Germany’s repression of artists in solidarity with Palestine has targeted Hamja Ahsan, an award-winning artist, writer and activist, based in London, England, who makes artwork on Halal Fried Chicken. In this podcast, he tells the story of how his dream of curating the prestigious Documenta 15 turned into a protracted nightmare. 
The heat around the 2022 Documenta exhibition, which takes place in Kassel, Germany every 5 years, still generates headlines, echoing in the current Berlinale Film Festival fiasco. During the 100 days of the exhibition, and its run up and aftermath, Ahsan and many of the artists faced a barrage of McCarthyism, censorship, vandalism, media smear campaigns, violent threats and racist attacks.
An ongoing solidarity campaign with the bullied artist has emerged around the hashtag #HandsOffDocumenta.
As part of its war on Artists supporting the BDS campaign, the Axel Springer newspaper BILD made the artist Hamja Ahsan into a national media sensation during the Documenta exhibition. Ahsan was demonised for two facebook comments criticising German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as a “Neoliberal fascist pig”; with a following comment criticising the meeting between Scholz and disgraced British prime minister Boris Johson as a “two pigs”. Hamja’s comments were met with a barrage of calls to deport him, disinvite him, “burn” and ban his artwork, and to stop his right to speak in Germany.
At the time of recording this, Ahsan faces trial in Germany, for these comments. He is being prosecuted, accused of sedition ("Volksverhetzung"), despite living in England and not being a citizen of Germany. Ahsan faces a 12,000 euro fine or the possibility of months in prison.
We talked to Hamja about the absolute collapse of journalistic integrity in Germany and he reflects how this process has only been on steroids for months as part of the genocidal siege on Gaza, by silencing dissent and persecuting anti-war voices. Ahsan’s instagram account @realdocumenta chronicling this was legally threatened, sensationalised and shut down by current Documenta CEO Andreas Hoffmann.
In fact, we covered many other things, from Germany's far-right turn, the AfD surge and the role of neurodiverse people in public institutions that his influential book Shy Radicals covers.
Ahsan is currently writing his second book Radical Chicken where his story will continue.
To support the solidarity campaign and Ahsan’s legal funds: https://www.gofundme.com/f/solidarity-with-artist-hamja-ahsan-fund
The Documenta 15 artists collective statements on repression and solidarity: https://werefuseweareangry.wordpress.com/  "Documenta Racism Crisis" Earlier in-depth interview with Hamja Ahsan in Left Berlin from 2022: https://www.theleftberlin.com/antisemitism-or-merely-allegiance-to-german-foreign-policy/

Discussion moderated by Ionuț / unrest radio.