As part of the Action Weeks Against Racism in Paderborn 2026, the European University Alliance COLOURS invited participants to a panel discussion on 17 March 2026 titled “Addressing Far-Right Tendencies on Campus and in Academia.” Numerous attendees gathered at the AStA Gewölbekeller on Marienplatz to discuss current challenges and strategies for dealing with far-right tendencies within the university context.
The event was organised by the Centre for Gender Studies at Paderborn University, Dr Larissa Eikermann, Vice Dean for Sustainability, Equality and Diversity of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and Dr Annika Hegemann, Central Equal Opportunities Officer.
The evening started with an introductory lecture by Dr habil. Lukas Otterspeer (Europa-Universität Flensburg) titled “Right-Wing Populism and Extremism at Universities.” In the subsequent panel discussion, Dr Isabelle Leitloff (CIO Lead of the European University Alliance COLOURS), Marie Lampe (AStA Department for Political Education), Dr Sebastian Althoff (Institute for Media Studies, Paderborn University), and Dr habil. Lukas Otterspeer (Europa-Universität Flensburg) discussed the responsibility of universities and academia in this context.
The discussion was moderated by Matthias Zimoch from the Anti-Discrimination Service (ADA) of the Caritas Association Paderborn e.V. During the event, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions.
We would like to thank everyone involved for a lively discussion and a successful event.
