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The Berlinale management duo, Mariette Rissenbeek (l) and Carlo Chatrian, at the awards ceremony.
© Monika Skolimowska/dpa
Statements critical of Israel at the closing gala of the Berlinale met with a strong response.
There is a hail of accusations and criticism from politicians and associations.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz also speaks out.
Berlin - Statements critical of Israel at the closing gala of the Berlinale have reignited the debate about how the cultural scene is dealing with the Middle East conflict.
There was a hail of accusations and criticism from politicians and associations regarding the statements made by the filmmakers themselves, but also against Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth.
The Green politician announced on Monday that the incidents would be investigated.
During the gala on Saturday evening, the Middle East conflict was discussed several times.
Numerous jury members and award winners called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war verbally or with badges.
At the end of his acceptance speech for an award, the American director Ben Russell spoke of a genocide.
Scholz condemns “one-sided positioning”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) condemned the statements critical of Israel on Monday.
Scholz agrees “that such a one-sided positioning cannot be allowed to stand,” said a government spokeswoman.
It is important in any debate on this topic to keep in mind what triggered this new escalation of the conflict - namely the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th.
At the gala, the Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham, who was honored together with the Palestinian Basel Adra in an Israeli-Palestinian collective for the film “No Other Land” about settlement policy in the West Bank, spoke about the politics of apartheid.
“In two days we will return to a land where we are not equal,” Abraham said.
“I can move freely in the country; Basel, like millions of Palestinians, is trapped in the West Bank.
This apartheid situation between us, this inequality must come to an end.” Abraham says he has now received death threats.
“It is very, very difficult for me to celebrate while tens of thousands of my people are being killed in Gaza right now,” Adra said on stage.
“Here in Berlin and in Germany I would like to point out that the United Nations has launched the call to stop supplying Israel with weapons.
And I want to support that.”
Söder: “Anti-Semitism in this form in culture is frightening for us.”
There was a lot of criticism from politicians across party lines.
CSU boss Markus Söder said in Munich: “Anti-Semitism in this form in culture is frightening for us.” Like numerous other politicians, he also criticized Minister of State for Culture Roth, who, like Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU), was in the gala audience.
The Berlinale is supported by the federal government and supported by the state.
From the perspective of the Central Council of Jews, “one of the most important cultural events in Germany was once again misused for ideological agitation against Israel and Jews.”
At documenta fifteen two years ago there were heated arguments over anti-Semitic works of art.
Berlinale: “We explicitly oppose discrimination and all hatred”
At that time, management was hesitant to react.
The Berlinale leadership reacted the day after the award ceremony.
“We explicitly oppose discrimination and all hatred,” it said.
Statements made by award winners are independent, individual opinions.
“They do not reflect the attitude of the festival in any way.” The Berlinale also distanced itself from an anti-Israel Instagram post that had previously been published on an account belonging to a Berlinale series.
The Instagram channel was hacked and the posts were immediately deleted.
The Berlinale has filed a criminal complaint against unknown persons.
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Roth announced an investigation into the incidents.
The incidents should be processed together with Wegner.
Roth also wants to clarify “how it can be ensured in the future that the Berlinale is a place that is free from hatred, agitation, anti-Semitism, racism, anti-Muslim hostility and any form of misanthropy.”
“The statements at the Berlinale Bear Awards on Saturday evening were shockingly one-sided and characterized by a deep hatred of Israel,” said Roth.
The Hamas terrorist attack and the suffering of the hostages were only addressed clearly by festival director Mariette Rissenbeek.
Roth announced a conversation between her company and the outgoing management duo from Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian.
Roth is also in talks with future director Tricia Tuttle, who will take office in April.
The artistic freedom and independence of the Berlinale should not be shaken.
Meron Mendel: “We have to learn to endure such debates”
The director of the Anne Frank educational institution, Meron Mendel, warned against a culture of prohibition in light of the debate.
“Whether we like it or not, we have to learn to tolerate such debates.
It won’t work any other way,” Mendel told dpa.
A culture of prohibition and attempts to regulate everything by politicians did not work.
The debate is being conducted emotionally in many places.
This goes hand in hand with specifically German history and especially with the Holocaust.
“That is why we have an area of tension between political positioning such as the commitment to a German raison d’être on Israel and a cultural sector in which anti-Israel to anti-Israel positions are supported by large parts of the community,” said Mendel.
“The fact that the winners of the various prizes use the stage for symbols or speeches to make political statements can be seen as good or bad.” It is very difficult for the organization of the Berlinale to intervene.
“Such ideas are unrealistic and would not have made the situation any better.”
In his experience, such debates do more harm than good when it comes to combating anti-Semitism.
“It would be wrong to describe all those who criticize Israel one-sidedly and sometimes with radical positions as anti-Semites.”
Mendel also warned against exclusion.
“We are fighting an ideology of boycotting the State of Israel.
Now attempts are being made to counter this with exactly the same means, namely a boycott of those who criticize Israel one-sidedly.
The answer to boycott cannot be boycott.
The answer to boycott can only be encounters, discourse, arguments.” dpa