Overview
- In mid‑July ZDF's director Norbert Himmler pulled a planned Die Anstalt performance, saying the lyrics could be read as a "Gebrauchsanweisung für Gewalt" and were therefore unsuitable for the programme.
- Danger Dan and pianist Igor Levit rejected the decision, staged an alternative concert in Berlin's Columbiatheater and livestreamed the song while journalist unions and the show's team publicly criticized the broadcaster.
- The lyrics describe organising actions against right‑wing actors, including collecting and publishing personal information and send a named greeting to Lina E., a convicted member of the Hammer‑Bande, which prompted warnings about doxxing and vigilantism.
- The controversy increased the song's visibility and commercial reach, with GfK reporting 'Keine Angst' entering the Official German Single Charts at number seven.
- Coverage has split along political lines with some outlets defending the track as antifascist protest and others calling it a romanticisation of street violence, a debate that now centers on editorial standards, public trust in institutions, and how to tackle right‑wing violence without eroding the rule of law.