2023-10-23 20:24:36
It is a harsh accusation that the Oyoun cultural center, based in Berlin-Neukölln, makes against the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion. Oyoun speaks of censorship that the authority has been exercising for a long time. Oyoun spreads on social media: “We were warned by the Berlin Senate that artistic freedom is no longer granted for politically charged topics.” A spokesman for the Senate administration has now firmly rejected this accusation in the Berliner Zeitung: “This portrayal by Oyoun We explicitly disagree! We do not censor.” The state-owned cultural site Lucy-Lameck-Straße has been operated by Kultur NeuDenken gUG under the name Oyoun since 2020 as part of a project funding from the Senate Department for Culture. The grants are approved annually.
Specifically, it is about an event planned for November 4th in the rooms of Oyoun by the Jewish Voice for a Just Peace in the Middle East eV association. In the past, several events had been canceled under pressure, according to Oyoun, including an event by the Jewish Voice , a group of Jewish and Israeli members who were awarded the Göttingen Peace Prize in 2019 for “their outstanding work to promote peace and justice in Israel-Palestine.” This time they will not bow to the pressure from the Senate administration; the Jewish Voice event should take place.
“This association demonstrably supports the BDS movement,” explained the spokesman for the Senate Department for Culture. This was also discussed before the Göttingen Peace Prize was awarded, for example by the Central Council of Jews, whereupon the city of Göttingen and the university there distanced themselves. The prize was awarded anyway.
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Senate Administration: Oyoun must move within democratically defined boundaries
The spokesman said that it is a matter of course for the Senate administration that the institutions and projects it supports are free to make their decisions regarding content. “Freedom of art and expression are a valuable asset in Germany, and we feel obliged to protect this asset.” However, institutions and projects supported by the Senate Administration must operate within democratically defined boundaries. “Against this background, we have urged Oyoun to refrain from holding the event.”
The Senate administration stands behind the Berlin state concept for the further development of anti-Semitism prevention adopted by the Senate, which states, among other things: “Berlin stands in solidarity with Israel and is committed to Israel’s existence and right to self-defense. Berlin clearly rejects all anti-Semitic boycott campaigns. Organizations, associations and people who delegitimize the existence of Israel as a Jewish state or who otherwise act in an anti-Semitic manner will not be provided with any rooms or areas and will not receive any grants or subsidies from the country.”
According to information from the Berliner Zeitung, Oyoun took part in the general strike called by the controversial organization Palestine Speaks last Friday, October 20th – in protest against the “repressive state terror against Palestinians worldwide”.
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