Protests are barred during ARD's "summer interview" with Banaszak
In a contrasting turn of events, the ARD's "Summer Interview" with Green Party leader Felix Banaszak was successfully recorded without any disruptions, unlike the previous interview with AfD co-leader Alice Weidel.
During Weidel's interview on 20 July 2025, protesters positioned themselves across the River Spree in Berlin's government quarter, using powerful loudspeakers, singing anti-AfD songs, blowing whistles, and shouting slogans to drown out the live broadcast. The activist group Centre for Political Beauty claimed responsibility for the disruptions, which included playing the song "Scheiß AfD Jodler" and other disruptive noises.
In stark contrast, no protesters were seen or heard near the Reichstag building during the Banaszak interview. The Nuklearia association had announced a protest near the TV set for the time of the Banaszak interview, but it appears that the demonstrators did not materialize or chose to focus their efforts elsewhere.
The ARD had previously announced that it would take "security measures" without providing details. Despite the lack of specific information, these measures seemed to have been effective in maintaining a peaceful environment for the Banaszak interview.
The interview led by deputy ARD studio chief Matthias Deiß will be broadcast at 6 pm on the first channel and is already available to stream online. The recording time for the Banaszak interview was moved to the early hours of the morning to avoid any potential disruptions.
The ARD has faced criticism for not interrupting the broadcast during the disruptions experienced during the Weidel interview. However, the broadcaster has clarified that the recording times for the "Summer Interviews" vary from guest to guest, as they have in previous years, and the ARD does not want to mislead protesters by providing specific recording times.
In summary, the ARD successfully recorded the "Summer Interview" with Green Party leader Felix Banaszak without disturbances, in stark contrast to the disrupted interview with AfD co-leader Alice Weidel. The difference in protest disruptions seems to stem from the political controversy surrounding Weidel and the AfD, provoking organized activist actions to interrupt her broadcast, whereas no such targeted protests against Banaszak occurred.
- The peaceful recording of the ARD's "Summer Interview" with Green Party leader Felix Banaszak highlights a significant difference in employment policy discussions within EC countries, as compared to the disruptive protests against AfD co-leader Alice Weidel.
- The absence of protests during Banaszak's interview demonstrates a shift in general-news reporting, where crime-and-justice issues tend to spark protests, contrasting with the emotional politics surrounding the AfD that led to organized disruptions.
