Open letter against controversial anti-semitist clause Berlin Senator
In an open letter and call for strike, artists protest against the Berlin senate administration that wants to oblige recipients of public funds by means of a clause to work against anti-Semitism, according to the IHRA’s controversial definition. They fear an increase in racism and far-reaching curtailment of free speech, especially among those who plea for Palestinian interests.
In addition, no money should go to organisations classified as terrorist or extremist, according to a statement by the Senate Department of Culture on Thursday. Only applicants who sign this so-called IHRA statement will be considered.
Culture Senator Joe Chialo said last Thursday that cultural institutions are responsible for ensuring that their funding does not flow to racist, anti-Semitic, queer-hostile or otherwise marginalising forms of expression. ‘Art is free! But not without rules,’ the CDU politician said, according to the press release.
The new regulation is based on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition against discrimination and anti-Semitism and the German government’s additional extensive explanation of it.
The IHRA’s definition of anti-Semitism includes calling for the killing of Jews, demonising the state of Israel, comparing Israeli policies to the actions of the Nazis and denying the Jewish people’s right to self-determination.
Berlin artists are strongly protesting against this impending censorship. In an open letter, they oppose to the introduction of this controversial measure without any public debate. It is also ignoring the controversy over the IHRA’s definition of anti-Semitism and its partial implications. It is precisely because of the biased definition of anti-Semitism that an alternative, less political in nature, has been formulated under the heading Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, which however is ignored completely in the Senate’s measure. They write: ‘This understanding of freedom of expression and of artistic freedom is profoundly undemocratic!’
This very measure that claims to want to combat discrimination is itself highly discriminatory in character because, by codifying criticism of Israel as hate speech, it threatens freedom of political expression and artistic freedom, and favours of the interests of one group above those of others. The signatories of the letter fear a further escalation of the already highly polarised debate surrounding the war in Gaza, in which Palestinian artists and their sympathisers in particular will be curtailed in expressing their opinions.
‘However, the horrific events of October 7, the war in Gaza and the heated polemical debates that are taking place in Germany on this subject give rise to fears that clauses such as those discussed here will only serve to create an administrative basis for disinviting and cancelling events with cultural workers who are critical of Israel.’
The letter has now been signed by some 4,000 people.
GO TO THE LETTER (scroll for English)
GO TO THE CALL TO STRIKE
