The Far Right and the Law:
How Nationalist Thinking Undermines the Rule of Law

Ethnic nationalism is one of the ideological cornerstones of the far right. To understand what an ethnic nationalist worldview is and how the far right uses it to undermine the rule of law, the Forum Recht Foundation invited historian Prof. Dr. Uwe Puschner and legal scholar Prof. Dr. Alexander Thiele to Karlsruhe as part of its „Let’s Talk About Recht‘ discussion series on September 10, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.

Karlsruhe, August 28, 2025. Ethno-nationalist thinking is accompanied by a profound attempt to legitimize social inequality through the law. „The ethnic worldview’s concepts of humanity, society, and the state—which are founded on inequality, racism, and anti-humanism—have long been perpetuated by internationally networked neo-Nazi and far-right actors, groups, and their media,“ says Prof. Uwe Puschner, a historian and professor of modern history at the Friedrich Meinecke Institute at Freie Universität Berlin.

Puschner will be joined by Prof. Alexander Thiele, a legal scholar and professor of political theory and public law at the BSP Business & Law School Berlin, at Let's Talk About Law on September 10, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. discuss ethnic nationalism in its historical and contemporary contexts. In conversation with Marie-Elisabeth Miersch Representing the Forum Recht Foundation, the two experts will explain how legal concepts are strategically reinterpreted to undermine or invert principles of the rule of law, such as equality and human dignity.

„Membership in a democratic constitutional state is primarily determined by citizenship, and the requirements for citizenship, in turn, must be decided democratically. Anyone who instead relies on supposedly ‚natural‘ and unchangeable criteria such as ethnicity, religion, or origin will be unable to build an inclusive community from the outset,“ says Thiele regarding the threat to our constitutional state.

During their discussion, the two experts also focus on the often-overlooked impact of such reinterpretations in ordinary law—such as labor law or tenancy law. „This current relevance makes it necessary,“ says Puschner, „to examine völkisch thinking, its content, and its history.“

The discussion will take place at 7:00 p.m. at the Stiftung Forum Recht in Karlsruhe (Karlstraße 45A). Admission is free. The foundation cordially invites the audience to participate in the discussion by asking questions.

Let's Talk About Law

This year, the Forum Recht Foundation is hosting a regular series of talks titled „Let’s Talk About Recht.“ The series features guests from various fields of law who discuss their day-to-day work and share their perspectives on current legal topics—ranging from labor law and tenancy law to freedom of speech.