Volksbühne Berlin disinvites former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn from Europa den Räten conference over pro-Palestinian advocacy

On November 7, 2023, the Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz disinvited Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the British Labour Party and human rights activist, from speaking at a conference organized by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation in cooperation with the Volksbühne. The conference, Europa den Räten, took place from November 8 to November 10, 2023 and aimed to be a “major consultation on the burning questions of the present,” spanning the rise of fascism, social justice and colonial history, where “activists, social critics, politicians and all interested parties will have their say.”

The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation has had a longstanding relationship with Jeremy Corbyn as an important representative of the left in the UK and worldwide, and had invited him to speak about the relations between Europe and the Latin American left. However, the Volksbühne asked the Foundation to withdraw Corbyn’s invitation a day before the conference began, citing “statements [he made] in the past,” a request which the Foundation accepted. The statements in question were not specified. Lena Fuchs, press spokeswoman for the Volksbühne, remarked, "Due to Jeremy Corbyn's current stance on the Middle East conflict, we have decided not to offer him a public space at the Volksbühne."

On October 8, 2023, when Corbyn was asked by a correspondent from Channel 4 News if he condemned Hamas, he replied, “I don’t support any attacks, therefore I criticize them all.” He added that he was in favor of peace and wanted Israel’s occupation of Palestine to end.