a separately published video statement documents the action<\/a> additionally from a visual perspective and complements the text with specific scenes from the performance.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nWe moved through the station in formation. Militaristic, but with a wink. No real control, no authority, no power\u2014just an exaggerated copy of what had long since become everyday reality at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our plan was simple:
The famous \u201cnose trick\u201d was enough.
A stern look.
Some laughed immediately.
And yes\u2014we also threatened fines. Not seriously. Not for real. But in exactly the tone everyone knew. And that\u2019s where it became interesting: many people didn\u2019t ask for ID. They didn\u2019t question the situation. They complied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, at some point the real police showed up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They positioned themselves about twenty meters away, observed us\u2014and you could tell they quickly understood: this is not an illegal check. This is an art action. A performance. A reflection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They kept their distance.
Dann kam der Moment, der alles \u00fcbertraf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A young woman approached us.
She pointed at her belly and stated very firmly that she had a medical certificate and did not have to wear a mask. We therefore could not threaten her with a fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I stayed completely in character. No grin. No wink.
I pointed at the real police officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the woman\u2014fully convinced that they were our backup\u2014actually went over. Purposeful. Confident. Straight toward the real officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We stood there and had to pull ourselves together not to burst out laughing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What happened there was pure theater:
The police reaction was priceless.
That was the perfect point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The real state authority clearly distanced itself from us.
It was never about exposing people.\nIt was about showing how easily authority is accepted when rules become absurd. How quickly satire turns into reality when control is normalized. And how strongly people cling to directives, even when they are obviously exaggerated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That a pregnant woman of all people got caught in the middle of this game turned the scene into an unintentional piece of theater\u2014better than any staging could have planned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the end, it was one of those actions that says more than any speech.
And perhaps also about how important it is, in the right moment, to ask:\nIs this still order\u2014or already obedience theater?<\/p>\n\n\n\n