On 28 January 2020, after much public criticism in Germany, organiser of the Dresden Semper Opera Ball, has formally apologised for awarding this year’s Order of St. George to the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
The organisers of the Semper Opera Ball annually award the Order of St. George to celebrities. Egypt’s President al-Sisi received it on Sunday, 26 January 2020, in “recognition of his efforts to serve peace in Africa”.
The Dresden Opera Boss, Hans-Joachim Frey, who had to travel to Cairo to award the Egyptian president, has called the award a “mistake”. He said: “We would like to apologise for this award ceremony and distance ourselves from it.”
The Semper Opera Ball is one of the major cultural events in Saxony, Germany.