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Berlinale managing director Mariette Rissenbeek at the festival's opening gala

Photo: Ronny Hartmann / AFP

The Berlin State Criminal Police Office is now investigating anti-Semitic image and text posts on a Berlinale Instagram account.

The channel of the festival's Panorama section was "briefly hacked" on Sunday, according to a statement from the Berlinale.

»These statements do not come from the festival and do not represent the festival's attitude.«

The posts were immediately deleted.

"The Berlinale condemns this criminal act in the strongest possible terms and has initiated an investigation." In addition, criminal charges have been filed against unknown people, it continues.

The published postings showed a picture of a rearing horse on the seashore, next to the slogan “Free Palestine.

From the River to the Sea," as well as a picture with the Berlinale logo and the inscription "Gaza, mon Amour.

End the German-funded State terror«.

The contributions were no longer accessible a short time later, and the Berlinale distanced itself from the postings early on Sunday evening.

The incident nevertheless caused a scandal, as did statements made by filmmakers at the Berlinale gala on Saturday evening.

Festival managing director Mariëtte Rissenbeek is trying to limit the damage.

“The sometimes one-sided and activist statements made by prize winners were expressions of individual personal opinions,” it said in a statement.

»They do not reflect the attitude of the festival in any way.«

Rissenbeek expresses understanding for criticism - but advocates dialogue

The management of the Berlinale took a clear stance on the Middle East conflict both at the opening gala and at the awards ceremony.

In her speech on stage, Rissenbeek condemned the Hamas attack on October 7th, called for the release of the hostages and recalled the suffering of all victims of the violence in Israel and Gaza.

“We understand the outrage that the statements made by some award winners were perceived as too one-sided and sometimes inappropriate,” says Rissenbeek.

The Berlinale does not share these “one-sided positions,” but sees itself as a platform for an open, cross-cultural and cross-border dialogue.

“We must therefore also tolerate opinions and statements that contradict our own opinions, as long as these statements do not discriminate against people or groups of people in a racist or other way or exceed legal limits,” continues von Rissenbeek.

“From our point of view, it would have been appropriate if the award winners and guests at the award ceremony had expressed themselves in a more differentiated manner on this question,” says the Berlinale managing director.

What is needed is an exchange on how "a social discourse in Germany can be conducted on this extremely controversial topic - with the inclusion of international perspectives - without individual statements being perceived as anti-Semitic or anti-Palestinian." One must "face this controversial topic - as international film festival as well as society as a whole”.

At the closing gala of the Berlinale on Saturday evening, filmmaker Ben Russell spoke of a "genocide" in the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra called on Germany to stop supplying weapons to Israel.

Adra was honored for the documentary “No Other Land,” which chronicles the expulsion of Palestinians 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 statements sparked a wave of outrage.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) wrote: "The full responsibility for the deep suffering in Israel and the Gaza Strip lies with Hamas."

Green politician Konstantin von Notz spoke of a “perfidious perpetrator-victim reversal.”

Israel's ambassador Ron Prosor criticized: "Under the guise of freedom of speech and art, anti-Semitic and anti-Israel rhetoric is being celebrated."

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