Religious Apartheid 1997 – Continuing Official Repression of Minority Religious Rights in Germany

Subsequent to the concert, State Minister President Edmund Stoiber intervened in support of CSU “sect-expert” Sackmann. As a result, Mr. Zehetmair was forced to reverse his position regarding Mr. Corea. In April 1996, the Ministry of Culture issued a statement to the festival organizer blacklisting Mr. Corea from ever again performing at state subsidized events in Bavaria.⁵⁷ Mr. Zehetmair was severely criticized in the Landtag for initially defending Mr. Corea’s right to perform and counteracting the Minister President’s efforts “to make life hard for Scientologists in Bavaria.”⁵⁸

(Following is the translation of the above article) “Munich—Minister Zehetmair reversed his decision in the dispute about the world famous jazz musician Chick Corea (53). As Corea is not only a jazz musician but also a Scientologist he is not supposed to perform at Bavaria’s most famous jazz festival in Berghausen. Four weeks ago the Minister of Culture opposed critics in his own party: ’Chick Corea does not perform as a preacher but as a musician.’ “The international star had caused considerable havoc within the CSU party. The sect commissioner of the Bavarian parliament, Markus Sackmann (CSU) had even accused Zehetmair of financing a promotional event of the Scientologists by his funding of the festival. ’I do not need police for cultural matters,’ Zehetmair had retorted. Then State Minister President Stoiber intervened in support of Sackmann. “The Ministry of Culture now informs the organizer of the festival stating: ’The purposes of the state government to curb the influence of the Church of Scientology are totally violated, if members of this organization can perform at events that are funded by the state.’ “The Ministry is in a stuck position. Press spokesperson Toni Schmid: ‘Of course we are against Scientology. Otherwise there will be no censure if we contract international artists in Bavaria.’”

This policy to deny grants and financial support for events where Scientologists take part was also confirmed through statements by Bavarian Cabinet members and an article written by Minister of Interior Beckstein in August 1996.⁵⁹

Likewise, the head of the CDU in Rhineland-Palatinate demanded that the state prohibit government funding for cultural and artistic events if Scientologists such as Mr. Corea will perform.⁶⁰

This policy strips away Mr. Corea’s fundamental artistic and human rights. Chick Corea is effectively deprived of his right to perform his art at the Burghausen Jazz Festival and any state sponsored concert in Bavaria. United States Members of Congress and Congressional Caucuses, including the Chairmen of the Human Rights Caucus, Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, have expressed their concern to the highest levels of the German government regarding this incident which “appears to be part of a disturbing pattern of artistic and religious discrimination” against Scientologists in Germany.

This is not the only time Mr. Corea has faced artistic discrimination in Germany. In June 1996, the Chairman of the CDU in the Rhineland-Palatinate Parliament demanded that the state government prohibit all government funding for any future cultural and artistic events if artists who are Scientologists such as Mr. Corea are invited to perform.⁶¹

In 1993, Baden-Wuerttemberg cancelled a state funded concert performance at the World Championship of Athletics in Stuttgart which they had offered to Mr. Corea and refused to allow Mr. Corea to perform his music simply because Mr. Corea happens to be a parishioner of the Church of Scientology. In 1994, the State Government of Hessia publicly intervened to attempt to cancel a concert by Mr. Corea in the State Theatre of Kassel. As a contract had already been signed for this performance, the government instead forced the concert promoter to agree to a clause in the performance contract forbidding, under penalty of 50,000 DM and legal action, the “promotion” of Scientology by Mr. Corea “before, during and after” the concert. These actions took place even though Mr. Corea’s personal religious beliefs are his private affair which he never “promotes” in concert.

Artistic Discrimination Continued...

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