Freiheit – Zensur. Bücherverbote und Social Media

In the organizer's words:

As part of the event series Media History of Protest, the German Museum of Books and Writing invites you to the symposium "Freedom - Censorship. Book bans and social media in the "land of opportunity".

The memory of the book burnings of 1933 has once again gained urgent topicality at a time when books are being banned from libraries and critical media are being hit with lawsuits, and not only in the USA. When social media giants abolish fact-checking and right-wing populists question public broadcasting at the same time, this is an alarm signal for democratically constituted states, because targeted disinformation jeopardizes democratic principles. In this context, how can we defend democratic values in the long term - against totalitarian tendencies, fake news and authoritarian attacks?

With contributions from Natascha Strobl (political scientist and journalist, Vienna) and Patrick Peltz (European Center for Press and Media Freedom, Leipzig). Hans Nevídal (artist, Vienna) will present his action in a short performative lecture. Moderation: Britt Schlehahn (city magazine kreuzer, Leipzig)

The symposium takes place on the occasion of the "Projections on May 10", which commemorate the book burnings of the National Socialists in 1933. Vierunddreißig Aktionen by Hans Nevídal is a project in which the artist shows projections on the façade of the German National Library in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main in alternating years from May 10, 2000 to May 10, 2033 (the date of the book burnings). His next action is planned for Saturday, May 10, 2025, 10 pm on the corner of Semmelweisstraße and Philip-Rosenthal-Straße in Leipzig. Livestream, texts and photos of the campaign at brandschutzfilme.com.

Information and contact

Venue: German Book and Writing Museum of the German National Library Leipzig, temporary exhibition

Costs: Free admission

Duration: 3 hours

Registration: No registration required.

Checkroom information: You will need one or two euro coins to lock bags and rucksacks in the lockers.

Accessibility: The rooms in which the event takes place are barrier-free.

Contact: dbsm-info@dnb.de