On December 18th, 2011 Berlin-based 'Haus der Kulturen der Welt' hosted an event called
DEMOCRACY UNDER ATTACK - AN INTERVENTION. This intervention consisted of ten statements by
German intellectuals raising concerns about the state of democracy in the face of the European financial crisis. Austerity measures provide excuse for curtailing democratic rights. Politics refer to 'marketbased democracy', while institutions lacking legitimacy emerge, such as the ominous Troika. So-called rescue efforts occur with an alleged time pressure caused by 'the markets'. Hence, decisions taken with
such urgency are considered to be 'without alternative'. Democracy is about weighing alternatives and it is constantly at risk - especially when apparent necessities suggest that there is no time to pass lengthy and time-consuming parliamentary procedures.
With statements by Franziska Augstein, Friedrich von Borries, Carolin Emcke, Julia Encke, Romuald Karmakar, Nils Minkmar, Ingo Schulze, Joseph Vogl, Harald Welzer and Roger Willemsen.
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