The trio apparently wanted to set an example on June 1st at the beginning of “Pride Month” (which stands for open dealings with different sexual identities, among other things) – but the majority of the classmates probably had a problem with that. “They followed them, sprayed them with water or hit them,” writes a witness.

The mobile phone videos (published on social media channels) show, among other things, how the girls are standing in a corner of the school and being filmed and harassed by their bawling classmates.”

The pictures make us stunned,” says Wolfgang Siebeck, headmaster of the Robert Koch Realschule in a statement. “We deeply regret the incident and assure you that the attitude shown in the video does not reflect the attitude of the majority of students and teachers at the Robert Koch Realschule.”

The recordings show children in the 5th and 6th grades in particular. An “intensive dialogue” was entered into with the affected schoolgirls, the statement said. And: The incident will be taken as an opportunity to do even more to promote tolerance and empathy towards others. Siebeck: “The sexual orientation of our students plays no role in the distribution of our empathy and appreciation.”

The well-known scene blogger Wiktoria Phillips aka “Wikiriot” (28) made the scandal known. The feminist is convinced that what is happening in schools is a good reflection of the “internalized hostility towards queers in our society”.

“Incidents like the one at the school in Dortmund can never be completely prevented. It’s more about how I as a school or teaching staff deal with such a situation. And if there are safety mechanisms or emergency plans at school for such situations, then the young people don’t come to me, they go to their teachers.”