The City of Bochum Withdraws the Peter Weiss Prize From Writer Sharon Dodua Otoo for Alleged Support of BDS

On November 28, 2023, the city of Bochum withdrew the Peter Weiss Prize from British-German writer Sharon Dodua Otoo after members of the jury became aware of her alleged support for BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions).

After being nominated by the city of Bochum on November 10, Otoo was due to receive the literary award, including €15,000 prize money, in March 2024. After the blog Ruhrbarone published a report on November 27 accusing Otoo of anti-Semitism based on her signing a petition by the initiative Artists for Palestine UK in 2015 however, the jury announced the suspension of the prize. In this petition, artists pledged to “accept neither professional invitations to Israel, nor funding from any institutions linked to its government until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights.” The blog denounced the initiative as being affiliated to the BDS movement and therefore anti-Semitic. BDS is a transnational campaign that calls for a boycott of the state of Israel and Israeli products due to its occupation and oppression of Palestinians. In Germany, a resolution by the Bundestag was passed in May 2019 condemning their arguments and methods as anti-Semitic. The resolution is not legally binding and has been widely criticized for stigmatizing pro-Palestinian advocacy and movements.

A day after the announcement, Otoo distanced herself from the petition in an official statement. “To find the truth, you have to discuss. Art and culture play an important role in this. We must have room for dissent in order to struggle together for understanding. That’s why I’m grateful when people point out my mistakes. [...] I would no longer sign such an appeal today [...] and, with the support of a lawyer, I am trying to remove my name from the list.” She also wrote that she will not, in any case, accept the prize: “I do not want the jury, the city of Bochum or the name of Peter Weiss to be associated with the accusations against me and the debate that has been triggered.” She suggested suspending the prize for this year and donating the prize money to a charitable organization such as Gesellschaft im Wandel, which promotes dialogue on the Middle East conflict in German schools. This proposal has been accepted by the jury.