The German Ombudsman spoke out against the boycott of Russian art and culture

The national flag of the Federal Republic of Germany. File photoBERLIN, Apr 19 German government commissioner for human rights Louise Amtsberg (The Greens) spoke out against a boycott of «Russian art and culture.» in the war,» the Ombudsman said in an interview with the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, adding that it would be wrong «not to visit Russian restaurants anymore or to boycott Russian art and culture.»Hundreds of violations against immigrants from Russia and Ukraine are registered in Germany, the politician urged «to speak with each other, also in the field of art and culture.» According to Amtsberg, she considers it “completely wrong that shops allegedly remove the works of writers Dostoevsky and Tolstoy from the shelves.” The German Cabinet had previously rejected accusations of Russophobia, which was previously announced by participants in several protests that took place in Germany in April. In particular, a motor rally was held in Hannover under the slogan «Against the incitement of ethnic hatred, harassment and discrimination against the Russian population.» A demonstration «Against the hatred and discrimination of Russian-speaking fellow citizens/Against the war — For peace» took place in Frankfurt. Similar actions were held in Stuttgart and Lübeck.Germans “can’t sleep at night” due to the consequences of sanctions against RussiaIn Germany, attacks on Russian facilities and shops that are related to events in Ukraine were recorded, Interior Minister Nancy Feather told Welt am Sonntag on April 9. At the end of March, the head of the federal department of the criminal police, Holger Münch, already said that at least 200 crimes against Russian-speaking citizens of Germany are recorded weekly — from insults and threats to physical violence, damage to property. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at the military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and, as of March 25, they have completed the main tasks of the first stage — they have significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.