ZDF Managing Director Norbert Himmler admitted that there were errors concerning the sudden cancellation of artists Danger Dan and Igor Levit from the satire show “Die Anstalt.” Himmler told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” that the panel must take responsibility for the short notice of the cancellation. Simultaneously, he reaffirmed his criticism of Danger Dan’s song lyrics, “Keine Angst.” In his assessment, the lyrics are “undoubtedly a how-to manual for left-wing, violence-prone resistance, which ends up in ‘friendly greetings’ to left-extremists, some of whom have been convicted of violence.”
Himmler dismissed allegations that the broadcaster capitulates to right-wing political forces. He stated, “We make our programming decisions independently, sovereignly, and according to our program and quality guidelines.” He clarified that in this specific case, it was determined that a performance by Danger Dan-which involved calling for organized resistance against the right for more than seven minutes, presenting illegal actions and violence as conceivable options-was incompatible with these guidelines.
The decision by the station management to expel the artists has been strongly criticized, especially as the 100th-anniversary episode of “Die Anstalt” is scheduled for Tuesday evening at ZDF. On Thursday, Danger Dan and Igor Levit announced and criticized the short-term cancellation via Instagram, referring to it as “an interference in freedom of speech and art.” ZDF had previously explained that the song “Keine Angst” could be understood as a call to violence, which is not compatible with the guidelines of the public broadcaster.
