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Filmmaker Russell (r.): Attack against Israel

Photo: Clemens Bilan / EPA

Anti-Israel statements made by filmmakers during the Berlinale awards ceremony have sparked sharp criticism from German politicians.

Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "What happened yesterday at the Berlinale was an intolerable relativization.

Anti-Semitism has no place in Berlin, and that also applies to the art scene."

He expects the Berlinale management to ensure that “such incidents” do not happen again.

At the gala on Saturday evening, filmmaker Ben Russell spoke on stage of a "genocide" in the Gaza Strip.

Several people on stage carried a note that read “Ceasefire Now.”

Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra called on Germany to stop supplying weapons to Israel.

Adra and three colleagues filmed the documentary “No Other Land” and won the documentary film award for it.

The film is about the displacement of Palestinians in the villages of Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the West Bank.

It was difficult for him to celebrate the award while "tens of thousands of people were being slaughtered in Gaza," Adra said on stage.

The audience responded with strong applause and cheers.

There was also clapping on stage, but there was no classification from either side.

Jury member Véréna Paravel had a note calling for a ceasefire stuck to her back when she presented Adra with the 40,000 euro prize.

Criticism of Claudia Roth

Mayor Wegner, who was in the audience, wrote on X: “Berlin has a clear stance when it comes to freedom.

Berlin is firmly on Israel’s side.

There is no doubt about that.

“Full responsibility for the deep suffering in Israel and the Gaza Strip lies with Hamas.”

Hamas alone has the power to "end this suffering by releasing all hostages and laying down their weapons."

Berlin's Senator for Culture Joe Chialo wrote on

The Green Party politician Konstantin von Notz wrote on X about a “perfidious perpetrator-victim reversal.”

An entry from CSU General Secretary Martin Huber said: “It’s a shame.

Open anti-Semitism at the Berlinale and the German cultural scene applauds.«

The CSU politician Dorothee Bär, deputy of the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag, attacked Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth.

Bär told the "Welt": "Under this Minister of State for Culture, one anti-Semitism scandal follows the next." It was "unbearable" that "one of the largest film festivals in the world is being exploited as an anti-Israel festival in the German capital of all places."

Berlinale management respects “individual opinions”

A Berlinale spokeswoman told SPIEGEL that they respect the statements of guests and award winners, "these are independent, individual opinions."

They do not reflect the attitude of the festival.

"In her speech on stage, Berlinale managing director Mariette Rissenbeek condemned the murderous attack by Hamas on October 7th and called for the release of the hostages and recalled the suffering of all victims of the violence in Israel and Gaza." They condemn "every form of anti-Semitic agitation”.

On Sunday, entries on an official Berlinale Instagram page sparked additional discussions.

It said, for example: "Stop the Genocide in Gaza" and: "Free Palestine: From the River to the Sea", a slogan that denies Israel the right to exist.

The Berlinale spokeswoman said the statements “did not come from the festival” and “did not reflect the attitude of the Berlinale.”

The entries were deleted after a few minutes.

An investigation has been launched to clarify “how this incident could have happened.”

They will “file criminal charges against unknown persons.”

sms/dpa/AFP