Freedom for the one who thinks differently

JVL Introduction

In an act of great cowardice, the Frankfurt book fair recently cancelled an award ceremony for Palestinian writer Adania Shibli because of the war on Gaza. The book had already won Germany’s 2023 LiBeraturpreis. It is set in 1949 Israel and discusses the nakba. It is clearly deemed inappropriate for this time of war and warmongering.

This is the latest in the German authorities’ record of treating any criticism of Israel as a potentially criminal, antisemitic intervention. Since 7th October it has got much worse.

In the letter below 121 Jewish writers, academics, journalists, artists, and cultural workers living in Germany, write to condemn “a disturbing crackdown on civic life”.

The police are repressing demonstrations, major cultural institutions engaging in voluntary self-censorship.

These Jewish signatories are standing out against the current.

This article was originally published by nplusone magazine on Mon 23 Oct 2023. Read the original here.