ZDF cancels Danger Dan and Igor Levit's anti-fascist song on 'Die Anstalt', citing possible call to violence

The cancellation

On 15 July, at the Bavaria Filmstudios in Munich, the public broadcaster ZDF cancelled a planned performance by rapper Danger Dan (Daniel Pongratz, also of the band Antilopen Gang) and pianist Igor Levit on the satirical show "Die Anstalt." The cancellation came just before the recording of the show's 100th episode, which was to focus on growing political radicalization and the resilience of democracy. The two artists were to perform the song "Keine Angst" (No Fear), which deals with resistance against right-wing extremism, followed by a discussion with the hosts Maike Kühl, Max Uthoff, and Claus von Wagner. The ZDF management intervened at the last moment, according to a statement from the artists' promotion agency Check Your Head.

The broadcaster's reasoning

The ZDF said the text of "Keine Angst" could be interpreted as a call to violence, which would contradict its programming guidelines. The broadcaster stated it had intensively examined the song during preparation, involving its management, and concluded that the contradiction could not be resolved after a more than seven-minute live performance. The ZDF did not specify which passages triggered the concern. The song, released on the night of 17 July, is an anti-fascist piece that calls for collective action against Nazis and fascists, with lines about secret communication, researching right-wing structures, documenting their actions, and avoiding surveillance: "Never without gloves, never leave a fingerprint." The ZDF announced it would address the song "in a documentary-journalistic manner at another point in the programme."

Artists' response

Danger Dan and Igor Levit sharply criticized the decision. In a joint Instagram post on 16 July, they called the cancellation an "infringement on freedom of expression and art" and "scandalous." They said the song had been submitted to the broadcaster weeks earlier and that the ZDF's own legal department had given the green light. The editorial team of "Die Anstalt" had rewritten the episode to incorporate the song and protested the management's veto.

This is not democracy, this is an authoritarian act.

The artists also referenced previous conflicts with ZDF. When they performed the song "Das ist alles von der Kunstfreiheit gedeckt" on Jan Böhmermann's "ZDF Magazin Royale," there was already trouble with the current director. Later, a statement critical of the AfD was cut from their appearance at the OPUS KLASSIK award ceremony; ZDF later reinstated it in its media library and apologized. Danger Dan and Levit warned that the current intervention, given the political situation and state elections in autumn, was "not a good omen."

What happens next

The 100th episode of "Die Anstalt" will air on 21 July at 22:15, and the hosts are expected to address the controversy. Danger Dan and Levit announced they will perform "Keine Angst" together in Berlin on the same day, stating, "We will not let this be banned." The ZDF's planned journalistic treatment of the song has not yet been scheduled.