MAGDEBURG, DE — In upcoming state elections to be held Sep. 6, polls suggest the Alternative for Germany (AfD) could win an absolute majority in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Based on the AfD’s cultural policy program, museums, theaters and cultural institutions in the region say that artistic freedom is one of the far-right party’s targets.
The AfD has announced that artists and institutions would be required to sign a declaration pledging “not to hold in contempt Germany and its culture” if they want to obtain state funding. Many of these organizations and individuals heavily rely on these subsidies.
The AfD’s interpretation of disrespect to German culture also ambiguously includes what the party calls “anti-German art.”
