A reading by activist and publicist Alice Schwarzer at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg was interrupted by protests. On several occasions, individuals rushed onto the stage and shouted toward the audience. The demonstrators were booed by the crowd.
Alice Schwarzer remained on the stage, observing the disruptions as they unfolded. Later, she said: “We are here to listen to each other, to exchange ideas. We do not have to share the same opinions on everything.”
Even before the reading began, more than a hundred people gathered outside the theater to protest the event loudly. The protesters accused Schwarzer of promoting transphobic, racist, and exclusionary “radical feminism.”
That evening Schwarzer read from her new book “Feminism Pure. 99 Words” in the Malersaal to more than one hundred attendees. In addition, the founder of the Emma magazine joined actress Nina Gummich in a discussion and also fielded questions from the audience.
The Hamburg theater had faced criticism in advance from several hundred theater professionals who published an open letter urging the venue to cancel the event. They argued Schwarzer had “for years fought against self-determination, workers’ rights, and social participation of transgender people and sex workers.” Protests also came from the queer community.
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The Hamburg theater stood by the reading. “For 50 years, Alice Schwarzer has spoken out on a multitude of topics — so many that we find it problematic to reduce her to a single position, even if some of them are controversial,” the venue told the news agency. Schwarzer is a controversial and outspoken figure. Above all, one who “not only seeks the debate but also confronts discussions.”
Some of Schwarzer’s theses reflected remarks circulating in society, “therefore they should be discussed — and they can be challenged.” Diversity of opinion is essential to democracy. “Silencing Alice Schwarzer and depriving her of the opportunity to openly discuss her views does not sit well with us.”
