Jonas Staal declines DAAD residency nomination, citing anti-Palestine censorship in Germany

Dutch artist Jonas Staal has refused a residency fellowship nomination from the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), directly criticizing its president, Joybrato Mukherjee, for involvement in anti-Palestine censorship. In a letter to Mukherjee, who also serves as Rector of the University of Cologne, Staal referenced the rescission of the Albertus Magnus Professorship at that university from Jewish-American political theorist Nancy Fraser due to her signature on a pro-Palestine letter condemning Israel's actions in Gaza. Staal condemned what he described as an antisemitic narrative that conflates the Israeli regime with the global Jewish diaspora, arguing it normalizes speech oppression amid genocide. He highlighted incidents in Germany, including police intervention at the Palestine Congress in Berlin on 12 April, which led to arrests of activists, and noted Germany's colonial history and Nazi collaboration. Staal concluded by rejecting the nomination but leaving open an invitation to join what he termed the side of justice.