Recommendations of the Editorial team
After Collien Fernandes’ Instagram posting in which she reported the death threats directed against her before the Hamburg demo, the mood online remains charged. In her posting, Fernandes explains why there are supposedly open questions about her report to the police in Schleswig-Holstein, how she deals with the death threats from misogynists – and what distinguishes her from Christian Ulmen, whom she does not mention by name but addresses as a “perpetrator”.
Fernandes receives a lot of support on her page, including from countless celebrities – including many male celebrities. This is becoming a point of contention because the public does not seem to agree on whether it is a good thing that men are so vocal against violence against women.
Some believe they would be better off remaining silent.
Atze Schröder in the crossfire
There are numerous reactions from ordinary users among the celebrity comments. While some like Alec “Boss Burns” Völkel are hardly noticed, others come under criticism – such as comedian Atze Schröder, who simply posted “We stand behind you❤️❤️”.
This is offset by positive reactions such as: “I knew that you were on the right side and I was still really happy that I wasn’t wrong. You are a shining role model 👏👏❤️” – or: “if all men were like you… thank you for your support”. Atze Schröder collected 1,473 likes for his comment.
Others, however, think that Schröder in particular should remain silent. “You should stand IN FRONT of her and protect her from the hatred of your peers!! It takes male energy ‼️,” says one user. Another asks provocatively: “And will you be there tomorrow?” Or: “He’s not a shining example. Such a reaction from a man to such a clear situation should be the bare minimum.” And finally: “Why don’t you make your appeal to the men who are silent?”
Schröder’s well-intentioned comment is perhaps worded a bit poorly: with “we stand behind you” he seems to be speaking on behalf of “the men” – which of course would be too good to be true.
Fictional character meets real attitude
Atze Schröder is probably an attractive figure because he is a fictional character. Hubertus Albers, Atze Schröder’s real name, uses his chav persona to reproduce many clichés about masculinity that many people find provocative, if not sexist. The fact that this persona Collien Fernandes of all people shows solidarity at least proves that the person behind it – Hubertus Albers – understood what it was about.
