Loud protests at reading by German feminist Alice Schwarzer
MISDIRECTED PROTEST
08.03.2026 DPA
Photo: Christiane Bosch/dpa
A reading by German feminist Alice Schwarzer at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus theatre in the northern port city of Hamburg was repeatedly disrupted by protests on Sunday.
Several times, people ran onto the stage and shouted something to the audience. The demonstrators were booed by the audience.
The protesters accused her of being transphobic and racist and of promoting an exclusionary radical feminism.
Schwarzer remained seated on the stage throughout and calmly waited out the protests. Later, she said: "We are here to listen to each other, to exchange ideas. We don't have to agree at all."
Even before the reading began, more than 100 people had loudly protested against the event outside the venue and held banners.
In the evening, Schwarzer read from her new book "Pure feminism. 99 words" in front of several hundred visitors. Additionally, the publicist and founder of the magazine "Emma" wanted to engage with questions from the audience in a conversation with actress and co-author Nina Gummich.
Her appearance at the theatre had been criticized in advance by several hundred theatre makers in an open letter. They had called on the venueto cancel the event.
The Hamburg theatre stuck to the reading, calling Schwarzer a contentious and argumentative person, and one "who not only seeks debate but also engages in discussions."
Diversity of opinion is essential for democracy, the theatre said. "We do not support silencing Alice Schwarzer and denying her the opportunity to openly discuss her views."
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