Strong against populism!

Strong against populism!

How to react when a colleague, customer, student… passes on populist theses? How can populist statements be dealt with confidently and appropriately?  What can be done against online violence? Many of us are confronted with difficult positions in their professional and private contexts. If we argue for democracy and the future of our societies, we have sometimes difficult situations.

The We-Europeans workshop that took place from 13 – 15 June 2022 in Leipzig, Germany, gave background information on populism and populist rhetoric, practical tips and possible methods for countering as well as space for exchange and networking among the 30 participants from seven European countries.

Martin Mejstřík from Charles University Prague informed at the We-Europeans Training in Leipzig about the development in the field of populism in Europe.

Magdalena Scharf from Deutsche Toleranzstiftung and Lydia Aufschlager from Wisamar Bildungsgesellschaft gave advice and did practical exercises on countering populism.

Josephine Ballon from HateAid gave input on online violence and how to counter it.

Mathias Hamann from Institut für Kommunikation und Gesellschaft dealt with populist rhetoric and trained the participants practically in countering it.

Besides the theoretical input and practical training in the workshops, there were many opportunities for an exchange among the participants in relation to populism in the different countries, how they were confronted with populism, who is reached by populist movements, reasons for the rise of populism and in how far populism is a threat to society.

The 3-days training served as starting point for the We-Europeans Community of Practice which is open to all persons that are confronted by populism in their profession or volunteer engagement. We are looking forward to continue the exchange in the Community part of the website. There, also the presentations held in Leipzig can be found.