Two teachers in eastern Germany have tried to counter the far-right activities of students at their small-town high school.

They counselled bullies who threatened to beat up immigrant classmates. They gave more lessons about their country's Nazi past. They invited in a Black rapper to talk about mutual respect.

None of it helped.

In desperation, Laura Nickel and Max Teske wrote a public letter in which they described an atmosphere of intimidation at Mina Witkojc School in Burg.

They reported students greeting each other with the Nazi salute, scratching swastikas on their desks and playing music with racist lyrics in the hallways.

“Teachers and students who openly fight against far-right students and teachers fear for their safety,” the two said in the letter they sent to local newspapers.

"The problem has to be recognised and openly fought. Schools should be places free of fear, full of open-mindedness and safety for everyone and cannot provide a home for the enemies of democracy.”

Even so, Nickel, who taught English and history at the high school, and Teske, a math and geography teacher, were unprepared for the backlash their call to action produced.

A letter from an anonymous group of parents demanded their dismissals. Stickers with their pictures and the caption “Piss off to Berlin” plastered light poles near campus. On social media, someone declared a desire to “hunt them down.”

“Far-right extremist statements, actions, slogans, ... and sexism were and are the order of the day at this school,” Nickel, 34, who worked at Mina Witkojc for four years, told agencies in a joint interview with Teske, 31, who taught there for three years.

'History repeats itself'

Teske and Nickel's experience has aroused fears in the German capital that the far right has gained a greater foothold in some parts of the former East Germany than many thought.

The police are investigating threats against the teachers, and officers patrol past their homes frequently. When Teske goes out, he often looks over his shoulder to see if somebody might be following him.

Recently, a man approached him in a grocery store from behind and whispered, “Get out of here,” into his ear, he said.

Yet he refuses to see the decision to leave town as a defeat. By calling out the dire conditions at the school, he and Nickel sparked a much-needed national debate about the rise of the far right in Germany, Teske said.

“We will continue to be loud, we will continue to make a political impact, and won’t let the far right win,” he said.