Vereine schließen sich Warnung vor AfD-Kulturpolitik an
Nearly 30 cultural institutions in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt have issued a warning against the cultural policy proposals of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is leading in polls ahead of state elections. The state network of cultural support associations, representing around 680 member groups, has now joined this warning, stating the AfD's plans amount to a restriction of artistic freedom and the instrumentalization of culture according to nationalist guidelines.
The controversy centers on the AfD's draft government program, which calls for a "new patriotic cultural policy" that would prioritize state funding for art deemed to contribute to "German identity finding" and promote an "uninhibited" German identity by referencing the "good sides of German history." This has sparked significant concern within the cultural sector, with institutions fearing a fundamental challenge to artistic freedom, the openness of cultural institutions, and democratically anchored memory culture if the AfD comes to power.