Dr. Christian Rabanus invites you to another discussion event as part of the "Lust am Denken" series on Saturday, June 6, 2026, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. The topic is "Why the Political Cannot Be Defined Away."

The recent Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Vienna was accompanied by protests against the participation of Noam Bettan, who represented Israel in the competition. In the run-up to the event, there had been discussions within the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the ESC, about suspending Israel. A number of countries, including Spain—one of the competition’s largest financial backers—and Ireland—one of the most successful countries in the history of the ESC—withdrew their participation in protest. Among the reasons cited by Spain was that, on the one hand, Israel itself misuses its musical entries for political purposes, and on the other hand, the Israeli army is committing genocide in Gaza: “The Eurovision Song Contest is a competition, but human rights are not,” said José Pablo López, president of Spain’s RTVE, in a statement in December 2025.

Supporters of Israel’s participation, including ORF Director General Robert Weißmann, cite the ESC’s character as a musical, not political, event. In line with this stance, the ESC’s Code of Conduct (CoC) explicitly states that the ESC is a “joyful, non-political event that celebrates music and culture.”

The question of how one should view and/or behave toward a major event that claims to be apolitical in itself but has political implications and/or in which more or less dubious actors play a sometimes significant role is currently being raised just as much in relation to the soccer World Cup being held in North America this year as, for example, in relation to the Venice Art Biennale, where, for the first time since 2022, the Russian Federation is once again officially presenting the Russian Pavilion on the Biennale grounds following a decision by the Biennale’s leadership.

This raises the question of whether the political can simply be excluded from an event by means of a Code of Conduct (CoC) or other statutes—and this question arises not only in light of events such as those mentioned, over which individuals have influence only in exceptional cases, but also in relation to decisions that every person must make, in some cases, every day. To what extent, for example, is attending a major sporting event or an international art exhibition a political act? To what extent is a vacation trip to Madeira? Or the purchase of natural gas for heating? Can the individual retreat to the position that he or she is simply interested in art, music, or sports, or that he or she must, after all, heat the home or go on vacation from time to time?

On the first Saturday in June, we will explore—with a passion for thinking—the question of how broadly this “political” sphere can be defined, whether apolitical action in the public sphere is even possible, whether the private sphere can also be political, and where the line between private and public, political and apolitical, can or even must be drawn.

Registration
Details To facilitate event planning, we ask that you send an informal registration via email to infophaenopraxiede by Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. This registration helps with detailed planning (such as preparing an appropriate number of worksheets and/or handouts). However, spontaneous participation in the event is also possible.

Costs
A contribution toward expenses of €10.00 will be collected at the entrance to the event.