From Berlin festival: ‘Never again includes Palestinian lives’

At the Berlin Film Festival Berlinale, director Jun Li read a statement from actor Erfan Shekarriz, who chose to boycott the event. In the message, Shekarriz called on the German public to defend freedom of speech regarding Palestine, criticising what he described as an increasingly oppressive and authoritarian political atmosphere. Shekarriz accused the festival of playing a role in what he characterised as the systematic violence and displacement faced by Palestinians. Li’s reading of the statement was met with interruptions from some audience members, who shouted, “Free Palestine from Hamas!”