More than 140 cultural institutions in Berlin have formed an alliance against right-wing extremism.
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The initiators presented their “Declaration of the Many’’ on Friday, in which they made a commitment against nationalism and intolerance, and in support of the freedom of the arts.
“I hope we will make the lives of the rightists of today significantly harder. Especially in smaller towns, the pressure from the right has grown dramatically,’’ Olaf Zimmermann, head of the German Cultural Council, the umbrella organisation of over 250 federal cultural organisations, said.
Most major cultural institutions in Berlin, such as the three opera houses, all the leading theatres, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the Berliner Festspiele cultural promoter have joined the alliance.
Numerous smaller cultural houses and free initiatives were also represented.
The impetus came from the association “The Many,’’ founded in 2017, which is supported by the foundation of photographer Wolfgang Tillmans.
Similar alliances were launched in the cities of Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Dresden.
The organisers say some 300 cultural institutions have joined the initiative nationwide.