Virtual Symposium with International Journalist Jacob Kushner

A selection of German and History students from Years 10 - 13 attended the event.

Jacob Kushner, who is currently serving as adjunct Professor of Journalism at New York University, delivered a précis of the state of Germany at the moment and made reference to his recent book, White Terror, a true story about a German underground right-wing terrorist group, the NSU. His book, White Terror, has been nominated for the 2025 Gordon Burn Prize.

In this talk and ensuing discussions, Jacob covered general misconceptions about domestic terrorism, which leaves the vulnerable unprotected and lets extremists radicalise unchecked. He supported his arguments with recent facts and figures. He talked about how the German police and intelligence services missed clear clues at the crime scenes and were blinded by their own prejudices, which led to them focussing on the victims’ families and milieu rather than the eye witness reports, which in turn led to further murders by the NSU. Jacob made reference to an article he wrote regarding Hans-Georg Maassen, who was once in charge of hunting down neo-Nazis in Germany but is now being investigated for suspected right-wing extremism himself. 

The students posed many challenging questions and Jacob responded with further insights and more questions. There were lengthy and thought-provoking discussions. They discussed the dangers of banning political parties, as Germany has done in the past. The challenges of limiting freedom of speech were questioned and whether it is possible to stop hate speech and radicalisation. Jacob outlined how the NSU terrorists were able to develop their views which unchecked turned into hate and murder. Recent topics in both German, British and US politics were touched upon, as well as the students’ experiences both in the UK and living abroad of these sensitive topics. 

The symposium served its purpose in presenting how things are currently going for Germany at the moment, 35 years on from the reunification, alongside the challenges presented to many countries in the current climate. Being based in the US, Jacob was able to share his experiences and broaden our perspectives. We thanked Jacob Kushner for his time and invaluable insights. After wrapping it up, students continued to discuss the issues touched upon on the way out and across the courtyard with copies of his book in hand for further reading.