Es gilt das gesprochene Wort.

Jeff Rathke,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Students,

Guests,

Liberal democracies are vulnerable.

This was clear even before the COVID-19 pandemic made it so painfully evident. And for us in Germany, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has brought further uncertainty. Many things that we previously took for granted have been suddenly called into question.

Before the Russian invasion, most of us could not have imagined that we would once again see war on European soil. Then, suddenly, we faced empty shelves at supermarkets, disruptions in supply chains, uncertainties about our energy supply.

For many people in Germany, uncertainty became their constant companion: first the fear of the virus, fear of the next lockdown. Then fear that their homes would be cold in winter. Fear of war. It had been a long time since our societies last experienced crises of this caliber.

But I am confident that we can learn from these crises and we can rise to the occasion. Democracies can come out of crises stronger than before. They can do this when they maintain their ability to act effectively. And the key factor in how effectively a society acts in response to a crisis is its resilience.

Liberal democracies are built on a foundation of trust: Trust in the rule of law and trust in the democratic process. Trust in the opportunity for participation, the chance to have a say. And, finally, trust in reliable information.

Because when people don’t believe in facts any more, when they can’t recognize realities, then the social fabric is torn by mistrust and doubt.

During the pandemic, we saw this in the antidemocratic protests of the COVID denier movement who call themselves “Querdenker”.

The extremists from this scene are now using false and misleading information about the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine to mobilize their supporters. They consume misinformation and they spread it to others. Often this false information originates from foreign interference, which is a security risk for open societies and democracies all over the world.

The intentions of those who spread disinformation are clear: Deliberately false news is meant to damage trust in governments and democratic institutions.

Russian disinformation also aims to weaken international and multilateral alliances by undermining trust between democratic countries.

Foreign interference is one of the key security and socio-political challenges that open societies face.

This means that our task is to make our society more resilient against such threats. Enabling the public to take a critical approach to disinformation is a crucial part of this.

Conspiracy theories are also a form of disinformation. They gain momentum in times of crisis because they provide seemingly simple explanations for complex societal processes. In most cases, antisemitism can be found at the heart of these narratives.

Conspiracy narratives are a catalyst for radicalization. They forge common ground between different dangerous groups, such as right-wing extremists and the movements known as “Reichsbürger” and “Selbstverwalter”. All of these groups deny the legitimacy of our democratic government and its institutions. All of them have a high propensity for violence. And their numbers are growing.

The January 6 insurgent movement here in the United States had a different composition and a different history, of course. But we face similar challenges. Because unfortunately we in Germany, like you in the United States, have seen how quickly mistrust in government can turn into open violence.

In August 2020, demonstrators in Berlin forced their way to the entrance of the Reichstag.

Their motivations for doing this were a consequence of how conspiracy narratives had destroyed trust in the government.

Six months later, we were all shocked when protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol. In both cases, the attackers wanted to overthrow elected representatives. Both times, democracy itself was their target. In both countries, the attackers saw their actions as a legitimate protest. And in both cases, they were incited by hatred and lies.

A struggle to shape the dominant narrative is a normal part of public debate in a democracy. But the struggle for

fundamental trust in democratic institutions is crucial to the stability of our democracies. To meet this challenge, we must convince people of the value of democracy – over and over again, every day.

Social harmony is also a factor in a society’s resilience. That’s why it’s our job to ensure lasting prosperity. Because when prosperity is accessible to as many people as possible, it becomes an anchor for social cohesion.

Foreign states and their intelligence services threaten our prosperity through their espionage and sabotage activities.

In their pursuit of competitive advantages, state-sponsored attackers use sophisticated methods and vast human and financial resources.

This is dangerous for our business and research communities. To better protect them, we are stepping up coordination between security authorities, companies and research institutions. We also want to expand this cooperation internationally.

Studies show that when people struggle to make ends meet, when they are afraid of losing their standard of living, they become more receptive to seemingly simple solutions, populist arguments and conspiracy narratives.

That’s why the enemies of democracy deliberately stoke fears and seek to polarize society.

Right-wing extremism is currently the greatest threat to our democracy. But Islamist terrorism also continues to threaten our democracies. And, as with right-wing extremism, the fight against Islamism begins in people’s minds. And so we have developed deradicalization programs for Islamists too. Government and civil society are working together closely on this.

We can best protect our democracy if we take action early on, before hatred and violence have a chance to develop. That’s why we are working to strengthen our democracy from within: through democratic engagement, civic education and prevention.

We want to raise the public’s awareness of disinformation. To achieve this, we are using many different media and formats to inform people about the context for disinformation and strategies for combatting it. Our Federal Government has also improved its cooperation with the state and local levels in this area. We’re funding several major federal programs to support civil society prevention projects. And we’re working on an action plan for the fight against disinformation, which will include all levels of government.

And of course, disarming extremists is also an important goal for me as Interior Minister, that is, as head of the federal ministry responsible for domestic security. In January of this year, I presented draft legislation to do just that.

Those who seek to destroy our democracy should not possess weapons!

But the better we do at prevention, the less we need punitive measures. Because those who trust in democracy do not fight against it.

Let’s keep working together to achieve this! Thank you very much for your attention!

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