Overview

• The HBKsaar project group withdrew all of its works from the Goldstücke light festival in protest and accused the city of censorship.
• Artist Melisa Kujević and collaborators say they are ready to take legal action and claim to have documented proof of an invitation, while the city denies any binding agreement.
• The city says party-focused art is unsuitable for Goldstücke, citing the festival concept and referencing neutrality concerns tied to the recent mayoral runoff.
• The removed piece, “Hallender Hass,” features imagery of right-wing violence and uncontextualized quotes from AfD politicians to critique the normalization of right‑wing rhetoric.
• Goldstücke is proceeding in Gelsenkirchen-Buer through October 5, as local artists and the AUF alliance publicly express support for the student group.