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Laurie Anderson ends German professorship after criticism of Palestine support

Essen’s Folkwang University took issue with the American artist’s support of a ‘letter against apartheid’ by Palestinian artists

The decision, announced days before Anderson is due to receive a lifetime achievement award at this year’s Grammys, adds to the wave of cultural events that have been scrapped in Germany after artists expressed views deemed by officials to be anti-Israel. Its statement continued: “It has now become apparent that, in 2021, Laurie Anderson publicly supported the Palestinian artists’ ‘Letter Against Apartheid’ appeal, which, among other things, takes up calls for boycotts by the anti-Israel BDS movement,” it said. The crisis in the Middle East has plunged Germany into a far-reaching debate over the limits of freedom of expression when it comes to art and the personal views of artists, prompting a divisive call for an all-out boycott of German cultural institutions over the government’s pro-Israel stance.

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