Missing the point

Published on 18/10/2012 00:00

I feel that Klaus Berchtebreiter (Letters, 13 October) has failed to grasp the true meaning of our actions in poking fun at Fife Council. Our actions [involving the use of a Nazi flag, report, 12 October] were borne out of frustration at the lack of engagement from Fife Council on the Alhambra project and many other town centre issues.

However, this action was never designed as a protest, merely an act of satire to be used in an upcoming production.

No member of the public witnessed or complained about the incident, and, as the police have admitted, no crime was committed. We did not instigate this media storm: the story was ­released to the newspapers by the police.

While we would never disagree with Mr Berchtebreiter’s points regarding the brutality of the Nazi regime, we feel that his attempt to shift focus to emotive issues such as the Dachau concentration camp miss the point somewhat.

The real story here is the arbitrary imprisonment of four hard-working citizens, and the oppression of their freedom of speech and expression when, on the police’s own admission, no crime had been committed.

This shows that the associations with the symbols on the flag and the behaviour of the authorities are not unwarranted. We intend to take legal advice regarding the arrest and ­subsequent imprisonment of our staff.

I call on Mr Berchtebreiter to confirm that he is the business manager for Fife Cultural Trust, which runs Fife Council’s four theatres. This organisation is fully funded by Fife Council with taxpayers’ money. Could the position he holds within Fife Council have also been a motive for his letter?

Bill Fletcher

Alhambra Theatre Trust

Canmore Street

Dunfermline