We, the Dachverband freie darstellende Künste Hamburg (DfdK), join the statements of the Deutscher Kulturrat and the BfdK: We strongly condemn the actions of Cultural State Minister Weimer, who removed three left-leaning bookstores (Buchladen zur schwankenden Weltkugel in Berlin, The Golden Shop in Bremen, and Rote Straße in Göttingen) from the nomination list for the Deutscher Buchhandlungspreis based on “constitutional findings.” What had previously been a mere formality—the submission of the list to the Cultural State Minister—has now become a tool for political influence and calls into question the independence of the jury. This sets a precedent for the entire cultural sector.
The recent incident involving the project “Radikale Töchter”, which advocates for strengthening democracy and opposing right-wing extremism, saw the Innenministerium cut its ongoing funding. This is part of a broader dismantling of democratic initiatives in the cultural sector. We stand in solidarity with the affected bookstores and the “Radikale Töchter” project and demand that these decisions be reversed.
When questioned in the Kulturausschuss, Mr. Weimer stated that he wants to separate artistic and freedom of expression from eligibility for funding, citing protection against extremism as justification. In doing so, he is effectively giving censorship a voice: excluding government-critical perspectives from public funding paves the way for a culture of suspicion and an undemocratic cultural climate. There is also a chilling effect, leading to self-censorship, because much of the arts depends on public funding, and a denial of support often equates to financial ruin.
In light of recent developments—including the “political override” and delegitimization of a jury decision by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds (this time affecting a translation project of Palestinian authors)—the jury of the Hauptstadtkulturfonds and the SPD culture ministers of Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland have all explicitly spoken out in favor of independent juries.
We, as representatives of Hamburg’s independent arts scene, echo this position: art must remain free from governmental influence and ideological control. Freedom of opinion and information, press freedom, and the freedom of art and science are the foundations of a liberal democratic order. Article 5 of the Basic Law states: “Censorship shall not take place. Art, science, and teaching shall be free.” This must remain the case. Freedom of art is indispensable for an open and pluralistic society, and it is the responsibility of a free democracy to safeguard it.
Your DfdK Board and DfdK Advisory Council
We, the Dachverband freie darstellende Künste Hamburg (DfdK), join the statements of the Deutscher Kulturrat and the BfdK: We strongly condemn the actions of Cultural State Minister Weimer, who removed three left-leaning bookstores (Buchladen zur schwankenden Weltkugel in Berlin, The Golden Shop in Bremen, and Rote Straße in Göttingen) from the nomination list for the Deutscher Buchhandlungspreis based on “constitutional findings.” What had previously been a mere formality—the submission of the list to the Cultural State Minister—has now become a tool for political influence and calls into question the independence of the jury. This sets a precedent for the entire cultural sector.
The recent incident involving the project “Radikale Töchter”, which advocates for strengthening democracy and opposing right-wing extremism, saw the Innenministerium cut its ongoing funding. This is part of a broader dismantling of democratic initiatives in the cultural sector. We stand in solidarity with the affected bookstores and the “Radikale Töchter” project and demand that these decisions be reversed.
When questioned in the Kulturausschuss, Mr. Weimer stated that he wants to separate artistic and freedom of expression from eligibility for funding, citing protection against extremism as justification. In doing so, he is effectively giving censorship a voice: excluding government-critical perspectives from public funding paves the way for a culture of suspicion and an undemocratic cultural climate. There is also a chilling effect, leading to self-censorship, because much of the arts depends on public funding, and a denial of support often equates to financial ruin.
In light of recent developments—including the “political override” and delegitimization of a jury decision by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds (this time affecting a translation project of Palestinian authors)—the jury of the Hauptstadtkulturfonds and the SPD culture ministers of Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland have all explicitly spoken out in favor of independent juries.
We, as representatives of Hamburg’s independent arts scene, echo this position: art must remain free from governmental influence and ideological control. Freedom of opinion and information, press freedom, and the freedom of art and science are the foundations of a liberal democratic order. Article 5 of the Basic Law states: “Censorship shall not take place. Art, science, and teaching shall be free.” This must remain the case. Freedom of art is indispensable for an open and pluralistic society, and it is the responsibility of a free democracy to safeguard it.
Your DfdK Board and DfdK Advisory Council