The Saxony Rectors' Conference stands up against right-wing extremism and speaks out in favor of civil courage.
Saxony's universities and colleges stand for openness to the world and tolerance, humanity and respect. Like the freedom of research and teaching, these are inviolable values. They are the basis for social coexistence as well as for excellence in research and teaching. For us as universities, it is important that we make a contribution to understanding and bearing responsibility by means of scientifically sound analysis.
We see these values under threat due to the developments of recent years in Saxony and most recently in Chemnitz. We are seeing that Saxony now has a massive problem with right-wing extremism, which has been underestimated and sometimes even played down by large parts of politics and the authorities for years.
Regardless of the reasons why people are concerned and take to the streets - showing the Hitler salute, chanting inhumane, hateful slogans, attacks against those who think differently - all of these are criminal acts that must not be tolerated. We see this as an attack on our democracy and the rule of law! We therefore call on all people in the Free State of Saxony and beyond its borders to stand up together for democratic values. We call on politicians to take a stronger stance against right-wing extremist tendencies across party lines and to take consistent action against all forms of right-wing extremism. We ourselves, the universities, their employees and students as well as their other members, are also committed to active civil courage. We are called upon to stand up for these values more clearly and to become more involved in social discourse.
"All mischief that happens is not only the fault of those who do it, but also of those who do not prevent it," said Erich Kästner. This attitude is more important today than ever!
The Saxony Rectors' Conference