Berlinale started: pomp and protest at the opening. Festival management used the opening gala to make a plea against right-wing extremism.
Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth: Our democracy is threatened by enemies. Several people carried signs in memory of the victims of the 2020 Hanau racist attack, which was on February 19th. The Berlin AfD state and parliamentary group leader Kristin Brinker had criticized the disinvitation as a “cultural-political beacon”.