Panel: Pretty extreme! Do we have a resilient democracy?

How can we protect our democracy through legal means? Experts from the fields of law, academia, and civil society discuss the banning of political parties and other measures.

Since the publication of Correctiv’s investigative report on the close ties between far-right ideologues and the Alternative for Germany party, tens of thousands of people across Germany have taken to the streets. They are protesting against far-right extremism and drawing attention to the danger it poses to an open society. There is a debate over banning the AfD: Some see it as a necessary measure to protect the rule of law and democracy—a petition calling for a review of the ban has garnered widespread support. Others consider this approach to be wrong or futile and warn that banning the party could deepen divisions in society or that, if the ban were rejected by the Federal Constitutional Court, it would only further strengthen extreme political convictions. In this event, we do not intend to discuss the pros and cons of banning the party, but rather to clarify the underlying questions: What dangers to the rule of law and democracy could extreme parties actually pose? How does a party ban proceeding actually work? What legal hurdles exist? What political and societal risks are associated with it? And are there other, perhaps better, ways to protect our democracy through legal means?

Starring:

Steven Hummel, chronik.LE, a project to document and analyze extremism in Leipzig and Northern Saxony. For years, he has been active in civil society initiatives against right-wing extremism in rural areas of Saxony.

Johannes Kieß, Else Frenkel-Brunswik Institute (EFBI) for Democracy Research in Saxony. He conducts research on political attitudes, particularly regarding right-wing extremism, anti-Semitism, and other anti-democratic attitudes.

Marie Müller-Elmau, Verfassungsblog. She is a research associate at the The Constitutional Blog's Thuringia Project, a research project on the resilience of democracy and the rule of law in Germany. Using Thuringia as a case study, the project investigates what power and leeway an authoritarian-populist party would have at the state level.

The Moderated by the investigative reporter Sarah Ulrich from Leipzig take over.

Admission is free; registration is not required.

A partnership with the Peaceful Revolution Foundation, the Leipzig Adult Education Center and the Civil Rights Academy. More information: REVOLUTIONALE – Conflict:ed 2024