Protest Under Pressure: Film Premiere & Panel Discussion

Name: Protest Under Pressure: Film Premiere & Panel Discussion
Start: 2026-01-17T18:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-01-17T23:00:00+01:00
Location: Spore Initiative

Schedule

Sat Jan 17 2026 at 06:00 pm to 11:00 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

Spore Initiative | Berlin, BE

From police violence to court proceedings, intimidation, and (self-)censorship, German universities are increasingly cracking down on expressions of solidarity with Palestinians. Focusing on the Free University of Berlin, "Protest Under Pressure" exposes the dangerous interplay between media, politics, and institutional repression.
By documenting testimonies, legal struggles, and the everyday climate of fear experienced on campus, the film offers a powerful counter-narrative to mainstream media discourse and to Germany’s so-called “reason of state.”
This premiere invites viewers to reflect on the shrinking space for dissent and the urgent need to defend academic freedom, political expression, and the right to protest.

Who we are:
We are a collective of students and former students who have spent the past year working with determination, care, and a strong sense of responsibility to bring this project to life. Motivated by the escalating repression around us, we felt compelled to create a film that could speak to this tense historical moment and counter the growing limitations on freedom of expression in a country that often instrumentalizes its own past crimes to silence criticism.
Sharing this documentary publicly is, for us, both an act of resistance and a call to collective awareness.
This event is organized by Palestinian and Jewish Academics (https://pja-verein.de/), in collaboration with our student collective, united by a shared commitment to freedom of expression, anti-repression, and the protection of academic spaces.
After the screening, we invite the audience to join a discussion on repression, resistance, and the possibility of reclaiming academic and political spaces.
We look forward to welcoming you and sharing this moment with you!