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‘Free speech is a facade’: how Gaza war has deepened divisions in German arts world

www.theguardian.com ‘Free speech is a facade’: how Gaza war has deepened divisions in German arts world

Strong pro-Israel consensus among political leaders has led to conflict with Berlin’s diverse cultural sector and a fraught debate over antisemitism

‘Free speech is a facade’: how Gaza war has deepened divisions in German arts world

Less than 10 years ago, Germany, and especially Berlin, was held up as a beacon of openness and inclusivity in a western world rocked by Brexit and Donald Trump. Angela Merkel’s decision to take in thousands of refugees displaced by the war in Syria boosted her country’s reputation in progressive circles, with many international artists and academics choosing to make the German capital their new home.

Yet the conflict in the Middle East is showing Germany in a new light, highlighting fissures in society and the arts world that until now had been easier to ignore.

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