With Heavy Hearts AL.Berlin will have to CANCEL this year’s AL.Festival.2023

The ongoing war on Palestine, with its tremendous unfolding results, again leaves us no choice.

The Imperative of now is:-
Stop The War On Gaza Now!

Unfortunately a simple post by a music based initiative can’t hold the complexity. But few words must be said:-
AL.Berlin is a platform for a Free, Just and Egalitarian Berlin, WANA Region & World.
There is no Free WANA Region without a Free Palestine.

Needless to say we decry the loss of lives everywhere in the WANA Region.

It is important to state that any Standing against the reality of Anti-Semitism and Racism can’t be used as a false pretense to justify Oppression, Displacement, Apartheid and Ethnic Cleansing.

Anti-Semitism is a European Product, Not “Imported With Muslim Immigrants/Refugees”. Most of the Antisemitic Crimes in Germnay (85% and more) are committed by Right Wing Germans.
This is of course not to imply that the “Arab World Culture” is pure and has no trace of antisemitism, or anti-Jewish discrimintation, but it surely to point to the bias and danger of equating every Anti-Israeli or Anti-Zionist Voice or Action with Antisemitism.

We ask everyone, specially the various Institutional actors & funders to stand firmly against the dangerous repression of Pro-Palestinian Freedom Of Expression in Berlin. What is unfolding is gigantic repression measures. Inquisition, Secret Police Regimes kind of atmosphere employed against Anti-Israeli voices. Especially in the cultural and artistic sectors. Individuals are threatened, projects are defunded & discontinued, and no margin of debate is kept for action.
We are truly afraid that Berlin that we love is really vanishing in front of everyone’s eyes! We find it really hard to believe we will manage to continue our cultural and community work if this continues to be a reality in Berlin.
We must safeguard the precious little space for expression we were thriving to create in the previous years.
Stand Up! Speak Up! And voice these concerns in front of all institutional actors now before it’s too late for all of us!