Defend Democracy celebrates 6th anniversary with new phase

Shortly after our 6th anniversary, Defend Democracy is excited to launch a new phase. Six years of our mission about hybrid threats and technological threats to democracy brought much awareness, action and collaboration. Although successful, it was not enough for our governments to stop these trends, which now converge and accelerate. Our work significantly contributed to…

Time to connect the dots: how (not) to defend European democracy

Defend Democracy founder Alice Stollmeyer examines how converging foreign, domestic, and technological threats test the EU’s democratic resilience – and its policy choices. Like the climate crisis, the democracy crisis didn’t happen overnight. Rather than a single tipping point, democracy dies by a thousand cuts. And until recently, European institutions and democracies stood by and…

Europa City Lights (c) Jean Beaufort

Why Europe needs a security update: the era of hybrid warfare

Is Europe ready for the era of hybrid warfare? To defend against hybrid attacks, we must urgently build civil preparedness and societal resilience. When updating security assets, we must not only invest in hardware and software but also in ‘wetware’. When Defend Democracy started, ‘hybrid threats’ was still a niche concept. Today, you only need…

#HandsOFF our democracy

Today, Defend Democracy co-organised the first in a series of ‘HandsOFF Our Democracy‘ protests. Our founder and executive director gave the following speech. A few months before I launched Defend Democracy*, just 50 meters from here we organised a peaceful protest in solidarity with the American ‘March for Truth’. That was in June 2017. We…

Defending our democracy starts with us, not with a shield.

An umbrella does not shield against flooding. For the European Democracy Shield to do what it says, it must encompass the full spectrum of hybrid threats, not only foreign disinformation. Like any shield, it is only as strong as its bearer. If it is to be more than a fig leaf, our work to defend…

On the barricades for European democracy: former MEP Sophie In ‘t Veld joins Advisory Board Defend Democracy.

Defend Democracy is excited to welcome former Member of European Parliament Sophie In ‘t Veld to its Advisory Board. In ‘t Veld is a leading voice on democracy with 30 years experience in European politics. Sophie In ‘t Veld: “I am very pleased and honoured to join Defend Democracy, a young and visionary organisation. We…