Berlin’s Senator for Culture Joe Chialo. Photo: Reuters/Bernd Elmenthaler

Germany’s Jewish community on Monday applauded a new measure introduced by the local authorities in Berlin that requires artists to commit to the fight against antisemitism as a condition of receiving funding and support.

“Berlin lives up to its exemplary character as the most important German art and culture location through the anti-discrimination clause,” Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said in a statement.

The clause — which is based on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism — was introduced by Berlin’s Senator for Culture, Joe Chialo. The son of Tanzanian parents, Chialo has been a vocal opponent of initiatives within the artistic community to boycott the State of Israel, leading protests last year against a concert tour by Roger Waters, the former Pink Floyd frontman who has been widely accused of antisemitism.

More than 4,000 artists signed an open letter protesting the clause, arguing that its effect will be to chill free speech.

“Withdrawal of financial support and public platforms is currently used as a means of pressure to exclude critical positions on the policies of the Israeli government and the war in Gaza from public discourse,” the letter stated. “The planned clause makes it easier for administration and politicians to use this leverage and to narrow the space for necessary discourses.”

The letter highlighted an alternative definition of antisemitism known as the “Jerusalem Declaration,” which does not class as antisemitic the several examples of anti-Zionism contained within the IHRA definition. It also declared opposition to what it described as a “hierarchy of forms of discrimination,” insisting that the struggles against racism and Islamophobia warrant as much attention as antisemitism.

An opinion piece in the daily taz criticized this argument, depicting it as evidence of a lack of understanding of how antisemitism functions.

“Antisemitism often includes the accusation that ‘the Jews’  engage in a conspiracy against humanity. This is often reflected in the demonization and delegitimization of the State of Israel. This is exactly what the IHRA definition is based on,” the piece argued.