ZDF Cancels Danger Dan and Igor Levit: Commentary Criticizes Double Standards on Free Speech
This commentary by Leon Holly in taz criticizes ZDF's decision to cancel a performance by pianist Igor Levit and musician Danger Dan on the show 'Die Anstalt' over a song that could be interpreted as a 'call to violence.' The author argues that ZDF's move reflects a broader pattern of self-censorship driven by fear of right-wing media campaigns. However, the commentary also sharply criticizes Levit and Danger Dan for their lack of solidarity with the Palestinian movement and for what the author sees as hypocritical silence during previous cancellations of pro-Palestine voices. Specifically, it cites Danger Dan's 2024 song 'Oktober in Europa' that defames Greta Thunberg as antisemitic and blames Gaza civilians for being shields for Hamas. The piece concludes that the two artists, while now victims of cancellation, have previously sided with state-supporting positions on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
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