Wolfram Weimer, Germany’s Minister of State for Culture, shared his thoughts on the “global culture war” in a speech on Sunday, June 1st, during an event inducting new members into the Order Pour le Mérite for Science and the Arts—one of Germany’s highest cultural honors, established by King Frederick William IV in the 19th century.
Weimer said that the independence of science and arts is fading in the West. “The United States in particular stands for an anti-freedom current,” he told the audience “We’re witnessing attitudes take hold in places where free thought once flourished.”
The culture minister argued that neo-nationalism is on the rise and the U.S. is especially a cause for concern. He also claimed that right-wing governments are attacking the values of tolerance, progress, and individual liberties.
Weimer was the minister responsible for a politically motivated economic attack on U.S. tech companies last week when he proposed a tax on American tech companies that, according to him, influence Germany. Weimer’s tax was described as a move to free Germany “from its dependence on American infrastructure.”
