Anti-democratic positions that reject fundamental principles of equality and/or the rule of law are becoming (more) acceptable. Universities are not spared from this either. And it is to be expected that teaching and public events in particular (but also other areas) will be affected by self-confident anti-democratic agitation in the future.

To prevent such positions from normalising as legitimate discourse positions, it is important to counter them - which is not easy.

Even the vague concern of academics about being attacked for their positions or not complying with a supposed ‚neutrality requirement‘ can lead to restrictions and thus threaten academic freedom.

So far, universities have hardly responded to this challenging situation. There has been a lack of further education programmes and concepts that focus clearly on protection against anti-democratic agitation and personal hostility in the context of teaching or public events (see also the statement "Protecting academic freedom: Strategies against anti-democratic forces" by Die Junge Akademie; in German only).

The project aims to fill this gap by

• pooling existing expertise
• developing possible courses of action against anti-democratic agitation in the university environment and
• passing on the knowledge acquired.