The German Review

The German Review

The German Che Guevara

On the anniversary of Sophie Scholl's 100th birthday

Jörg Luyken's avatar
Jörg Luyken
May 11, 2021
∙ Paid
4
Share

The German Che Guevara

Hans and Sophie Scholl © https://www.flickr.com/photos/74557557@N02/16896173135

Sophie Scholl, a member of the peaceful White Rose resistance against the Nazis, was born 100 years ago on Sunday.

The birthday comes at a time when Scholl’s legacy is more hotly debated than ever due to a new tendency of the fringe political movements to appropriate her for their goals.

For participants at the anti-lockdown Querdenker demonstrations, she has become a patron saint of their cause.

Back in November, a young student called Jana got up on stage and claimed that the lockdown restrictions made her “feel like Sophie Scholl” - words that were caught on camera and unleashed a wave of outrage across social media. “Jana aus Kassel” has since become a Schimpfwort signifying ignorance and exaggerated self-pity.

That wasn’t an isolated incident. In April a woman was spotted with a placard at a demo quoting Scholl: “The real damage is done by those millions who want to ‘survive.’ The ho…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to The German Review to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Jörg Luyken
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture