“Decolonizing Christmas” tour held by Berlin Forum of Religions
An attempt was made to present Christmas in Germany through the lens of colonialism and oppression.
In December 2025, a public controversy flared up in Germany around an event titled Decolonizing Christmas, organized by the Berlin Forum of Religions and scheduled to take place at the Church of Peace (Friedenskirche) in the Charlottenburg district. The initiative envisioned so-called interreligious and anti-racist tours and lectures, framed as an invitation to “critically rethink” Christmas traditions.
The event’s promotional slogan was deliberately provocative: “Decolonizing Christmas – between traditions, religion and racism – rethinking Christmas!”
Under this slogan, organizers invited visitors to tours of the Church of Peace’s “Christmas garden,” proposing that Christmas be viewed through the prism of colonial legacy, discrimination, and cultural stereotypes.
This approach triggered sharp rejection from a significant part of German society. On social media and in the press, critics accused the organizers of using “anti-racism” as a cover for deconstructing the Christian faith and pushing God out of the public sphere. Negative reactions came not only from Christians, but also from representatives of liberal Muslim circles, who called the initiative absurd and artificially conflict-driven.
Imam Seyran Ateş – the founder of a liberal mosque – spoke out against the event, saying: “Basically, I’m really speechless and don’t know what words to use to comment on the development of recent years.” She pointed out that during Ramadan, Muslim communities put up traditional decorations, while in other cases attempts are made to “destroy” Christianity.
“The birth of Jesus Christ is associated with power play. I really looked for a long time to see if I saw any connection between the Christmas story and colonization. No, that’s really more than absurd,” she added.
The scandal rose to the political level. Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner demanded explanations from the senator responsible for culture, since the event was partially financed from the city budget. In his view, such projects do not contribute to public peace and intrude into a sensitive religious sphere.
After media backlash and the first meeting held on December 8, the second lecture, scheduled for December 15, 2025, was canceled.
Amid mounting public pressure, the leadership of the Church of Peace in Charlottenburg issued a special press release that effectively distanced the parish from the event’s original concept. The statement, in particular, said:
“Looking back, it can be said that the chosen title and subtitle of the event were too provocative and not precisely formulated enough in terms of the topic. It would also have been better not to hold the event without the Jewish perspective and interpretation as well.
As the Church of Peace in Charlottenburg, we clearly affirm the theological essence of the Christmas message as it is set forth in Holy Scripture. We firmly distance ourselves from any statements that contradict it.”
As the UOJ previously reported, the number of attacks on churches in Germany has increased.
