The 41st Danube Island Festival was actually a completely peaceful affair, but now the action of a German punk rock band is sparking debate afterwards. Because the band Itchy allowed a climate activist on stage, they threw her out of the backstage. There is misunderstanding among the musicians, the organizers speak of a “breach of trust”.
Itchy took the 88.6 stage on Saturday night and briefly handed the microphone to a last-generation climate activist during their set. According to frontman Sibbi, the decision was made due to the recent storms, which have also massively affected Germany.
“We were basically thrown away”
“We then asked Bianca from Last Generation to come on stage, it was a completely peaceful action and there was also applause from the audience,” said the singer. Nevertheless, the organizer turned off the microphone after about a minute. The band was subsequently removed from the festival site: “We had to hand in our backstage passes and were essentially thrown out.”
The campaign quickly made the rounds on social media, and there was also a donation from the AfD, which the cultural policy group’s spokesman Rainer Balzer felt he should comment on. He spoke of “overreach” in the cultural scene and congratulated the organisers.
The organizers commented on the incident
However, the organizers of the Donauinselfest did not want to leave the appropriation by right-wing extremism undiscussed. A statement from Vienna said: “The Danube Island Festival is a festival for all, a place of diversity and peace, cohesion and respectful togetherness. The Danube Island Festival and its organizers therefore clearly distance themselves from all right-wing ideas. We strongly reject any instrumentalization by right-wing extremist organizations.”
However, Itchy committed a ‘breach of trust’ with the action: ‘It was agreed in advance with all artists that for safety reasons no activists from the last generation were allowed on stage.’ However, the band responded via Instagram that ‘I made no instructions or agreements in this regard, either in writing or verbally.
Frontman Sibbi says: “If you don’t want a band presenting political content on your stage, then maybe you shouldn’t book a political punk rock band on your stage.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
