Center for Democratic Culture

ZDK Society for Democratic Culture gGmbh
legal form	profit company
founding	2003
Seat	Berlin
Website	zentrum-demokratische-kultur.de

The Center for Democratic Culture (ZDK) is a non-governmental initiative that has been working since 1997, which deals with the endangerment of democratic culture by extremist phenomena. The ZDK is a recognized provider of free youth welfare according to SGB VIII .

Mission statement

The non-profit society describes itself as neither party-politically nor denominationally bound and exclusively committed to the values of human dignity , human rights and the democratic legal order.

The ZDK Society Democratic Culture gGmbH is a non-profit institution that campaigns nationwide for the fundamental values of freedom and dignity. Their initiatives serve to educate and protect against violence and extremism. She deals with radical ideology movements that are hostile to freedom, such as right-wing radicalism and Islamism.

History and activity

The ZDK began as the Center for Democratic Culture project of the regional offices for foreigner issues, youth work and schools in the new federal states, founded in 1997 . The ZDK Society Democratic Culture gGmbH , which emerged from this in 2003, continues the content-related aspects, experiences and work approaches under new legal sponsorship.

The most important goals were initially to inform the public about "the development of the right-wing extremist mainstream, as an elementary component of everyday East German culture" and to advise central addresses such as institutions and municipalities on "possibilities for intervention".

The ZDK Society for Democratic Culture is based on three bases:

Advice: The ZDK Society Democratic Culture gGmbH offers sustainability, problem-oriented and situational advice on questions of radicalization and hostility towards freedom. With the initiatives: EXIT-Germany , an initiative that helps people who break with right-wing extremism and want to build a new life, HAYAT-Germany, an initiative that advises and coaches parents, relatives and those affected in dealing with Islamism and Offers ultra-nationalism and DNE-Germany, which reacts to the need for psychological intervention resulting from the entanglement of individuals, families or groups in radicalization processes, the ZDK has specific advisory services.
Education: The findings from the consultation are conveyed for the purpose of information and should help to understand the inner relationships of radical developments.
Practice: The ZDK translates its specific experience into practical action. In addition to the advice centers, EXIT, HAYAT and DNE, the ZDK and partners also developed campaigns such as Rechts gegen Rechts or #HassHilft , as well as the Trojan T-shirt. Graduate criminalist Dr. Bernd Wagner is the managing director.

Publications

bulletin

The ZDK has been the publisher of the Bulletin series since 1997 . Conceptually, this serves as a guide for teachers, administration, police, justice and social work, but is also intended to inform the public and the media. The volumes appear twice a year and, in addition to presentations of projects, contain analyzes, documentation and experience reports.

Journal Exit Germany

The journal Exit-Deutschland - Journal for Deradicalization and Democratic Culture , JEX for short , is an open access journal that has been published by the ZDK since 2013, with a focus on deradicalization. The magazine is intended to serve as an interdisciplinary exchange platform for scientists and practitioners in this field and is published quarterly.

Publication series Center for Democratic Culture

RIGHT-RIGHT RADICALISM Young right-wing extremists in criminal proceedings Conditions and instructions - Possibilities and limits in deradicalization Ed. ZDK Society Democratic Culture gGmbH, Berlin 2014
“The ideal Turk”. The ultra-nationalism of the gray wolves in Germany. A handout for education, youth and social work, families and politics Series of publications in the Center for Democratic Culture, Berlin 2013.
“I only live for Allah” arguments and attraction of Salafism . Series of publications in the Center for Democratic Culture, Berlin 2011
Strengthen families against extremism and violence. The special requirements in the context of Turkish ultra-nationalism and Islamism. Series of publications in the Center for Democratic Culture, Berlin 2010.

Further

The handbook for right-wing radicalism (2002) published by Thomas Grumke and Bernd Wagner is largely the result of the work of the Center for Democratic Culture.

Actions

The ZDK became known through its guerrilla actions , in which extremist actions are countered by a second, counter-directed.

In 2012, the ZDK gave the organizers of a right-wing rock festival t-shirts that are typical of the scene as gifts. After the first wash, instead of the original print, they showed the words “What your T-shirt can do, you can too” and the contact details for Exit. The organizers of the festival thus inadvertently advertised to wash away radical right-wing activities.

In 2014 the ZDK operated one of the party The III. The memorial march registered for a charity run and put it under the campaign motto right against right . It was supported by the project office against right-wing extremism Bad Alexandersbad , the Bavarian Association for Tolerance, Democracy and Human Dignity e. V. , Aussteigerhilfe Bayern e. V. , the DGB Bavaria and the Wunsiedler alliance against right-wing extremism as well as the Wunsiedel citizens' initiative is colorful . For every meter covered by the demonstration, ten euros were donated to the exit-Germany organization. The opponents of the event had collected the money in advance. The counter-demonstrators also showed banners with the inscription “Germany's most involuntary charity run. In the donation step march off or final spurt instead of final victory ”. Since then, this campaign has been used regularly under the tried and tested name of " right against right ". The Hass helps campaign is based on the same principle , in which one euro is donated half to the campaign Germany Hilft and Exit Germany for every hate call made in social networks with the help of sponsors , which also results in a complete reversal of the intention.

Web links

Single receipts

↑ Gianni D'Amato / Brigitta Gerber: Right-wing extremism and exit support , research report 2002
↑ www.journal-exit.de
↑ Thomas Grumke, Bernd Wagner (Ed.): Handbuch Rechtsradikalismus . 2002, p. 9.
↑ One euro per hate post: racists involuntarily collect for refugees . In: Spiegel Online . October 23, 2015.
↑ Marc Felix Serrao: Trojan "T-shirt" puts neo-Nazis in. Retrieved December 27, 2019 .
↑ http://www.rechts-gegen-rechts.de

[1] Gianni D'Amato / Brigitta Gerber: Right-wing extremism and exit support , research report 2002

[2] www.journal-exit.de

[3] Thomas Grumke, Bernd Wagner (Ed.): Handbuch Rechtsradikalismus . 2002, p. 9.

[4] One euro per hate post: racists involuntarily collect for refugees . In: Spiegel Online . October 23, 2015.

[5] Marc Felix Serrao: Trojan "T-shirt" puts neo-Nazis in. Retrieved December 27, 2019 .

[6] ttp://www.rechts-gegen-rechts.de