David Hasselhoff to rock Berlin Wall protests
He once sang about freedom as the Berlin Wall was torn down - now he's returning to the German capital to save what is left of it. US entertainer David Hasselhoff plans to join protests to save the East Side Gallery on Sunday.
The former star of popular television series Knight Rider and Baywatch announced on Twitter on Tuesday that he would return to Berlin more than two decades after his now legendary performance at the Brandenburg Gate in 1989.
It was just after the Berlin Wall fell that year that The Hoff gave a rousing rendition of the song "Looking for Freedom" in front of half a million Germans still giddy from the peaceful revolution in communist East Germany.
Although he has called that concert one of the most important moments of his life took place in front of the battered Wall, now Hasselhoff wants to help save the longest remaining segment of it.
Planning on being in Berlin for the Save the Wall protest on the 17th at 2pm directly in front of the ESG.Come show your support with me!
— David Hasselhoff (@DavidHasselhoff) March 12, 2013
Known as the East Side Gallery, the stretch of the once-hated concrete barrier is covered in colourful murals by artists from around the world.
Plans to tear down part of the open air gallery to create access to a proposed luxury block of flats and new footbridge over the Spree River sparked angry protests. The city's mayor brokered a compromise last week, but a demonstration this Sunday is designed to maintain pressure on developers and officials.
The Hoff's decision to jet to Germany to show his support for the East Side Gallery could turn the event into a spectacle. Though he hasn't said whether he would be singing his old hit on Sunday, he did recently tell the Huffington Post that he would be open to holding a benefit concert in Berlin.
"I think the best way to do this is to fight capitalism with capitalism," Hasselhoff said. "If you get the whole world behind it, I'd be happy to come over and help and do what I can and do a concert. If you're gonna fight money, you gotta fight money with money."
The Local/mry
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The former star of popular television series Knight Rider and Baywatch announced on Twitter on Tuesday that he would return to Berlin more than two decades after his now legendary performance at the Brandenburg Gate in 1989.
It was just after the Berlin Wall fell that year that The Hoff gave a rousing rendition of the song "Looking for Freedom" in front of half a million Germans still giddy from the peaceful revolution in communist East Germany.
Although he has called that concert one of the most important moments of his life took place in front of the battered Wall, now Hasselhoff wants to help save the longest remaining segment of it.
Planning on being in Berlin for the Save the Wall protest on the 17th at 2pm directly in front of the ESG.Come show your support with me!
— David Hasselhoff (@DavidHasselhoff) March 12, 2013
Known as the East Side Gallery, the stretch of the once-hated concrete barrier is covered in colourful murals by artists from around the world.
Plans to tear down part of the open air gallery to create access to a proposed luxury block of flats and new footbridge over the Spree River sparked angry protests. The city's mayor brokered a compromise last week, but a demonstration this Sunday is designed to maintain pressure on developers and officials.
The Hoff's decision to jet to Germany to show his support for the East Side Gallery could turn the event into a spectacle. Though he hasn't said whether he would be singing his old hit on Sunday, he did recently tell the Huffington Post that he would be open to holding a benefit concert in Berlin.
"I think the best way to do this is to fight capitalism with capitalism," Hasselhoff said. "If you get the whole world behind it, I'd be happy to come over and help and do what I can and do a concert. If you're gonna fight money, you gotta fight money with money."
The Local/mry
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