Pianist Igor Levit recently announced that he was receiving death threats - and received a lot of support. In an interview with the Funke media group, the Federal Government's Anti-Semitism Commissioner Felix Klein is now demanding that the incitement to hatred be intensified.
"As a society, we cannot accept that a Jewish artist receives death threats," said Klein. However, the threat in an email cannot currently be punished if it has not been disseminated further. In this case, it is not considered a sedition.
Death threats, vigilante justice, banalization, relativization and denial of history - all the drastic brutalization of language and dealings, which is becoming more and more common: Is that the climate, is that the dealings, is this the country we want?
- Igor Levit (@igorpianist) December 29, 2019Klein welcomed the fact that the Ministry of Justice wanted to tighten criminal law after the Halle attack. Section 46 of the Criminal Code states that crimes committed out of political hatred can be punished particularly severely. "So far, the law says it has 'racist, xenophobic or inhuman' motivation to act - at my suggestion, the word 'anti-Semitic' is added," said Klein. Courts could impose a higher sentence.
Musicians like Kollegah encourage people to speak their minds
Klein was concerned about the "brutalization of society". The AfD and the music industry in particular have contributed to the current rise in anti-Semitism in Germany. In their video, the band Rammstein disguises themselves as concentration camp prisoners and thus takes part in breaking taboos, says Klein. The lyrics of musicians like Xavier Naidoo, Farid Bang and Kollegah resulted in "that people who have always had this attitude speak more openly what they think."
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Rappers Farid Bang and Kollegah at the Echo Awards
Certain lines by rappers Farid Bang and Kollegah are considered anti-Semitic. An investigation into sedition was discontinued. The fact that the musicians received the well-known music award "Echo" in 2018 encouraged other artists to return theirs - and ultimately led to the abolition of the award.
In the interview, Klein called on all EU countries to develop strategies against anti-Semitism. "Germany needs that too, that's my job," he said. He also wanted to launch an initiative "to agree European regulations against hatred and agitation on the Internet and on social media". In addition, more German companies than before should review their past during the Nazi regime. According to him, around 50 percent of German companies have not yet done so.
