Gaza Debate Returns to Berlin’s Red Carpet

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It appears that Berlin is set to receive a follow-up event that many people didn’t anticipate. A divisive discussion about the situation in Gaza, similar to one which disrupted the closing event of last year’s Berlinale, seems poised to resurface on the red carpet of Potsdamer Platz once more.

The fragile three-week truce in Gaza appears about to collapse – Hamas claims Israel has breached certain terms of the ceasefire agreement, causing them to delay the next hostage release – and activists and protestors are already preparing to carry their indirect struggles concerning the Mideast crisis into the streets of Berlin.

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The three-week truce in Gaza seems on the verge of collapsing – Hamas alleges that Israel has violated certain aspects of the ceasefire agreement, leading them to postpone the next hostage release – and activists and demonstrators are already making preparations to bring their proxy fights regarding the Middle East crisis into the streets of Berlin.

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The fragile truce in Gaza may soon fall apart – Hamas asserts that Israel has breached parts of the ceasefire agreement, resulting in them delaying the next hostage release – and activists and protestors are already getting ready to carry their indirect battles over the Middle East crisis into the streets of Berlin.

Supporters advocating for Palestine, like the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel and Film Workers for Palestine, are urging a boycott of the Berlinale film festival as a form of protest. They’re unhappy because the festival has not spoken out against the actions of the Israeli government under Benjamin Netanyahu during the conflict in Gaza, which has resulted in heavy bombardment of civilian areas and significant humanitarian distress.

The festival has been scheduled for events at the 2024 Berlinale awards ceremony, during which several filmmakers, including the directors of the best documentary film winner “No Other Land“, were publicly criticized for expressing pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli sentiments on stage.

On its official site, the Berlinale clarified this week that expressions of national or political identity through attire or symbolic items, like donning a Keffiyeh to show solidarity with Palestine, fall under the protection of free speech laws in Germany.

These rules, nonetheless, prohibit specific expressions that are considered offensive or discriminatory. In Germany, it’s illegal to deny the Holocaust, and other forms of hateful speech are also outlawed. Lately, the phrase “From the River to the Sea,” which is frequently used to support the Palestinian cause, has been taken to court in Berlin as a call for Israel’s dissolution.

Tonight on Berlin’s red carpet, a collective of artists and filmmakers will maintain a silent protest to demand the release of David Cunio, an Israeli actor who was among the hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 incident. Currently, he remains in captivity in Gaza. This group has also circulated an open letter titled “Bring David Home Now,” which has been endorsed by over a hundred artists and filmmakers, including prominent German figures Iris Berben, Andrea Sawatzki, Heino Ferch, directors Simon Verhoeven and Marc Rothemund, producer Max Wiedemann, and actress Jennifer Jason Leigh from the movie “The Hateful Eight,” who is known for supporting Israel.

In the upcoming world premiere in Berlin this Friday, Tom Shoval’s documentary titled “A Letter to David” features Cunio as the main subject. Previously, Cunio played a role in Shoval’s movie “The Youth“, which received a special award in Berlin back in 2012.

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2025-02-13 07:54