Insights into defensive democracy – Prof Dr Sophie Schönberger in conversation with Sebastian Baur
To mark the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany, we are delighted to present a new episode of our educational podcast for law students and trainee lawyers: Kurzerklärt – Der Jurapodcast. This special episode was produced in cooperation with Nomos Verlag and is embedded in our democracy campaign Quo Vadis, Demokratie?
In this episode, Prof. Dr Sophie Schönberger and presenter Sebastian Baur discuss the topic of “Defensive Democracy”.
Content of the programme:
- Constitutional meaning and historical classification: what does “defensive democracy” mean in the context of the Basic Law?
- Current challenges: How do the legal instruments of our constitution protect the democratic order? Among other things, the judgement of the OVG Münster will be discussed.
- The Böckenförde dictum: Reflection on this important dictum in the context of current political threats.
In the second part of the interview, specific threats to German democracy are analysed using the example of the Reichsbürger movement. Prof Schönberger, co-author of the book Die Reichsbürger, shares her findings and sheds light on the influence of social media.
