Didi Hallervorden has become political again. In his new poem “Gaza Gaza,” Hallervorden calls Israel an “apartheid state.” The actor received harsh criticism for this.
Munich – Especially in recent years, Dieter “Didi” Hallervorden has caused a stir not only as a cabaret artist and actor. The 88-year-old actor also liked to comment frequently on political issues and social debates. From Corona politics to gender, Hallervorden left out little - he repeatedly shared his criticism publicly on social media. However, for his latest musical poem entitled “Gaza Gaza,” which Hallervorden published on Facebook on Tuesday, he received criticism and accusations of anti-Semitism.
In the song, the 88-year-old cabaret artist addresses the current events in the Middle East conflict and the actions of the Israeli government. Hallervorden accuses the Israeli leadership under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of, among other things, genocide and speaks of an “apartheid state”. In the background of Hallervorden's song, among other things, images from propaganda videos from the terrorist group Hamas and excerpts from the news channel
Al Jazeera
play .
At the beginning of his poem, Hallervorden emphasizes that he also condemns the “terror of Hamas”. However, this was followed by the big “but”. Hallervorden calls for a ceasefire and the immediate release of all hostages. “Atrocities usually have antecedents,” says Hallervorden finally, before the actual poem begins.
The logos of the German defense company Rheinmetall and the Jewish-American investment company Blackrock can also be seen in the video. “But the power that creates the beasts out of cold calculation is cursed,” is Hallervorden’s line about the pictures, reports
t-online
. However, Hallervorden's criticism does not only apply to Israel. The parties in the German Bundestag are also an issue. “From Ampel to AfD,” says Hallervorden, the parties “swear allegiance to apartheid” through their stance on Israel.
CDU criticism of Hallervorden's poem: "Self-righteous anti-Semitism as a lyrical piece of poetry"
Criticism of Hallervorden's poem comes from the ranks of the CDU. “Written by Diether Dehm, presented by Dieter Hallervorden. Self-righteous anti-Semitism as a lyrical piece. Instead of honey, dirt in the head. To choke,” said the CDU Bundestag member, Gitta Connemann, to the
Bild
newspaper. The President of the German-Israeli Society (DIG) Volker Beck also commented on Hallervorden's lines. “If you are looking for an example of guilt-defense anti-Semitism in connection with the perpetrator-victim reversal in the Middle East conflict, Hallervorden’s work is a picture-perfect example,” Beck also told the newspaper.
The
Jüdische Allgemeine
also sees Hallervorden's contribution as a general problem in the cultural scene, as its author writes in a gloss. “Hallervorden is of course not an anti-Semite. Iwo, he means well. He's not the first. Many cultural workers only mean well,” it says. Hallervorden would work with “amateur tricks from the box of political propaganda,” the newspaper writes about the poem.
The co-author of the poem “Gaza Gaza” is the former left-wing politician Dieter Dehm
Hallervorden did not write the lines alone. The former Bundestag member of the Left Party Dieter Dehm is said to have contributed to the text, reports
t-online
. Dehm is now known for his critical stance towards federal politics. Dehm described the former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, as a “Nazi admirer”.
(pav)