“GOETHE, GO F*CK YOURSELF”: GERMAN NEWSPAPER MOCKS MOSCOW’S CULTURAL RETALIATION
German newspaper taz has responded to Russia’s planned closure of the Goethe-Institut with a front page reading “Goethe, go f*ck yourself”—an intentional reference to the popular German comedy Fack ju Göhte.
Moscow is closing the institute’s three Russian branches in retaliation for Germany terminating its agreement with the Russian House in Berlin. Berlin also ordered Russia’s consulate general in Bonn to close after formally holding Moscow responsible for the attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport.
The joke carries a serious consequence. The Goethe-Institut has operated in Russia since the early 1990s, providing language education, cultural exchange and internationally recognized German examinations used by Russians seeking to study or work in Germany.
Moscow presents the closure as retaliation against Berlin, but ordinary Russians will bear much of the cost. Once again, the Kremlin is answering its growing isolation by closing another window through which its own population could reach the outside world.