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Talk 2: How Resilient Is Our Democracy Really?

20 October 2022
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Frankfurt Pavilion

Talk 2: Ethics of freedom of speech - Who is heard? 

Experts and those affected will talk about the responsibility of the book fair, the publishing industry and society, among others.

Throughout Europe, anti-democratic and right-wing extremist tendencies are gaining popularity. This is a worrying development, which President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution Thomas Haldenwang addressed a few months ago in Berlin at the presentation of the report on the protection of the constitution: Right-wing extremism remains the greatest threat to democracy in Germany.  

This has been made particularly clear by the uncovered cases of right-wing extremist groups in the police and the Bundeswehr or by racist terrorist attacks such as those in Hanau and Halle.  

How can we combat an anti-democratic movement that has a strong network effect on our society? What political, legal and civil society instruments of defense are there? How can people be protected from attacks?  

Together with experts and those affected, the responsibility of the book fair, the publishing industry, journalism, the state and society will be discussed and what changes urgently need to be pushed forward. 

Speaker