#stehtauf: Schalke take a stand

“In times like this we cannot just be brave on the pitch, but rather actively defend the values of our democratic society. There are no ifs or buts about it, we fully support the values of human sympathy and social diversity,” said chairman Peter Peters. “These are things that we Schalker will stand up for.”

As a part of this awareness week, Schalke 04 will take part in the following actions:

• Sunday, February 2nd: The U16s and U17s will visit the Dachau concentration camp memorial.
• The project “Schalke goes to school,” under the leadership of the Schalke fan projects, trains young fans in the VELTINS-Arena as so-called “second witnesses.” This is to make sure that the memories of the Holocaust are preserved and the stories of the original witnesses never fade away.
• Thursday, February 6th: The city of Gelsenkirchen will name one of the streets on the grounds of the club after Schalke’s former Jewish player, Ernst Alexander. The street will run parallel to Rudolf Gellesch Way, which leads on to the Willy-Brandt Alley. This will serve as a memorial to our talented former player, who was murdered in Auschwitz in 1942.
• Friday, February 7th: Jason and Mirco von Juterczenka will read passages from their book Wir Wochenendrebellen in the Schalke museum. In it, both father and son describe their search for a suitable football club for 14-year-old teenager Jason, who pushes the boundaries of his Asperger syndrome.
• Saturday, February 8th: #stehtauf in use on matchday for the home game against SC Paderborn.

Royal Blues fans can show their support for the campaign immediately with the help of the FC Schalke 04 app: simply take a selfie with the banner and share it on social media with the hashtag #stehtauf.

The motto #stehtauf, meaning ’stand up‘, goes back to 2015, when players, coaches and other members of staff showed their opposition to racism with a powerful video following attacks on refugees. The message is still relevant today and also refers to the chant sung at the Parkstadion in 1997: „Stand up if you love Schalke,“ followed by: „Stand up if you’re human.“ FC Schalke 04 continued this theme with the opening the #stehtauf information point in the VELTINS-Arena at the start of the 2019/20 season. This is a safe place at the back of the Schalke museum for victims of discrimination or violence and is an innovative approach towards combating exclusion in the stadium.