After a eulogy for Agnes Strack-Zimmermann in a Düsseldorf synagogue, Hape Kerkeling received “unimaginable” reactions that would have “frightened” him.
Last year, the comedian Hape Kerkeling gave a speech at the Jewish community in Düsseldorf – after which he was the target of hostility. In an ARD documentary on his 60th birthday, which was shown in advance at the Film Festival Cologne, he says: “For me personally, that meant a lot of encouragement from people who think similarly, which is very valuable to me and very was worth a lot.”
State security intervenes
But in addition to support, he also experienced unimaginable hostility: “I couldn’t have imagined that, so state security also became active.” That was “scary”. The experience confirmed Kerkeling’s assessment of Germany’s future as “unfortunately not particularly optimistic.”
A year ago, Kerkeling gave a laudatory speech for the FDP politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who was honored with the Josef Neuberger Medal in her hometown of Düsseldorf for her commitment to combating anti-Semitism. In his speech in the Düsseldorf synagogue, the entertainer said, among other things: “Anti-Semitism is not an opinion, but an attack on humanity.”
Documentary on Hape Kerkeling’s 60th birthday
Hape Kerkeling has recently spoken more frequently about the shift to the right in Germany. In March he said he saw democracy in greater danger than ever before. “It’s inexplicable to me how you can choose your own catastrophe. I understand that people are dissatisfied with politics, I am too. But that’s not why I want to abolish democracy,” said the entertainer on “T- On-line”. Specifically: “History has shown what the effective means are. In any case, I can’t remember that fascism was ever ended through discussion,” said Kerkeling.
The 90-minute documentary “Hape Kerkeling – Totally normal” will be shown on December 9th, his 60th birthday, at 8:15 p.m. on Erste.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
