German singer Xavier Naidoo to lead Berlin demo over Epstein connections

Friday, March 13

The release of thousands of documents detailing Jeffrey Epstein’s personal correspondence has caused political turbulence across Europe. From the near-toppling of the Labour government in the UK, to a former Norwegian Prime Minister charged with 'gross corruption', the resignation of a national security adviser in Slovakia to formal investigations being opened up in Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. So far, however, in Germany, we've not heard too much in the way of formal comeuppance. And some people, it seems, sense an opportunity.

So far in Germany, most of the agitation around the Epstein files appear to be coming from the right.

The German singer Xavier Naidoo has long been associated with conspiracy theorists. The notable soul and R&B artist, who reached the height of his popularity in the 90s and early 2000s, has since become infamous for his adoption of some of Germany's more arcane political beliefs. He's pretty much got them all. He's spoken at meetings of Reichsbürger, the right-wing movement that denies the legal existence of Germany and insists it is in fact an occupied country. He's denied climate change, stating that the Fridays for Future movement was started by the antichrist. He has adopted far-right anti-migrant positions and stated his belief that the COVID-19 pandemic was a hoax. 

He did appear to recant some of his former public opinions, stating in 2022 that he had started to question the veracity of his sources of information. And he recently performed in Berlin as part of a "comeback tour". But now he's back on politics, and may be bringing some of his 680,000 Instagram followers to join him for a rally in the centre of town this Saturday.

According to taz, Berlin police have registered a rally for 10,000 participants under the name "Transparency, Rule of Law, and Protection of Minors – Clarification in the Context of Possible German Connections in the International Epstein Case". The route of the demo runs from the Siegessäule, through the government district, and back again. 

This is not the first time Naidoo has spoken about the Epstein case. In mid-February, he attended a rally at Hauptbahnhof where he claimed that "child eaters" were adding "embryonic seasoning" to potato chips, and alleged that German politicians were engaging in child abuse. The demonstration is also being promoted by the far-right magazine Compact.

So far in Germany, most of the agitation around the Epstein files appear to be coming from the right. The AfD just tabled a motion in the Bundestag calling for a special commission to investigate possible German connections to the files – which is a little ironic, given that that those same files reveal Steve Bannon informing Jeffrey Epstein that he was advising the AfD as part of his effort to spread MAGA influence in Europe.