Statement on war and violence

»I'm sick of it; what's the use of us humans fighting with each other?«

Georg Büchner: »Danton's Death«

We, the staff of the Theater und Orchester Heidelberg, are concerned and shocked. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Hamas' terrorist attack on Israeli civilians has ignited another ember, which seems to develop into a conflagration within a short time. Violence is answered with violence at a speed that makes any public statement like this one quickly seem outdated. But that is precisely why we must not fall into lethargy.
We condemn this spiral of hatred and atrocity into which innocent people on both sides of the conflict are again being drawn and sacrificed.
We condemn the fact that the clashes for power and supremacy are being fought on the backs of civilians, killing them, bleeding them or forcing them to flee.
We condemn the senseless and cruel killing, bombing, raping and abducting.
We want, quite simply, PEACE!
Let us be awake and stand together resolutely against any form of terror and violence. We must not allow that in our country, in a democratic state, people are threatened because of their national identity and their faith.
Anti-Semitic agitation, hatred of people and revenge must have no place in the world, and certainly not in our country.
Art and culture can offer spaces, spaces of security, openness, encounter and peaceful coexistence. Let us come together!