"What does a literary prize undermine the right to defend human rights, the principles of freedom of conscience and expression, and the freedom of criticism, without which art and culture become useless luxury." This is what artists and cultural workers write in an open letter criticizing the city of Dortmund's decision not to award the English-Pakistani author Kamila Shamsie the Nelly Sachs Prize as intended.
Shamsie advocates the controversial BDS movement, which is pushing for an economic and cultural boycott of Israel over its Palestinian policies. The jury did not know that before their decision, according to the city of Dortmund after the election. The jury members had withdrawn their decision because Shamsie's position was in conflict with the goals of the awards and the spirit of the Nelly Sachs Prize.
The open letter was signed by the Nobel laureate John M Coetzee, the musician Brian Eno, the filmmaker Ken Loach and the writer Sally Rooney. The German writer and filmmaker Alexander Kluge is also on the list. Attached is also a statement by Kamila Shamsie herself, in which she writes: "It makes me very sad that a jury bows to the pressure and withdraws a prize from a writer who exercises her freedom of conscience and freedom of expression."
By a large majority, the Bundestag had condemned the BDS movement in May. There had also been criticism of this resolution.