"Germany, please perish" - Bremen bookstore under fire - Germany's book prize chaos erupts over punk slogan and censorship row
Bremen's Golden Shop bookstore has been excluded from this year's German Book Trade Prize after Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer intervened. The decision followed criticism of a controversial façade featuring slogans like 'Deutschland verrecke bitte'—a line from the punk band Slime. Protests erupted in response, leading Weimer to cancel the award ceremony entirely.
The Golden Shop façade is an art project, displaying a collage of quotes from literature, music and film. Among them was the punk slogan 'Deutschland verrecke bitte', taken directly from Slime's 1981 song Deutschland. Store lawyer Lea Voigt pointed out that the phrase is legally protected, citing a 1984 ruling by Germany's Federal Constitutional Court. That case upheld Heinrich Heine's 1844 poem The Silesian Weavers—which included provocative anti-German lines—as artistic expression under Article 5 of the Basic Law.
Weimer defended his decision, arguing that the prize *'must not go to enemies of the state'*. He barred three bookstores, including *Golden Shop*, claiming *'evidence relevant to constitutional protection'*. Critics accused him of undermining artistic freedom and acting in bad faith, with calls for his resignation growing louder. The store's lawyer countered that the backlash revealed *'alarming gaps in the canon of high and pop culture'*, stressing that the façade's intent was artistic, not political. The controversy escalated when protests targeted the bookstore. Facing mounting pressure, Weimer scrapped the award ceremony altogether, leaving the prize in limbo.
The dispute highlights ongoing tensions between free expression and state oversight in Germany. The Golden Shop remains excluded from the prize, while legal precedent protects its façade as artistic speech. Weimer's decision has sparked broader debate about censorship and the boundaries of cultural recognition.
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