Literaturfest: »KÄMPFEN FÜR DIE FREIHEIT?« GESPRÄCH MIT ARTUR WEIGANDT & OLE NYMOEN

In the organizer's words:

Defending our freedom - even with weapons if in doubt? This evening poses one of the most important questions of freedom today: what does the individual owe society when war threatens?

"I would fight for you" - Artur Weigandt makes this unmistakably clear in his latest book (C.H.Beck). As an interpreter for Ukrainian soldiers, he experienced what it really means to fight for his country. Actually a fervent pacifist, he therefore calls on people to look reality in the eye. Because: "Freedom is not a gift, it is fought for".

Ole Nymoen takes a completely different view. In "Why I would never fight for my country" (Rowohlt), he questions who is really served by serving in the armed forces - and who is not.

And the celebrated author Mithu Sanyal ("Antichristie", Hanser, 2024) has vehemently spoken out against the reintroduction of compulsory military service: "Germany has educated its citizens to hate war. Now it wants us to enlist in the army - but we say no" (in The Guardian).

If resistance is to be morally sound, must it be non-violent? Who will fight in an emergency and who can (may) withdraw? And does our personal freedom end when the country's is at stake? An evening on one of the most discussed topics of our time.