There is trouble over the video for the protest song “Not with us” by Ron Williams. A few hours before publication, the President of the Jewish Community in Munich withdrew her statement in which she spoke of democracy, freedom and cohesion. At short notice, Marian Offman, SPD city councilor and Munich representative for interreligious dialogue, agreed to step in for her. The reason for Knobloch’s withdrawal is the involvement of Dieter Hallervorden, which Knobloch probably only found out about from an SZ report on May 17th.
Hallervorden is accused of anti-Semitism and hostility to Israel after the publication of his video and poem “Gaza Gaza”. Ron Williams’ song project, in which numerous celebrities participate and which was privately financed, is intended to be a sign against the right. It makes no reference to what is happening in the Middle East. Knobloch nevertheless gave Williams a choice: Hallervorden or me. The American singer, presenter and actor, who lives in Munich, actually didn’t want to forego Hallervorden’s participation: “He is one of the most famous German artists who has a clear opinion, he is certainly not an anti-Semite or represents existence Israel’s question.” Now Hallervorden’s contribution has been deleted without replacement. Knobloch’s spokesman explained the incident very briefly on Friday afternoon: Knobloch only gets involved in media projects “as long as everyone involved adheres to certain principles.”
Now Offman’s statement must be re-recorded and the video edited. The video and the song with the catchy refrain “Not with us”, which is intended to have a unifying effect, will therefore not be released on the night from Friday to Saturday as announced, but will probably only be released during the course of Saturday.