Iranian-German Photographer Requested to Apologize for Statement Supporting “Free Palestine”

### Free Speech or Political Propaganda? The Controversy Surrounding Shirin Abedi’s “Free Palestine” Statement

In an increasingly polarized global climate, where cultural and political alliances intersect frequently with artistic statements, a controversy has emerged around Iranian-German photographer **Shirin Abedi** and her call to “Free Palestine” during an award ceremony hosted by the **German Photographic Society (DGPh)**. This incident has sparked a debate around the limits of free speech in art, the appropriateness of political statements at cultural events, and Germany’s fraught relationship with contemporary discussions on Israel and Palestine.

But was this an example of necessary political speech, or did it cross the line into “anti-Israeli agitation,” as some claim?

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#### A Brief Overview of Shirin Abedi and Her Award

On **October 12, 2023**, Abedi was honored with a **special mention under the Otto Steinert Prize**, which comes with a substantial award of €500. Her proposed project focused on the **socio-economic impact of looted and trafficked cultural and historical objects from Southwest Asia**, an initiative that highlights the destructive legacies of colonialism.

However, it wasn’t only her photographic vision that caught the spotlight. While accepting the award, Abedi made an impassioned, minute-long speech that concluded with the phrase **“Free Palestine”**—an expression of solidarity against what she described as **”the Zionist apartheid state of Israel”** committing genocide in Palestine. Abedi, notably dressed in a **keffiyeh** and with a watermelon clip in her hair (both symbols closely associated with Palestinian resistance), urged the audience to remain “resistant” and to “keep educating [themselves].”

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#### The Backlash from the German Photographic Society (DGPh)

Abedi’s speech quickly garnered attention, but not all of it was positive. Just days after the event, **Thomas Gerwers**, the chairman of the DGPh’s Art, Market, and Law section, issued a stern letter asking Abedi to retract her comments. In his message, posted on **DGPh’s internal Facebook group**, he expressed disappointment over what he labeled as **“dogmatic fanaticism”** and argued that the DGPh should not be misused for **“political propaganda.”**

One of Gerwers’ key concerns was that Abedi had made her remarks in the same event where the prestigious **Dr. Erich Salomon Award** was being presented. Salomon, along with his wife, had perished at the hands of the Nazis in **Auschwitz**, making any statement that could be interpreted as challenging Israel’s actions particularly sensitive in a German cultural context.

He further connected Abedi’s call to current events, citing the **October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel**. This added another layer of complexity to the debate, as many in Germany see their country as bearing a unique responsibility for Jewish lives, given the legacy of the **Holocaust**.

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#### A Larger Trend in Germany’s Stance on Pro-Palestinian Expression

Shirin Abedi’s situation is not an isolated incident. Over the past year, **Germany’s cultural institutions** have increasingly cracked down on pro-Palestinian voices. Indeed, this is part of a larger trend that has led to **cultural boycotts**, such as the **“Strike Germany” movement**. Criticism of **Israel’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank** has become a highly sensitive issue in a country that feels deep historical responsibility toward the Israeli state.

This dynamic was notably illustrated when a German museum canceled an **Afrofuturism exhibition** due to the curators’ pro-Palestinian tweets, or earlier this year when the **Hamburger Bahnhof museum in Berlin** saw protests during a **Tania Bruguera performance** for similar reasons.

For some, like **Ahmed Zidan**, the deputy director at the **Freedom of the Press Foundation**, these recent incidents embody a troubling shift. Gerwers’ request for an apology, according to Zidan, mirrors “what we’ve seen from various German cultural institutions” in their stifling of pro-Palestinian voices and their allies. Zidan argued that **censorship of critical voices**, especially on matters of **colonialism and human rights**, is antithetical to the work that artists and documentarians are meant to advance.

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#### Germany’s Complex Relationship with Israel and Palestine

The German government strongly supports Israel, maintaining that **Israel’s right to exist** is **non-negotiable**—an outgrowth of Germany’s history with the Holocaust, Nazism, and World War II. Gerwers echoed this sentiment in his letter, stating: “As a German cultural society, we have a special responsibility for the right of the State of Israel to exist. Without ifs and buts.”

Consequently, public