Constitution in danger?

On 23 May 2024, the Basic Law and German democracy will celebrate their 75th anniversary. Since 1949, they have proven to be stable and resilient overall. In recent years, however, they have been and continue to be confronted with major challenges: Corona pandemic, Ukraine war, flight and migration, climate protection. The mood seems to be deteriorating: polls and election results reflect disenchantment with politics and dissatisfaction. The tone of the political debate is becoming harsher and more aggressive. 2024 will see European elections as well as state and local elections in several federal states. In view of high poll ratings and possible electoral successes for the AfD, parts of which the Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies as right-wing extremist, there is a lively debate about how to deal with this party and about protective measures in favour of democracy and the Basic Law. Against this backdrop, we ask ourselves: Is our constitutional order so well protected that it can prove resilient in the face of any challenges? Or could our democracy and its rules be deliberately exploited and seriously threatened by anti-constitutional forces? we want to explore these questions in a lecture and discussion evening. Firstly, the lawyer and legal philosopher Horst Dreier will focus on the Basic Law and assess the resilience of our constitution and defensive democracy on the basis of constitutional protection mechanisms. The lawyer Friedrich Zillessen will then present the results of the "Thuringia Project", which analyses potential weaknesses, gaps and threats to our democratic order using the example of the Thuringian constitution.