DiEM25 – Details, episodes & analysis

Elon Musk’s growing role in politics represents a troubling evolution in how wealthy elites shape public discourse and policy. From his control of X (formerly Twitter) to his involvement in U.S. elections alongside Donald Trump, to his recent support for anti-migrant and nationalist parties in Europe (including the AfD and Tommy Robinson), Musk’s actions highlight the alarming intersection of tech and political power.

How has the influence of billionaires evolved to dominate public discourse so openly? What does this growing consolidation of power mean for democracy? And how we can people push back against it? Join Yanis Varoufakis and special guest Cory Doctorow—science fiction author, activist, and journalist—for a live discussion hosted by Mehran Khalili. Be part of the conversation and share your questions in real time!

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• Mehran: https://x.com/mkhalili
• Yanis: https://x.com/yanisvaroufakis
• Cory Doctorow: https://x.com/doctorow 

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What happens when you speak up for Gaza in Germany? Melanie Schweizer — lawyer, political candidate with MERA25 Germany, and Ministry of Labour adviser — joins Mehran Khalili to expose how BILD, Germany’s biggest tabloid, targeted her for speaking out against Israel’s genocide. In this riveting interview, she reveals the toll of standing up for Palestine, the media’s role in silencing dissent, and why she refuses to back down.

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• Mehran: https://x.com/mkhalili
• Melanie: https://x.com/Melaniebelizi 

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The long repression of pro-Palestinian voices in Germany reached a peak last Friday. German police shut down the Palestine Congress, a vital event to unite activists around a ceasefire for Gaza. They detained participants, including Jewish activists; they deported a Palestinian speaker. And then they banned our own Yanis Varoufakis, not only from making political speeches in Germany, but also from doing so over Zoom (!).

These authoritarian moves make it clear: Germany is intent on silencing anyone who speaks out against its complicity in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. So for our livestream this week, Yanis Varoufakis and colleagues who attended the Palestine Congress will be dissecting this brazen act of state repression against Palestinian solidarity.

What lessons can we draw? How has the reaction been? And what could all this mean for the future of free speech and pro-Palestine activism in Germany, and around the world?

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As Israel’s genocide in Gaza rages on, Germany is leading efforts to silence criticism of Israel's actions. The German government and its institutions have cancelled a stream of cultural events that show solidarity with Palestine, smearing prominent artists and intellectuals – many of them Jewish – as anti-semitic. They’ve intimidated activists and searched their homes.

They’ve even made cultural grants – and in the case of one German state, citizenship – contingent on support for Israel. And now, German politicians are trying to ban the Palestine Congress, a vital event planned for the 12-14 April in Berlin, to unite activists for a ceasefire in Gaza.

How successful have these clampdowns been in hindering activism for Palestine? What are the underlying factors propelling the authoritarian stance of German politicians, and how does this relate to the country’s Nazi history? And as we move into the European elections, what might this repression mean for Germany, for other countries in Europe, and for the plight of the Palestinian people?

Our panel, including Yanis Varoufakis, and Karin De Rigo and Lucas Febraro from Berlin, investigate.

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The proxy war in Ukraine between NATO and Russia has come into sharp focus in recent weeks. French President Macron refused to rule out sending troops to Ukraine, provoking a wide backlash. The German leader, Scholz, claimed that British soldiers are already fighting on the battlefield. Putin warned of nuclear war if NATO troops were sent to Ukraine; his leading critic, Navalny, died in a Russian jail. And a report in The New York Times revealed the CIA's decade-long operation of spy bases along Russia’s border.

As the US government is poised to deliver its largest military ‘aid’ package yet to support the Ukrainian war effort, and with European nations ramping up their assistance against the backdrop of an impending European election, the implications for Europe and the world loom large.

What do these latest developments mean? Is a direct confrontation between nuclear powers unavoidable, or does the possibility for a negotiated peace still exist?

Our panel, including Yanis Varoufakis, Erik Edman and Federico Dolce, investigates.

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This week, we’ll have the final ruling on whether Julian Assange can be extradited to the US, to face a 175-year prison sentence for revealing the secrets of power. The case casts a long shadow over press freedom, signaling what many see as the ultimate demise of journalistic independence.

At the same time, the media’s historical role in supporting (selling) conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and its imbalanced coverage of the situation in Gaza, raises pressing questions about the impartiality and integrity of our news sources. While accusations of ‘disinformation’ have become increasingly weaponised to discredit dissent.

As we stand on the brink of global conflict, what does all this mean for the future of journalism, democratic discourse, and our understanding of world events? How do these dynamics affect our ability to confront power and make informed decisions as a society?

Our panel, including Yanis Varoufakis, Karin De Rigo and Federico Dolce, investigates.

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Farmers’ protests have erupted across the EU. In Germany, Greece, Italy and other countries, they’re blocking city centres with tractors, spraying manure on government buildings and pelting officials with eggs. Why? Inadequate compensation, high taxes, red tape and the impact of climate regulations.

Establishment media have dismissed the protests as the grumblings of a coddled group over unfair competition, and suggested that the rallies are driven by the far-right. But others point out that far-right parties are co-opting farmers’ legitimate concerns: those of ordinary people whose needs are being ignored by elites.

What’s really behind these protests? And with the European elections on the horizon, and far-right parties on the rise, what might it all mean? 

Our panel, including Yanis Varoufakis, Karin De Rigo and Federico Dolce, investigates. Join us live and have your say!

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An interview with Udi Raz from Jewish Voice for Peace in the Middle East on how the Holocaust impacted the societies and politics of both Germany and Israel January 27 is Holocaust Remembrance Day, a date of enormous symbolic importance in Europe, marking one of the darkest chapters in human history. It's a day of particular significance in Germany, of course. The so-called remembrance culture, Germany's reckoning with the legacy of the Nazi periods, and the industrial scale genocides perpetrated by the Nazi regime, have been much lauded internationally.

But today, parts of this culture are increasingly coming into question by many, with charges of antisemitism being used by German institutions to silence voices speaking up for the rights of Palestinians in particular. The targets of these charges are, disproportionately, the Palestinians themselves, Arabs, more broadly, and Jews.

On the international stage, meanwhile, Germany's long steadfast support for the State of Israel, which remains unshaken even as the civilian toll in Gaza continues to climb to ever more obscene numbers, has raised the ire of many. The support, of course, is again justified by the legacy of the Holocaust and the German state's resulting sense of responsibility towards the security of the Jewish state. What about Israel itself? How has the memory of the Holocaust shaped Israeli society and how does it influence the Israeli government's words and actions?

To discuss all this, DiEM25 Communications Director Lucas Febraro sat down with Udi Raz, a doctoral fellow at the Berlin Graduate School for Muslim Cultures and Societies and a board member of Jewish Voice for Peace in the Middle East, in Germany.

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A new front has opened on Israel-Palestine: South Africa confronted Israel with accusations of genocide at the UN’s top court. The submission also called on the court to order the Jewish state to stop its military operations against Palestinians, which have killed more than 23,350 civilians since October 7. The case has already exposed divisions in Europe, with Germany’s unwavering support for Israel standing in stark contrast to statements from officials in Spain, Ireland and Belgium.

Could this court case really change the reality for the people of Gaza, or is it just a sideshow as Israel continues its murderous campaign? And what might its outcome mean for Israel’s credibility, for European governments, and for us all?

Join Yanis Varoufakis and our team of activists and thinkers as we dive into this topic. Tune in live and share your thoughts and questions with us!

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In this interview Mehran Khalili talks with Lucas Febraro, DiEM25 Communications Director, about the situation in the Middle east and the information war that's running in parallel with it.

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