Art is (not) free in Berlin: On Propalestinian artists' struggle against state policies in Germany

This essay examines the growing gap between Berlin’s professed support for free speech and the reality of its cultural policies, which increasingly target and suppress pro-Palestinian voices. As the point of departure, this text uses the Berlin Senate’s short-lived 2024 funding clause, which required institutions to adhere to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) contested definition of antisemitism, and demonstrates how artistic expression in Germany is often silenced under the guise of combating antisemitism. Drawing on existing records, as well as two interviews conducted for this study, the essay reveals how Germany’s Erinnerungskultur (memory culture) has become a performative instrument of national identity formation, which now plays an active role in supporting the genocide carried out by the Zionist state. Analysing Berlin’s contemporary censorship, the essay argues that the city’s image as a haven of artistic freedom has long depended on structural exclusions and political expediency, exemplifying the phenomenon often described as PEP – “Progressive Except for Palestine” – where liberal institutions and actors campaigning for inclusivity draw the line at Palestinian solidarity. Through a critical analysis of the historical and ongoing suppression of pro-Palestinian voices, the essay highlights the rapidly shrinking space for artistic and academic autonomy and urges resistance to these limitations. As the Zionist state’s ethnic cleansing across occupied Palestine continues and the repression of pro-Palestinian solidarity across Germany intensifies, the country’s art world must reckon with a hard truth: its freedom of expression remains deeply conditional and unequally distributed.