A play about terrorism with the audience as the jury
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Isabelle de Pommereau Correspondent
A play about justice and moral dilemma has riveted and polarized Germans as debate over how to fight terrorism continues worldwide. 鈥淭error,鈥� by criminal defense lawyer-turned-writer Ferdinand von Schirach, centers on an Air Force major who decides to shoot down a plane that has been hijacked by Islamic terrorists. The terrorists are threatening to crash into a packed stadium; by shooting the plane down, the major kills all the plane鈥檚 passengers.
Is Maj. Lars Koch a criminal or a hero? That鈥檚 for audience members to decide. In 鈥淭error,鈥� directed by Oliver Reese of the Schauspiel Frankfurt, the jury is the audience.聽
鈥淗e led an irreproachable life,鈥� the prosecutor says of Lars during the play. But did Lars violate a key tenet of the German Constitution, that 鈥渉uman dignity shall be inviolable鈥�?
Mr. Schirach, whose grandfather, a leading Nazi, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg war trials, says he wanted his play to make people think as governments and society struggle with how far to go in fighting terrorism.聽
The real strength of the play is involving the audience in the process by having it address difficult questions: Is killing innocent people to save the lives of others acceptable? What does 鈥渉uman dignity shall be inviolable鈥� really mean?聽
Audience member Patrick M眉ller of Frankfurt believed Lars should go free. 鈥淚n the end, we all understood that he acted according to his conscience,鈥� Mr. M眉ller said. 鈥淗e did what he felt was right.鈥�
Schirach is convinced that 鈥渙ur [global] democracy should deal with terrorists who try to destroy our society with the tools that our state of law possesses. The truth is, it isn鈥檛 the terrorists who are destroying society 鈥� they just can鈥檛. It is we, democratic citizens, who are potentially endangering our democracy.鈥�
鈥淭error鈥� is being staged in 16 theaters across Germany through 2017.
