The reason is the decision by Ravensburger publishers to immediately withdraw all Winnetou books from the market after fierce protests against two new children’s books. Criticism from left-wing activists focuses on the idea of ’cultural appropriation’ by a majority in Germany. A petition against Winnetou was signed more than 4,000 times within days. Meulenhoff, which publishes the Winnetou titles in the Netherlands, then decided to follow Ravensburger’s decision because of ‘racist stereotypes’. Bol.com has temporarily stopped selling the books online.
However, a counter-movement has now also started in Germany, led by publishing house Karl May. This group fights for the preservation of the fictional character. Publisher Bernhard Schmid says he will continue to publish May’s work, because it belongs to the ‘German-speaking cultural heritage’. On the charge that Germans appropriate the culture of the Indians and glorify the violence against them, Schmid tells boulevard newspaper picture: ‘Germans have no right to prescribe Indians that make them feel discriminated against.’
The independent publisher Reinhard Marheinecke also continues to publish the books, Bild writes, followed by the leading comic book publisher BSV from Hamburg. Although TV channel ARD no longer broadcasts the Winnetou films and has removed them from its media library, competitor ZDF has decided to stick to the titles.