Essen, 08.12.2023

We are devastated by the brutal Hamas attack on Israel, we mourn with the victims and their families, and our thoughts are with the Israeli hostages still being held. We firmly reject any form of relativization or support for the terrorist attack.

Since then, Israel's military actions in Gaza have led to the death and displacement of Palestinian civilians and a humanitarian crisis at a catastophic scale. Our sincere compassion goes out to those killed, injured, and bereaved. After the temporary ceasefire, the current war threatens to escalate further and spread beyond the region.

The prerequisite for peace is always dialogue. But constructive dialogue in the context of this war is not being practiced everywhere at the moment – especially in Germany. In this country, the war is being met with an increasingly polarizing political and media debate about identity, migration, and asylum. A dynamic has emerged that fuels anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and anti-Muslim racism, which pits groups against each other on the backs of those affected. We firmly reject this!

We stand up for the protection of Jewish as well as Muslim life in our country. We show solidarity with artists and colleagues who are affected by growing discrimination, who are increasingly living in fear and under pressure. It is our task as an international production house and urban social space to communicate the complex and contradictory realities of people.

This can only succeed if everybody contributes to creating respectful exchanges, engages in peaceful debates, and gives space to different experiences and opinions.