Overview

• HKW and Jan Böhmermann issued a joint statement scrapping the Oct. 7 concert, citing objections, especially from Jewish groups, and saying they could not guarantee the event’s integrity that day.
• Culture State Minister Wolfram Weimer had condemned the booking as a provocation, pointing to photos of Chefket wearing a shirt depicting a Palestinian state without Israel, which the federal government deems antisemitic.
• Böhmermann previously rejected the accusations and said he would stop any denial of Israel’s existence or the Holocaust from the stage during his HKW takeover.
• The date coincides with the second anniversary of the Hamas attacks that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and led to roughly 250 hostages being taken to Gaza, a context repeatedly raised by critics.
• Chefket and his management have not responded to requests for comment, and Böhmermann’s exhibition continues with other events, including a planned talk with Weimer on Oct. 8, as some outlets question the takeover’s financing and organization.