Sawt Falasteen - Berlin's creatives rally against arts funding cuts

Several hundred activists, one wearing a plucked turkey costume, gathered under grey skies outside the German capital's iconic Brandenburg Gate.

They warned against a "radical" 10-percent cut in support for the arts from next year in the city-state of Berlin, where venues are already battling fast-rising rental costs.

Berlin's Club Commission, which represents the city's famed techno party hubs, said almost half of all clubs are considering shutting up shop in the coming 12 months as they face rising rents and falling visitor numbers.

The group urged "an immediate stop to the planned cuts in the cultural budget" to save the scene.

Classical musicians and theatre folk have also leant their support to the movement.

In a letter signed by conductors Daniel Barenboim, Simon Rattle and Joana Mallwitz, among others, the artists called on the city not to "undermine" the cultural sector.

A "minimal investment" in the arts produced a "maximum benefit" for the city's image, they said.

Cuts to project funding would represent "the death of Berlin culture", Muriel Nestler, 56, from Berlin's Costume Collective told AFP at the demonstration.

Nestler -- dressed in the turkey costume, which is otherwise used on theatre stages -- said "infrastructure for the independent cultural scene" could be lost.

For Patricia Roncoroni, 50, more cuts could see arts education offered for children in the city all but "disappear".

The planned savings are "totally unacceptable", said Roncoroni, who is part of the parent-teacher association for Berlin's music schools.

Addressing the rally, Berlin's culture minister Joe Chialo described the cultural sector as Berlin's "heavy industry" but said cuts were necessary to balance the budget.

The conservative CDU party minister's speech was greeted with a smattering of boos from the crowd.

Chialo said the savings needed to be "distributed fairly" between departments but said he wanted cuts to be "manageable for everyone".

C.Hamad--SF-PST