Backlash against ‘brutal’ Berlin culture budget cuts

Around 450 Berlin arts organisations that receive state subsidies have launched an appeal to the city’s Christian Democrat-led government calling for a rethink of €130m (£108.6m) of funding cuts – more than 12% of the current annual budget.

The Berlin Is Culture alliance warns that the measures, announced with five weeks’ notice, will “permanently destroy Berlin’s cultural infrastructure,” leading to “drastic programme cuts, layoffs and closures” and risking “diversity, excellence, resilience and social cohesion.”

Oliver Reese, director of the Berliner Ensemble, told The Guardian that the cuts would lead to “horror scenarios”.

“We are in the process of cancelling five to six productions for 2025/26 and 2026/27. In the end, there will simply be less new art.”

Meanwhile, Thomas Ostermeier, the artistic director at the Schaubühne, told Die Zeit that culture was a key component of the city’s economy.

“If you destroy that, you are destroying even more than the culture,” he said. “You are also destroying tourism and the attractiveness for certain commercial companies to settle in this city is also reduced.”

A march against the cuts will be held on 29 November.