud in waves from time to time. Pogo music rattles from portable loudspeakers, about every second punk has either a beer or even a bottle of spirits in their hands, some even two. Half a dozen dogs roam around the fountain through the makeshift storage of rucksacks, bags, beer crates and sleeping mats. A rubber dinghy with a punk lounging in it is lowered into the fountain to the jeers of the punk crowd. And on the pedestrian zone, another holds a tin can hanging on a fishing rod in front of passers-by and calls out: “Donate and set a good example”. But otherwise everything is going loud so far, but without incident.
A Freud who has drawn two thick rings through his lower lip, on the other hand, says: “Randale. I admit it openly, I came here because of the riots, days of chaos!” But above all, he suddenly adds a little more seriously, he went to Sylt to finally meet friends again. “Hey, nothing worked for two years, and now everything at once!”
And how should the Sylter react to the martial appearance? Last night it was “a bit exhausting,” he admits. “Some complain. The people of Sylt throw in a good amount of money here and seem to be quite rich. But there were also grandmothers who said: once antisocial, always antisocial.” But “otherwise everything is fine”, he is satisfied. He has never been to Sylt and wanted to take a look at everything. “I’ve been here for three days and haven’t seen the sea yet. I probably won’t make it to departure either. It doesn’t matter.”
One or the other punk, on the other hand, seems to have even forgotten that the reason for the Sylt tour in the highest north of the republic was “chao days”, to which various forums in the social networks had incited the community in recent weeks. “I didn’t want to believe it, but they’re all really nice here, really likeable!”
However, the police spokesman does not rule out that the situation could change in the evening. “Unfortunately, based on experience, we have to say that as the hour progresses and the alcohol level rises, the willingness to riot increases. We still want to hope that it will be quiet in the evening.”
