The organizers of the Vienna Festival announced, in a post on Instagram, the day before yesterday, the cancellation of an upcoming participation by the American billionaire IT investor, Peter Thiel, after increasing criticism of a planned event.
The festival’s director, Milo Rau, who is known for his political projects, had defended holding a public discussion evening with Thiel, and confirmed her attendance this June. The American billionaire, Peter Thiel, who originally hails from Germany, is known for his right-wing conservative views, and for being a close supporter of the US President, Donald Trump, and his criticism of liberal democracies.
Artists and participants withdrew from the event due to plans to host Thiel, and the organizers said that their withdrawals weakened the festival “to an unacceptable extent,” and for this reason the administration decided to cancel the debate with Peter Thiel.
According to the festival, which is funded by the city of Vienna, other critical voices have become increasingly prominent. “The invitation to Peter Thiel rightly arouses great dissatisfaction among the public,” Vienna’s culture advisor Veronica Kaup Hasler told Der Standard.
