The Berlin state intelligence service has launched an investigation after the Berlinale festival discussed the genocide of Palestinians and mentioned a slogan used by Hamas.
Director Jun Lee from Hong Kong read the actor's speech on Saturday night Erfan Shekariz at the educational institution Urania.
Shekariz stars in "Lee's film" Queerpanorama, which was on the festival program on Saturday, a Berlinale spokeswoman said.
A video clip of the speech has surfaced on social media, claiming that millions of Palestinians are suffocating under brutal Israeli colonial rule.
Also, that the German government and its cultural institutions, including the Berlinale, contribute to apartheid, genocide and the destruction of the Palestinian people.
Reactions from the audience were divided – there was both approval and harsh criticism.
June also uttered the controversial Palestinian slogan "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."
The motto suggests that Palestine should be from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea – where Israel is. The Palestinian militant organization Hamas often uses this slogan as a call for the destruction of Israel.
Berlinale deeply regrets incident, festival director says Trisha Tatl.
"We have given our guests recommendations in advance about which political statements are particularly sensitive and which could be punishable."
"The applause for Hamas slogans is shocking... We expect such behavior to be adequately sanctioned," the Central Council of Jews in Germany said on the X platform.
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