On 25 November 2024, the petition ‘Protect Berlin's culture in the budget crisis’ was handed over to Senator for Culture Joe Chialo in the Berlin House of Representatives by the initiators of the German Stage Association, Berlin State Association. With over 100,000 signatures, a clear signal is being sent against the planned cuts in the cultural sector. ‘The numerous people who have joined us and signed the petition are firmly opposed to the cultural future of Berlin being put at risk by high and ill-conceived savings,’ said Thomas Fehrle, our managing director and board member of the German Stage Association, Berlin regional association.

The petition criticises the disrespect with which the work of those working in the cultural sector has been treated in recent years, and the threat to Berlin's cultural diversity. ‘We never said that culture should not participate in the savings. On the contrary: we offered to work with politicians to find forward-looking solutions,’ explains Fehrle. ‘The current plans for cuts, which amount to around 130 million euros and also include the cancellation of the collective agreement for 2025, will cause lasting damage to Berlin's cultural landscape. The closure of even the so-called major institutions cannot be ruled out.’

The petition reiterates the urgent demand to significantly reduce the list of cuts and to enter into a constructive dialogue with those affected in order to secure culture in Berlin in the long term.