A conservative lawmaker in Berlin called for action against German conductor Justus Frantz, who traveled to Moscow this week to receive the Order of Friendship from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Christian Democratic Union member of parliament Roland Theis told POLITICO’s Berlin Playbook Thursday that German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier should revoke Frantz’s Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
“Anyone who aligns themselves with a dictator whose, until now, hybrid military aggressions are directed against our country, can no longer be a bearer of the Federal Order of Merit,” Theis told POLITICO.
Putin on Tuesday awarded the 81-year-old German musician, saying: “For many years, Justus Frantz has made a fruitful contribution to fostering closer relations and mutual enrichment between the cultures of Russia and the Federal Republic of Germany.”
In February 2023, Frantz signed the controversial “Manifesto for Peace”, an online petition by left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht calling for negotiations with Russia.
According to his website, Frantz has performed with the Berlin, New York and Vienna philharmonic orchestras, as well the London Symphony Orchestra. Reports say he is an admirer of legendary Russian composers Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Sergei Rachmaninoff.
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