Canceled lectures, revoked room reservations, disbanded gatherings, awards not presented, and funding granted with conditions: In Germany, there is a heated debate over what may be said, shown, and researched. This affects freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, as well as art, culture, and science—all areas expressly protected by the Basic Law.
Many people see this as a restriction on civil liberties, justified by a misguided notion of the state’s interests and accusations of anti-Semitism that are being exploited for political ends. Others perceive protests, actions, and statements in solidarity with Palestine as threatening or radical and do not feel adequately protected. The divides are deepening because positions are not discussed openly but are delegitimized from the outset.
How do the interests of the state and fundamental rights relate to one another? Where is the line between legitimate criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism, and who draws it? How can a state governed by the rule of law prevent Jewish and Muslim people from being pitted against one another? And what happens to a democracy when debates are no longer held but are instead suppressed? A conversation about what divides us and what holds a liberal order together.
