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Documenta: anti-Semitism officer criticizes - Steinmeier draws attention to Israel's right to exist

2022-06-19T10:29:04.106Z


Documenta: anti-Semitism officer criticizes - Steinmeier draws attention to Israel's right to exist Created: 06/19/2022, 12:20 p.m By: Linus Prien The “Documenta” takes place in Kassel every five years. It is an art exhibition. This year it will be overshadowed by the anti-Semitism debate by some artists. Kassel - Even after the opening, the "Documenta" art fair is confronted with allegations


Documenta: anti-Semitism officer criticizes - Steinmeier draws attention to Israel's right to exist

Created: 06/19/2022, 12:20 p.m

By: Linus Prien

The “Documenta” takes place in Kassel every five years.

It is an art exhibition.

This year it will be overshadowed by the anti-Semitism debate by some artists.

Kassel - Even after the opening, the "Documenta" art fair is confronted with allegations of anti-Semitism.

The federal government's anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, criticized the organizers of the exhibition.

Klein told

Bild am Sonntag

: "Those responsible for the Documenta have not been able to credibly dispel the allegations of anti-Semitism.

I very much regret that, especially after the heated public discussion on this."

Documenta: Steinmeier doubted whether he would appear at all

On Saturday

(June 18)

, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was also critical of the Indonesian curatorial collective.

The group "Ruangrupa" was accused of also involving organizations that supported the cultural boycott of Israel or were anti-Semitic.

Rarely has a documenta sparked such a fierce debate as this year's, said Steinmeier.

"I want to be frank: I wasn't sure in the past few weeks whether I would be here today," he said in his opening speech with a view to the anti-Semitism debate about the 2022 show.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier attended the documenta opening in Kassel.

© Andreas Fischer

Documenta: Recognition of Israel in Germany is the basis and prerequisite for debate, says Steinmeier

Klein, who has been the Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the fight against anti-Semitism since 2018, told

Bild am Sonntag

: “I share the Federal President’s critical assessment.

It cannot be that anti-Semitism is part of the publicly funded artistic discourse in Germany.” Steinmeier had said that criticism of Israeli politics was allowed.

"But where criticism of Israel turns into questioning of its existence, the limit has been crossed," said the Federal President.

In the run-up to the show, he observed "some thoughtless, careless dealings with the State of Israel," he said.

In Germany, however, the recognition of Israel is the basis and prerequisite for the debate.

Documenta: The CDU prime minister also takes the allegations of anti-Semitism seriously

Hesse's Prime Minister Boris Rhein also previously emphasized that he takes the accusation of anti-Semitism very seriously.

"German politicians cannot simply say nothing about it when the accusation of anti-Semitism is raised in the country of the perpetrators of the Shoah," he emphasized, adding: "Anyone who wants a free and liveable country cannot anti-Semitism tolerate.” This also applies to “the secret varieties of criticism of Israel as substitute anti-Semitism”.

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Against the background of the political debate surrounding Documenta fifteen, the opening day was accompanied by smaller rallies by pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups.

(lp/dpa)

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2022-06-19

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