Culture in danger: Wurzen city council refuses important donations!

Culture in danger: Wurzen city council refuses important donations!

Things are going haywire in Wurzen: The city council, dominated by the CDU and AfD, recently made a crucial decision. On Tuesday evening, approval for private donations amounting to 13,000 euros was rejected. These donations would have been necessary for the municipal contribution to the city administration. The path to obtaining supra-local funding for the cultural area of ​​Saxony is now blocked, which in turn has significant consequences for the cultural landscape of Wurzen. The business of Deutschlandfunks report far-reaching cuts that will be necessary as a result of the decision: job cuts are pending and events could be canceled.

Mayor Marcel Buchta noted that this rejection was “not entirely surprising.” Approval for a similar donation amount was already refused in April. The mayor emphasizes the need to discuss such issues democratically, but the consequences of the decision are already being felt. MDR emphasizes that the funds collected would have been important in obtaining funding of 70,000 euros from the Saxon cultural area. In the coming period, no more events could take place, including popular events such as open-air cinema or concerts.

The use of the democracy network

The Democracy Network (NDK) Wurzen, which has been involved for over 25 years, sees itself strongly affected by these developments. Managing director Martina Glass described the city council's decision as a political rejection of the activities in Wurzen. She is convinced that the AfD does not appreciate the valuable work and the cultural space. The association regularly organizes writing meetings for women and is actively involved in combating right-wing extremism. Among other things, it is planning a documentary theater with “climate monologues”.

Ludwig Henne from the NDK called the decision a “tragedy” and made it clear that the population supports the network’s work. It turns out that many Wurzen residents have expressed their support through donations - around 30 people have already contributed. Henne announced that the NDK will try to remain active and acquire new funds despite the difficulties. But the uncertainty as to how permanent positions can be financed remains.

Funding and political support

But what about the funding opportunities? There are currently numerous funding sources available, but no EU program is aimed exclusively at right-wing extremism. The final report of the Federal Agency for Civic Education highlights that there are many initiatives at different political levels that promote projects to strengthen democracy and combat extremism. These include programs such as “Promoting Tolerance – Strengthening Competence” or “Cohesion through Participation”.

In Saxony there are even specific programs such as “Cosmopolitan Saxony for Democracy and Tolerance” that could offer potential support. Promoting local initiatives through social city programs is also mentioned as a possibility. In these challenging times, the question of how much support can ultimately be given to cultural and democratic engagement is more relevant than ever.