In a letter dated February 6, 2024, Head of Cultural Affairs Anton Biebl and Munich’s Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter informed the sponsors of the International Munich Peace Conference that the Department of Culture would not be supporting the Peace Conference in 2024 or in the future. This jeopardizes the implementation of the peace conference. At the same time, Mr. Biebl and Mayor Reiter questioned the city’s funding of all “purely political events[en]” – and thus the core task of the Department of Culture, “basic values of democracy such as freedom of art and opinion [zu schützen und zu stärken].”[1]
Mr. Biebl wrote (also on behalf of Mr. Lord Mayor Reiter):
“As you are aware, the funding of such a purely political event with global political issues [wie der Internationalen Münchner Friedenskonferenz] from the City of Munich’s cultural funding has been under discussion for some time. The motion submitted by the SPD/Volt and Die Grünen/RL parliamentary groups on February 1, 2024 now provides the Department of Culture with a framework that must be taken into account when interpreting the funding criteria.”[2]
Based solely on a motion by the above-mentioned city council factions, which the city council has not yet been able to deal with, Mr. Biebl and Mayor Reiter decide on a new interpretation of the funding criteria – not only for the Peace Conference, but for all projects funded by the Department of Culture. This raises questions: Is it permissible to derive a decision by the city council from an application that has not yet been dealt with? Why doesn’t the city council make a fundamental statement on such issues if they have been “under discussion for some time”?
It is also problematic that the Peace Conference sets a precedent that shows what will be considered a “purely political event” by the Department of Culture in the future and will therefore not receive funding. Regional musicians, politicians, a philosopher, a theologian, human rights activists and Israeli and Palestinian relatives of victims of the wars and conflicts in the Middle East will perform at the 2024 Peace Conference.[3] According to Mr. Biebl and Mayor Reiter, this is therefore a “purely political event”. This also raises questions. To quote the Department of Culture itself: “What is culture? And who defines it? As different as people are, so different are their cultural needs. It is worth taking a closer look, becoming more open, remaining curious. To keep an eye on culture for all the senses.”[4]
The new interpretation of the funding criteria adopted by Mr. Biebl and Mayor Reiter calls into question the core tasks of the Department of Culture, “fundamental values of democracy such as freedom of art and opinion [zu schützen und zu stärken]” and “promoting diversity with public funds”[5]. We quote from a letter of protest from Mr. Hans Limmer, Dipl. Political scientist, retired program director of the Munich Adult Education Center,[6] to Mayor Reiter:
“And now in our city, the attempt to eliminate the pacifist minority, which previously had its place in the diverse open urban society, from the public discourse by taking away its municipal funds, with windy technocratic empty formulas as justification. It is about more than just a little support for a small minority. What is at stake in the end is whether ideological diversity and tolerance still have a secure place in our society.”[7]
In any case, we from the sponsoring group of the International Munich Peace Conference are convinced that peace culture is also culture and must be promoted by the Department of Culture. Without the support of the Department of Culture, the Peace Conference is at risk.[8] We are asking Munich’s city society for donations to save the Peace Conference.
You can download the press release HERE
[1] “Kulturreferat kompakt 2023,” page 8, see: https://stadt.muenchen.de/dam/jcr:341783b1-2b70-46fd-9b07-561e744c7eef/Kulturreferat%20kompakt%20Bildschirmversion.pdf
[2] See: https://friedenskonferenz.info/brief-vom-06-02-2024-vom-kulturreferenten-zum-stopp-der-foerdergelder/
[3 ] We have already commented on the “municipal referral” in our press release dated February 5, 2024, see: https://friedenskonferenz.info/pm-vom-05-02-2024-meineungsvielfalt-und-friedenskultur-weiterhin-foerdern/
[4] “Kulturreferat kompakt 2023,” page 12.
[5] “Kulturreferat kompakt 2023,” page 8.
[6 ] The Munich Adult Education Center, which also offers courses with political content, is also funded by the Department of Culture.
[7] See: https://friedenskonferenz.info/protestschreiben-an-den-ob-reiter-von-hans-limmer-programmdirektor-der-muenchner-volkshochschule-i-r/
[8 ] We have already explained the threat to the peace conference in press releases from February 5 and 8, see: https://friedenskonferenz.info/rettet-die-internationale-muenchner-friedenskonferenz/ and https://friedenskonferenz.info/pm-vom-05-02-2024-meineungsvielfalt-und-friedenskultur-weiterhin-foerdern/
You can find the press release HERE
Contact:
Maria R. Feckl
Project Management International Munich Peace Conference
Phone: 0160 97 50 20 28
E-mail: office@friedenskonferenz.info
International Munich Peace Conference
Helmut-Michael-Vogel Bildungswerk e.V.
Frauenlobstr. 24 Rgb.
80337 Munich
Organizations of the sponsoring group:
German Peace Society – United Opponents of Military Service Bavaria (DFG-VK Bayern); pax christi Diocese of Munich and Freising e.V.; International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War / Physicians in Social Responsibility e.V. (IPPNW); MSKverändern e.V.; Network Peace Tax; NatWiss Verantwortung für Frieden und Zukunftsfähigkeit e.V.; HMV-Bildungswerk e.V.; IFFF International Women’s League for Peace and Freedom
More information at www.friedenskonferenz.info
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