On International Women's Day, feminist Alice Schwarzer's reading at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg was disrupted by protests. Demonstrators accused her of transphobic and racist radical feminism, while the theater stuck to the event and advocated for diversity of opinions.
Alice Schwarzer's reading took place on the evening of International Women's Day in the Malersaal of the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg. In front of more than a hundred attendees, the publicist and founder of the magazine «Emma» read from her new book «Feminismus pur. 99 Worte». Afterward, she fielded questions from the audience in a conversation with actress Nina Gummich.
Before the event began, more than a hundred people protested loudly outside the Schauspielhaus, holding banners. The demonstrators accused Schwarzer of transphobic, racist, and exclusionary «radical feminism». During the reading, several individuals ran onto the stage and shouted at the audience, only to be booed by the crowd. Alice Schwarzer remained calmly seated on stage and waited out the disruptions. Later, she said: «We are here to hear from each other, to exchange ideas. We don't have to agree at all.»
Prior to the event, an open letter from several hundred theater makers criticized the appearance. They urged the Schauspielhaus to cancel it, accusing Schwarzer of fighting for years against the self-determination, labor rights, and social participation of trans people as well as sex workers.
The Hamburg theater proceeded with the reading. In response to a query from the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, it stated: «For 50 years, Alice Schwarzer has expressed herself on very many topics – so many that we find it problematic to reduce her to one of her positions, no matter how debatable some of them are.» The house emphasized that Schwarzer is a contentious and eager debater who seeks discussions and engages in them. Some of her theses reflect statements circulating in society that should be discussed. Diversity of opinions is essential for democracy, and it does not contribute to silencing Schwarzer and denying her the opportunity to openly discuss her views.