Before and during the 2004th performance of the play “Linie 1” at the GRIPS Theatre, the ensemble, GRIPS team members, and visitors gathered in front of the glittering photo wall of the #NoBackdrop campaign against right-wing extremism, racism, anti-Semitism and conspiracy ideology. Together, they showed how Berlin speaks up when neo-Nazis, racists, or anti-Semites try to occupy the city with their ideologies.
The world-famous theatre play “Linie 1” expresses the content of the joint campaign: Berlin is diverse, open, international, non-conformist, often loud and exhausting, however: the city is not a backdrop for right-wing extremism, racism, anti-Semitism, and conspiracy ideology.
Philipp Harpain, director of the GRIPS Theatre, emphasized before the performance:
In these times, when right-wing populist parties and right-wing extremist groups have also gained influence in Germany and are spreading anti-democratic and racist opinions, our theater, which is committed to children’s and human rights, can only continue to appeal to the shared values and goals of democracy, equality, peace, and climate protection. We must show that democracies in a globalized world will only survive with united forces, regardless of origin or borders, without restrictions on the right to asylum.
We would like to thank the many guests and passers-by who spontaneously posed in front of the photo wall to set an example against right-wing extremism, racism, anti-Semitism, and conspiracy ideology.
The GRIPS Theatre is a partner of BERLIN AGAINST NAZIS and is participating in the campaign “BERLIN – No Backdrop for Nazis” initiated by the partner network. This campaign opposes the staging of right-wing extremist, racist, anti-Semitic, and conspiracy ideological gatherings in the government district and is supported by the alliance “Bündnis für ein weltoffenes und tolerantes Berlin” , as well as neighboring instututions of the government district such as “TIPI am Kanzleramt” and the Akademie der Künste (AdK).
Our campaign flyer, which was distributed during the event, is available online in 16 languages thanks to our partner in the campaign, the language learning company babbel.
More photos of visitors on Instagram.
Detailed press release of the GRIPS Theatre (PDF).
Photos: Berlin gegen Nazis/Florian Boillot
Photo wall: Werkstatt für alles | large masks: Wintercroft