Berghain cancels event due to Arabian Panther’s Palestine solidarity

On January 12, 2024, French-Lebanese DJ Arabian Panther, who always performs wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh, was set to have his Berghain debut as part of an event organized by label Ritmo Fatale. The booking was initially confirmed in July 2023 and reconfirmed in September. On October 14, however, the booking was canceled by Berghain’s head booker Tim Rosenberger citing concerns over Arabian Panther's outspoken stance on Palestine and his "global communication on his networks".

Tim Rosenberger allegedly suggested to Ritmo Fatale’s label manager Kendal that it would be difficult to cancel only Arabian Panther’s appearance due to the sensitive "context" and so instead the entire event would have to be pulled. "Unforeseen construction work" in Panorama Bar was to be stated as reason for cancellation to artists and agents.

In a statement Kendal wrote "I’m shocked and disappointed in how they managed the whole situation. It’s truly sad that Berghain closed the club for political reasons and lied about renovation work to avoid the bad buzz of cancelling a pro-Palestinian Arab artist. By not assuming the true reasons to the artists, they put pressure on my shoulders to disclose the truth or not."

Arabian Panther stated: "I believe that, given the context since October 7th, they faced some pressure from customers or potential threats from above, possibly from government officials or internally. However, the way they handled the entire situation, instructing Kendal to lie and not responding to my proposal for talks, is a disgrace."

Berghain has to this date made no public comment on this issue.