Climate activists of the “last generation” interrupted the premiere performance of the Regensburg Castle Festival on Friday evening. An activist stuck herself to a part of the stage during the performance of Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute,” a spokesman for the Oberpfalz police headquarters said after the incident. Three other people were stopped by security on their way to the stage.
According to the “Last Generation”, the activist, who was stuck, addressed the audience with a speech. “The climate catastrophe needs the big stage because it is the greatest threat to us humans, to our society, to our democracy,” the group said in a statement about the action.
At the beginning of the Castle Festival, around 300 people demonstrated in front of Thurn and Taxis Castle. Their protest was directed, among other things, against the lady of the house, Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, who was accused of racism, “conspiracy ideological narratives” and homophobia. The organizer of the demonstration was the DGB-Jugend Oberpfalz. In the spring, 100 cultural workers called for a boycott of the festival.
In response to a dpa request, a Thurn and Taxis spokeswoman wrote that the princess “is looking forward to the opening and regrets that the protesters are dissatisfied.” In addition, the spokeswoman referred to an appearance by Gloria von Thurn und Taxis on Wednesday evening in the Regensburg Press Club, where she took a detailed position. According to media reports, she said there that she didn’t see what positive things would come from boycotting the festival. You take nice concerts with big stars away from people. According to the reports, she said about the demonstration: The guests dressed extra nicely, “and then there are a few unshaven or unkempt guys and they make terror, that’s not exactly funny for the visitors”.
Regardless of the protests, the festival premiere began in the inner courtyard of the castle with a performance of Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute”. Gloria von Thurn und Taxis mingled with the audience in a yellow dress. She is not the organizer of the festival, but acts as a patron. The other program includes concerts with Giovanni Zarrella, Simply Red, Jonas Kaufmann and Eros Ramazzotti.