Berlinale Faces Backlash Over Speech

The 75th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) has been at the center of controversy following a politically charged address during the screening of the movie Queerpanorama. Hong Kong film director and screenwriter read a statement on behalf of Iranian actor Erfan Shekarriz. The address included the controversial slogan “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free,” which is widely condemned for its antisemitic undertones.

The slogan is generally interpreted to be the demand for the termination of the State of Israel, that is, the establishment of Palestinian domination of the entire territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the American Jewish Committee (AJC) consider the slogan to be antisemitic and inciting violence. Historian Richard Wolin also stated that the word “implicitly underwrites the elimination of 9 million Israelis by whatever means necessary.”

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“Whilst you watch this movie, millions of Palestinian people are suffocating under the cruel settler-colonial regime of Israel supported by the West. The German government and its cultural organizations like the Berlinale are contributing in some way or other to the apartheid genocide and ruthless killing and annihilation of the Palestinian people.”

This inciting comment provoked immediate responses from the audience. One of them shouted, “No genocide! Free Palestine from Hamas,” an appeal to acknowledge that Hamas, which the United States, European Union, and other countries have designated as a terrorist organization, is responsible for violence and oppression in the region. The speaker brushed this aside.

The address continued:

“I urge you, German people, to continue to fight for your freedom of speech in discussing Palestine during clearly fascist and frightening political times. Our film is about freedom, expression, and freedom. We will never be free until we are all free, queer or Palestinian.”

Here, some members of the audience cut in with, “Or Jewish!” reminding everyone that Jews are also oppressed and subjected to violence everywhere in the world. Once again, the speaker did not hear these voices.

The speech concluded with:

“while you are sitting here watching this movie, I would ask you to show respect for the Palestinian women, children, men, and brothers and sisters who have died and lost all their belongings under the hands of the occupation funded by Germany since 1948. Never again – for Palestinian lives – From the River to the Sea, free Palestine.”

Warm applause at this point indicates the stark polarisation among the audience.

The Central Council of Jews in Germany disapproved of the incident:

It is unbelievable that applause erupted for Hamas slogans. The Central Council reached out to the organizers ahead of #Berlinale2025. We were in agreement on how to address this clear hatred towards Israel and Israel-related antisemitism. We expect such behavior to be appropriately sanctioned.

The Berlinale’s management, currently led by new director Tricia Tuttle, has already taken a position on freedom of expression, stating, “The Berlinale welcomes different points of view, even if this creates tension or controversy.” However, this incident crystallizes the festival’s failure to restrict the spread of antisemitic discourse.

With Germany’s special historical responsibility, platforming such hate speech is not only irresponsible, it is dangerous.

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In my efforts to gather more information, I contacted the Berlinale Press Office with the following questions:

Did the Berlinale management know in advance that Jun Li would give such a political speech during the event, which describes Israel as a ‘brutal settler colonial state’ and blames the German government for a ‘genocide’?

We were aware that the team wanted to make a statement. All of our guests, including the film team of this film, have been made aware that there are phrases which are particularly sensitive or which have been prosecuted in some states in Germany. In addition, we pointed out to all teams, including this one, the general sensitivity of language, even if covered by the individual’s freedom of expression.

How does the Berlinale assess the use of the slogan ‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free,’ which was uttered at the end of this speech?

The use of the phrase is critical and requires particular sensitivity.

To what extent does such a political positioning correspond to the values of the Berlinale?

See answer below.

Does the Berlinale plan to distance itself from the statements made or to take further measures?

We strive to create inclusive spaces, and we know that this incident has upset many people. So this concerns us too. We have put a great deal of care into preparing for respectful dialogue during the festival, our team recognized this speech would be hurtful right away, and we addressed it immediately. We fully supported people in the audience who expressed their disagreement with the statements made by the speaker. And on stage we’ve also expressed our empathy with those who felt excluded, disappointed or hurt.

Though Berlinale’s responses actively try to demonstrate empathy and sensitivity, I believe they are insufficient to acknowledge the event’s magnitude.

To allow such speeches, which frankly appeal for Israel’s destruction, on the stage of such occasions like the Berlinale is disappointing, but moreover, it’s disturbing. The obligation of Germany prescribes categorically rejecting antisemitism. The damage control undertaken by the Berlinale is weak, as it all too prominently illustrated how perilously thin that line separates freedom of speech from propagating hate. This is an occasion for robust action, not vague alarm pronouncements.

A hate-speech platform cannot be allowed to exist on public funding or operate with impunity. Shutting down the Berlinale would be a powerful message that antisemitism will not be accepted in modern Germany or its cultural sphere.

What I have to say about it, let me be clear:

‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free’ is not some abstract political slogan; it is an unequivocal call for the eradication of Israel and the annihilation of its people. To hear it celebrated at the Berlinale is deeply unsettling and intellectually and morally indefensible. The Jewish people deserve more than performative empathy; they deserve unwavering solidarity. This is not merely a matter of political discourse, this is a matter of survival, justice, and human dignity. Freedom of speech is a pillar of democracy, but when it becomes a shield for incitement, it ceases to be freedom at all. The Berlinale’s failure to condemn this rhetoric with the force it demands is a betrayal of its proclaimed values. To stand with Israel is to stand with humanity itself, because the fight against antisemitism is the fight for civilization.