The event
Violence against public figures: What does it mean for our democracy?
A smashed car windscreen, verbal threats on social media or physical attacks on the street are situations that public figures are confronted with. // Photo Colourbox
As part of the conference "Threats, attacks and violence - What about academic and press freedom?", the organisers, led by Wuppertal sociologists Prof Dr Peter Imbusch and Dr Joris Steg, want to address and discuss the nature, extent, causes and consequences of violence against academics and journalists.
The programme is divided into three blocks. The introduction to the topic will be followed by further keynote speeches from research and practice. Dr Anna Hofmann from the ZEIT Bucerius Foundation will ask the very specific question "What is the state of academic freedom in Germany?", Prof. Dr Cornelia Schweppe from the University of Mainz will talk about "Abuse of power in academia" and Patrick Peltz from the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom will provide insights into the topic of "Violence against (local) journalists and its effects on professional practice".
The complete programme is available for download (pdf-document) via this link.
"People who are in the public eye, hold public office or make prominent statements are increasingly confronted with threats. We need to address the question of whether and to what extent threats and violence against them represent a danger to democracy," explains Prof Imbusch, providing the impetus for the event.
Politician Helge Lindh, the rector of Bergische Universität, Prof Dr Birgitta Wolff, and journalist Stefan Kob from Solinger Tageblatt will also be discussing this at CityKirche Elberfeld on the evening of 6 October from 6 pm. "With this discussion, we want to open up the space to talk together and publicly about the background and causes of this apparent development, and also to promote an exchange about what options for action and counter-strategies we have as a society," says Dr Steg.
At a glance
The conference and panel discussion are aimed at a broad audience. Anyone interested is invited to take part. Registration is not required. The conference will take place from 10.45 a.m. in the Bergisches Zimmer on the Grifflenberg campus of the university of Wuppertal (Building ME, Level 02, Max-Horkheimer-Str. 15, 42119 Wuppertal). The panel discussion in the CityKirche, Kirchplatz 2, 42103 Wuppertal starts at 6 pm.
New book
The book "Bedrohungsanalysen - Angriffe auf PolitikerInnen, JournalististInnen, Einsatzkräfte und Lehrpersonen als Gefahr für die Demokratie", edited by Prof. Dr Peter Imbusch and Dr Joris Steg from the Institute of Sociology at the University of Wuppertal, provides even more in-depth analyses and a comprehensive overview of the topic. In addition to external colleagues, numerous members of the University of Wuppertal also contributed to the book. Among other things, it analyses specific fields of threat in empirical studies and reconstructs perpetrator structures and contexts.
The book will be published by Springer VS Verlag in October 2025. Price: 54.99 euros.
More information on the publisher's website.
