Art is (not) free in Berlin
On Propalestinian artists' struggle against state policies in Germany
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24019237 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kacper Radny (0009-0007-5116-0599, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-23 |
| Publication date | 2026-08-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Interventions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1369-801X • E-ISSN: 1469-929X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1369801x.2026.2681432 |
| OpenAlex | W7172423824 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 13 |
This essay examines the growing gap between Berlin’s professed support for free speech and the reality of its cultural policies, which increasingly target and suppress pro-Palestinian voices. As the point of departure, this text uses the Berlin Senate’s short-lived 2024 funding clause, which required institutions to adhere to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) contested definition of antisemitism, and demonstrates how artistic expression in Germany is often silenced under the guise of combating antisemitism. Drawing on existing records, as well as two interviews conducted for this study, the essay reveals how Germany’s Erinnerungskultur (memory culture) has become a performative instrument of national identity formation, which now plays an active role in supporting the genocide carried out by the Zionist state. Analysing Berlin’s contemporary censorship, the essay argues that the city’s image as a haven of artistic freedom has long depended on structural exclusions and political expediency, exemplifying the phenomenon often described as PEP – “Progressive Except for Palestine” – where liberal institutions and actors campaigning for inclusivity draw the line at Palestinian solidarity. Through a critical analysis of the historical and ongoing suppression of pro-Palestinian voices, the essay highlights the rapidly shrinking space for artistic and academic autonomy and urges resistance to these limitations. As the Zionist state’s ethnic cleansing across occupied Palestine continues and the repression of pro-Palestinian solidarity across Germany intensifies, the country’s art world must reckon with a hard truth: its freedom of expression remains deeply conditional and unequally distributed.
Autonomy · Coercion (linguistics) · Ethnic Cleansing · Genocide · Performative utterance · Politics · Shadow (psychology) · Solidarity · State (computer science) · The Holocaust · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration · Religion, Theology, History, Judaism, Christianity
Fighting Anti-Semitism in Contemporary Germany
Erasing Palestine in Germany’s Educational System
At War with Israel”
Deciphering Germany's Pro-Israel Consensus
Never, Again
Germany and the Imperception of Palestine
Staatsräson as State Racism
Gaza, Ukraine, and the Lessons of the Nazi Past
Is the Fate of Gaza Sealed? The US–Israeli ‘Imperial Expansion Dream’ Has Just Begun
Germany's anti-antisemitic complex and the question of settler colonialism
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |