TV talk with Markus Lanz: Freedom of expression and threats to democracy.

TV talk with Markus Lanz: Freedom of expression and threats to democracy.

A recent TV talk show discussed intensively freedom of expression, the threat to democracy in connection with the war in Ukraine and the situation of the Russian opposition. The SPD foreign politician Ralf Stegner emphasized the difficulties of banning extremist events, as the hurdles for doing so are high. The Islamic scholar Hamed Abdel-Samad criticized Iran's reluctance to influence radical Islamism and lamented the imbalance that favors multiculturalism.

Sabine Adler, an expert on Eastern Europe, presented her book “What will happen to Russia? – About a nation between war and self-destruction” on the show and expressed uncertainty about the current situation. Leonid Volkov, a close confidant of Alexei Navalny, accused Putin of despising Western freedom and misusing it for his own ends. Putin sees Western laws as weakness and uses this for propaganda, acts of sabotage and influence.

It was discussed whether Russian citizens would continue to tolerate an autocratic regime or whether resistance could arise. Despite Putin's strong control, there are isolated small demonstrations and resistance movements in Russia that represent a sign of hope. However, the discussion also showed that the Ukraine war was helping Putin consolidate power.

The conversations highlighted the complex political situation in Russia and Putin's role in suppressing opposition opinions. Participants took a critical look at the exploitation of freedom of expression by authoritarian regimes and the challenges that democratic societies must overcome in defending their values ​​against such threats.