GERMAN CULTURAL COUNCIL BLASTS TRUMP’S TRAVEL BAN

On Monday the Deutsche Kulturrat (German Cultural Council) sharply criticized US president Donald Trump for the travel restrictions placed on citizens from seven Muslim countries, reports Monopol.

The council’s managing director Olaf Zimmermann stated in Berlin, “This decree disrespects our communal values . . . . International cultural exchange is severely hampered by this measure.” Furthermore Zimmermann called on the German government to end Trump’s “disgraceful action” by all diplomatic means, maintaining that it is insufficient to only express “regret” over the new restrictions. (German chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert had previously announced on Saturday: “The Chancellor regrets the US government’s entry ban against refugees and citizens of certain countries.”)

Trump’s edict prevents citizens from Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, and Iran from entering the USA; even those with German nationality papers are currently banned. According to the cultural organization, writer Navid Kermani, actress Jasmin Tabatabai, and visual artist Kani Alavi are among the affected German residents.