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Hillary Clinton at the “Cinema for Peace” gala at the Theater des Westens in Berlin

Photo: Markus Schreiber / AP

At the “Cinema for Peace” gala at the Theater des Westens in Berlin on Monday evening, several people disrupted the appearance of star guest Hillary Clinton. A total of seven people stood up from their seats during the “A Special Evening with Hillary Clinton” event and loudly criticized the former US Secretary of State, as a reporter from the dpa news agency observed. They accused the 76-year-old of, among other things, war crimes. The disruptors were then led out of the hall.

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One of the demonstrators is escorted out of the hall

Photo: Hannibal Hanschke / EPA

Clinton herself was not influenced by the actions. To the calls of a man who loudly called for a ceasefire in the Middle East, she replied: "If Hamas releases the hostages, there can be a ceasefire tomorrow." She understood the strong emotions that many people are currently having, she said at the end of the conversation, "but you don't solve problems by shouting."

The founder of “Cinema for Peace”, film producer Jaka Bizilj, repeatedly called for moderation during the event. Everyone can express their opinion, but one must remain respectful, said Bizilj.

The talk was moderated by US journalist Ann Curry. Several political topics were addressed in the conversation, including the death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, the Middle East war and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.

The upcoming US presidential elections in November 2024 were also discussed, in which there will most likely be another duel between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Trump has not yet been finally nominated as a candidate by the Republicans, but in the party's internal primaries he is far ahead of his only serious competitor, Nikki Haley. The Democrat Clinton made it clear where she stands: "I'm doing everything I can to prevent Trump from having a second term in office," said the 76-year-old.

Editor's note: An earlier version of the article stated that the "Cinema for Peace" gala took place during the Berlinale. In fact, the event is organized independently of the film festival. We corrected the mistake.

czl/dpa