DistantNews
Support us
🇩🇪 Germany /Culture & Society

Glücksgefühle Festival Apologizes for Dropping Alphaville, Then Invites the Band Back

From Der Spiegel · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Glücksgefühle Festival director Markus Krampe apologized for canceling Alphaville’s performance over concerns about political remarks and invited the band back.
  • Krampe said the festival should be a place for music and shared experiences while defending freedom of expression.
  • Other musicians, including Campino of Die Toten Hosen and Mateo of Culcha Candela, criticized the initial decision as hostile to democratic expression.

The Glücksgefühle Festival has reversed its decision to drop Alphaville after the cancellation triggered sharp criticism. Festival director Markus Krampe apologized publicly and invited the band to perform as originally planned at the event on the Hockenheimring.

The way we acted was indeed a mistake. I am sorry. Freedom of expression is the highest good we have in Germany, and it must be protected.

· Markus KrampeThe festival director apologized for canceling Alphaville’s appearance.

Krampe called the decision a mistake and said freedom of expression was Germany’s highest value and had to be protected. He also said the festival was not a political venue, but a place for music, encounters and shared experiences. The invitation, he said, should not be seen as giving in, but as a deliberate choice in favor of what connects people.

We invite Alphaville to be part of the festival as planned. Not as a sign of giving in, but as a deliberate decision for what unites us.

· Markus KrampeHe announced that the band could return to the festival lineup.

The organizers had initially said Alphaville’s conduct was unacceptable and that they would not allow themselves to be pushed into any political camp. They canceled the band’s Friday appearance after failing to reach an agreement that Alphaville would refrain from political statements on stage. According to the band’s manager, those statements concerned opposition to the right and support for democracy.

Ultimately, we find it extremely questionable and absurd to disinvite someone who speaks out against the AfD or against Trump, or whatever. Someone who stands firmly for democracy.

· CampinoThe Die Toten Hosen singer criticized the festival’s initial decision.

The decision drew criticism from other performers. Campino, frontman of Die Toten Hosen, called it absurd to exclude someone for speaking against the Alternative for Germany party or Donald Trump and for supporting democracy. Mateo of Culcha Candela, scheduled to play on Saturday, described the organizers’ position as a complicated relationship with democracy and freedom of expression. His band, he said, regularly states its opposition to the AfD and would continue to do so if it appeared at the festival.

Are we already living in Russia, or is it still Germany, the Federal Republic, democracy? Yesterday we were still a democracy and had freedom of expression.

· MateoThe Culcha Candela singer condemned the festival’s restrictions on political statements.
About this summary

Originally published by Der Spiegel in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog