Germany has outlawed it, but fans from Hungary, Poland, Austria, and Italy continue to play the xenophobic song Foreigners Out, including Nazi salutes.
The phrase "L'amour Toujours" in French means "love always." Ironically, a song by this name became a hit among fans at Euro 2024 after being converted into a xenophobic anthem.
Hungary fans troll the Germans by singing "auslander raus," foreigners out. They also make reference to "Free Gigi," Gigi D'Agostino the man who wrote the tune L’amour toujours’’. pic.twitter.com/29yU1DpeDs
— David Atherton (@DaveAtherton20) June 20, 2024
The musical piece by Italian DJ Gigi D'Agostino from 1999 is played in many soccer stadiums in Germany when goals are scored. However, UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) has banned the song from being played during European Championship matches after it was also outlawed in Germany due to its misuse.
Polish & Austria fans unite to sing "auslander raus", foreigners out. The German govt has asked @X to take the videos down in Germany. pic.twitter.com/93OQ8MH2KF
— David Atherton (@DaveAtherton20) June 22, 2024
Far-right activists in Germany, known for their antisemitism and neo-Nazi affiliations, created the song "Ausländer Raus" (foreigners out, Germany for Germans) based on the same melody. The song has gained popularity and has been played at parties where many young people have sung it.
Including Nazi salutes: Hungarian fans sing the xenophobic hit
Despite the legal ban, many Euro fans sing the song on German soil. For example, Hungarian fans did so while marching to the match against the local team, with some videos showing them giving Nazi salutes.
Fans of the Polish and Austrian teams also sang it together, and the German government requested X (formerly Twitter) to block the videos showing this to users in Germany. The Italian fans went further, not singing the prohibited lyrics but playing the melody in the 54th minute of the match against Spain. The Banned Song Heard in the Spain vs. Italy Match.
A similar issue had already overshadowed this Euro Cup when Albanian striker Myrto Uzuni led nationalist chants after the match against Croatia and was subsequently banned for two games.