In our most recent events we dealt with the topics of right-wing extremism, Islamism and left-wing extremism. These represent an elementary threat to the future of Jewish life in Germany. At this event we turn to the political and social centre.
We too refer to the so-called “centre” in our self-image. From it we hope for a firm understanding of the values of democracy, as well as an emotional and proactive loyalty to democracy and the rule of law. But not only that: at a time when anti-democratic and extremist groupings are trying to divide our society, we also expect a clear demarcation from anti-freedom endeavours and group-focused enmity from the centre of society.
The so-called Mitte study has been showing for years that racist and antisemitic thinking is not merely a fringe phenomenon but reaches right into the centre of society. How do we deal with these manifestations? Is there enough demarcation and resilience against group-focused enmity in and from the centre of society? The centre often has a problem defining its boundaries and actively standing up for the preservation of our free society.
What is this centre? Does it stand for something, or is it what the ideologues at the margins leave over? Is it substance or vacuum? These are the questions we discuss on this evening.
Panel:
Thorsten Frei (Member of the Bundestag, CDU, deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group)
Konstantin von Notz (Member of the Bundestag, Die Grünen, deputy chairman of the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen parliamentary group)
Samuel Salzborn (Commissioner for Antisemitism of the Land of Berlin)
Düzen Tekkal (GermanDream)Here is the entire discussion:
