The scandal unleashed in Germany by political pressure on the Berlinale had barely subsided when a new offensive or alleged censorship was launched from the Ministry of Culture, this time against three leftist bookstores. The head of the department, Wolfram Weimer, member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has chosen cancel the delivery of the National Prize to German Booksellers, by “perceiving” among the nominees small independent bookstores suspected of activism. Their suspicions are based on reports from the Interior secret services. One of the bookstores is attributed a remote proximity to the Red Army Faction (RAF), the anti-capitalist terrorist group that dissolved more than 30 years ago; in another, by some graffiti against the police on its façade, which according to the newspaper ‘Süddeutsche Zeitung’ were not recent either.
The fact that Weimer resorted to espionage to support political decisions unleashed criticism from the field of culture. That the next step would consist of suppressing the festive ceremony to present these awards, scheduled for March 19 at the Leipzig Book Fair, has caused stupor. The European and International Federation of Booksellers has issued a protest, while the Prize jury has distanced itself from the minister’s decision.
The Booksellers Award, with prizes of between 7,000 and 25,000 euros, is distributed in different categories among 118 bookstores. The independent jury appoints the nominees, among whom Weimer “detected” these leftist establishments. These are ‘Golden Shop’, ‘Rote Strasse’ and ‘Zur schwankenden Weltkugel’, in the cities of Bremen, Göttingen and Berlin. The presence of these booksellers in Leipzig, the second most important fair after Frankfurt, would have been harmful, according to Weimer. After the suppression of the event, the Ministry of Culture announced that the winners will receive their prize through other means.
Second scandal of the year
The commotion surrounding this decision follows the mobilization of the world of cinema, national and international, against the pressures exerted by Weimer on Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle. The Berlin film festival, held last February, was dominated from start to finish by political controversies.
First, the Berlinale was accused of “silencing the Gaza genocide” by adhering to the German government’s line of unwavering commitment to Israel. A clumsy response given by the president of its international jury played a notable role in this, Wim Wenders, according to which filmmakers should not feel obligated to comment on these types of things. The issue shook the entire festival, which culminated in the scandal generated at the awards ceremony. One of the awards, for best debut feature, went to Syrian-Palestinian filmmaker Abdallah Alkhatibwho went up to receive him with Palestinian flags and accused the German government of “complicity” with the Gaza genocide.
Weimer called an emergency meeting of the Culture Council, presumably to fire Tuttle. There was an immediate mobilization in favor of the director. There was a letter of support from the European Film Academy, of which Wenders was a co-founder; Some 700 personalities from the world of cinema, German and the rest of the world, including Israel, joined this support, as did the PEN-Club and the Berlinale staff. Ultimately Tuttle will remain in her position, although subject to a type of advisory forum and a code of conduct.
In German media it is recalled that Weimer himself, with less than a year in office, has a notable blunder on his record. At the end of last year their links with a media group that bears his last name and that organizes events with high-level politicians. The group receives generous public subsidies. The minister is formally disassociated from the group’s structures. But his last name is still there.
Subscribe to continue reading
