Let’s talk about fascism, baby.
That was the message from German musicians Danger Dan and Igor Levit at a benefit concert in Berlin Tuesday night.
The duo, known for their political activism, were set to perform their new “antifascist” song “Keine Angst” (No Fear), on Die Anstalt, a popular German topical comedy show. But the network, public broadcaster ZDF, pulled them. The channel said the song could be considered an incitement to violence and was not in line with their program guidelines.
So the pair put on a concert at Berlin’s Columbia theater, and live-streamed it on YouTube.
Instead of talking about being canceled by ZDF, and the fierce debate it has sparked in the German media about freedom of speech, the band focused on raising the alarm about the rise of Germany‘s far-right.
“How should we deal with the fascists who are entering parliaments and taking to the streets?” Danger Dan asked the Berlin audience. “How do we deal with right-wing violence that is exploding and becoming increasingly brutal?”
“How do we help people [who] fear leaving their homes because Nazis are patrolling?” added Levit. “How can one alleviate their fear and show them they are not alone?”
ZDF director General Norbert Himmler defended the decision to pull the band. Their new song is “a manual for violent left-wing resistance,” Himmler told German newspaper Süddeutschen Zeitung. The lyrics to “Keine Angst” include lines suggesting activists out “nazi pigs” by doxxing far-right extremists. The song ends with a what appears to be a friendly greeting to left-wing activists who have been either convicted of, or are on trial for, violent attacks against members of the far-right.
But not everyone agrees with ZDF’s decision. The hosts of Die Anstalt called the network’s decision “cowardly,” and used their show to argue that ZDF should have let Levit and Danger Dan perform. The comedians attended Tuesday’s concert, sitting in the front row.
In an open letter on Monday, eight members of ZDF’s television council called out Himmler for pulling the song.
“ZDF missed an opportunity to spark a debate about right-wing extremism in Germany and the various ways to combat it,” the letter reads. “The cancellation of the performance by Danger Dan and Igor Levit thus demonstrates not only a lack of courage but also a lack of trust in the program’s editorial team…We fear this could have a chilling effect.”
The debate is coming against the backdrop of rising support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), a xenophobic and anti-migrant party that is currently leading national opinion polls. Many consider the AfD a threat to German democracy and have called for the party to be banned. The party is not currently in power anywhere in the country but that could change this year. The AfD is within striking distance of achieving an absolute majority in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt in September.
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