Berlinale Workers Demand ‘Immediate Ceasefire’ in Gaza and Call on Festival Leadership to Do the Same: ‘We Need Stronger Institutional Stances’
variety.comEllise Shafer A group of Berlinale workers have published an open letter to the festival, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and asking that leadership take a “stronger institutional stance” on what the statement calls “the current assault on Palestinian life.” The letter, which was published on Instagram Monday night with a link to a Google Form for others to sign, was in response to the Berlinale’s Jan.
19 statement on the Israel-Hamas war. “Our sympathy goes out to all the victims of the humanitarian crises in the Middle East and elsewhere,” co-heads Mariëtte Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian said. “We want everyone’s suffering to be recognized and for our program to be open to discussing different perspectives on the complexity of the world.
We are also concerned to see that antisemitism, anti-Muslim resentment and hate speech are spreading in Germany and around the world.
As a cultural institution, we take a firm stand against all forms of discrimination and are committed to intercultural understanding.” The letter begins, “We are painfully aware of the unbearable dynamics of institutional inertia in the cultural sector in Germany, and we recognize the current limits imposed on speech.
Read more on variety.com
