Academic freedom in danger: protests against anti-democratic attacks!

Academic freedom in danger: protests against anti-democratic attacks!

In the midst of intense social debates about the role of science in democracy, a series of lectures entitled “Endangered Democracy” is taking place at the University of Bremen. The event, organized by the “Profs gegen Rechts” network and the collaborative research platform “Worlds of Contradiction”, aims to provide current knowledge on democratic challenges. The first session of the series will begin on May 7, 2025 and promises to illuminate critical aspects of the current political landscape.
The University of Bremen has developed into a center where academic freedom, a fundamental element of democracy, is addressed. The lecture series will take place in the Blue Rotunda of the Cartesium and will be offered both on site and as a video stream in order to reach a broad public. Loud uni-bremen.de The target group is not only university members, but also interested citizens.

The first lectures are promising. Prof. Dr. Rita Nikolai will speak about the AfD's school policy on May 7th, while Dr. Susanne Götze will shed light on the connection between the AfD, Trumpists and neoliberal networks on June 4th. On June 18th, Prof. Dr. Ralf Michaels on the question of whether reasons of state function as a replacement constitution. At the end of the series on July 2nd, Prof. Dr. Katajun Amirpur and Prof. Dr. Yasemin Karakaşoğlu will address the topic of criticism of racism and academic freedom. These events are an important response to the current threats endangering academic freedom.
On February 7, 2025, the AfD's candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, made a radical statement by calling for gender studies to be abolished at universities and all professors associated with it to be fired. Such statements were classified as unconstitutional and anti-democratic and reinforced existing concerns about academic freedom in Germany das-wissen.de reported.

The importance of academic freedom

The importance of academic freedom is being discussed across the country. In Germany, according to a study by the German Center for Higher Education and Science Research, over 80% of scientists surveyed rate their academic freedom as good to very good. Nevertheless, more than 30% report restrictions on their freedom to teach, underscoring concerns for the integrity and independence of the scientific community. Some even feel compelled to withhold research results to avoid reprisals. This situation gives rise to serious considerations about the future development of Germany as a science location.

Across the world, academic freedom is increasingly under threat, particularly in authoritarian regimes. Experts have pointed out that cyberattacks on universities are increasing and anti-elite movements may undermine the independence of science. At least 24 universities in Germany were the target of such attacks. The event at the University of Bremen aims to address such topics and promote public discourse. The Academy for Political Education already discussed the challenges facing academic freedom today at a conference and pointed out that in democratic societies, academic freedom forms the backbone for creative and innovative developments, while authoritarian systems often operate with limited academic freedom, which endangers the effectiveness of their decisions, such as apb-tutzing.de reported.

The lecture series at the University of Bremen represents a necessary step to defend scientific principles and democratic values. The committed professors show that the discourse on academic freedom is of central importance not only in academic circles but also in the general public in order to protect democracy and counteract the increasing threats to science and education.