[2] Thus its central theme is the conflict between humanitarian ideals as termed in ancient Greek culture, especially tragedy, with contemporary political human rights discourses in a situation when refugees from Africa flee to Europe, crossing the Mediterranean Sea and risking their lives.

[1] The play questions whether the European Union's policies at the time were still in line with human rights going back to ancient Greece.

[6] It led to the original reading of the text at the St Pauli [de] church on 21 September 2013, where 80 refugees had found shelter.

[11] On 14 April 2016, around 40 members of the Identitäre Bewegung Österreich stormed the main lecture hall of the University of Vienna where Die Schutzbefohlenen was performed, spraying fake blood into the audience and throwing leaflets against multiculturalism.

After an ensuing brawl in which both refugees (who participated in the play) and members of the audience were attacked, police arrived and managed to apprehend four of the offenders.