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Rock singer Udo Lindenberg in front of Hamburg City Hall
Photo: Marcus Brandt / dpa
Udo Lindenberg is a new honorary citizen of the Hanseatic City of Hamburg.
With a large majority, the Hamburg Parliament approved the Senate's motion on Wednesday to give the 76-year-old Hamburg native the highest award in the city.
Lindenberg, born in Gronau in North Rhine-Westphalia, has lived in Hamburg since the late 1960s and in a suite in the Hotel Atlantic since the 1990s.
In addition to his musical achievements, Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) paid tribute to Lindenberg's efforts to promote understanding within Germany and his commitment to combating violence, right-wing extremism and discrimination.
»He is an ambassador for tolerance, peace and freedom.
In other words: Udo Lindenberg is a Hanseatic citizen, not by birth, but by conviction.« After the citizenship meeting, a ceremony was planned in the large ballroom of the town hall.
ktz/dpa