Moral panic & democratic repression: A conversation with Donatella Della Porta
Moral Panic & Democratic Repression
In this episode, we’re joined by Professor Donatella Della Porta — one of the world’s leading scholars on protest movements and democratic transformation — to explore the arguments of her latest book Guerra all’antisemitismo? and the shrinking space for dissent in Europe.
We dive into the tension between mobilization and political change, the role of identity and class in civic struggles, and how moral panics are weaponized to suppress dissent. From Germany’s evolving institutional response to antisemitism to the politicization of Holocaust memory, Professor della Porta unpacks the risks of conflating criticism with hate speech — and the consequences for democratic debate.
The conversation ends with a sobering reflection: when criticism of Israeli state violence is criminalized, and silence becomes the norm, what future is Europe really signing up for? A bold, urgent discussion on protest, power, and the stakes of democratic erosion.
🎙️ Produced by Georgios Karagiorgos
What Is Vox Civica?
Vox Civica-Where Democracy has a Voice is a podcast about how democracy is lived, tested, and reinvented in the modern world. It brings listeners inside the conversations and conflicts that define civic life today — from the streets where protests begin to the institutions where policies take shape. Each episode features voices from across journalism, activism, academia, and digital-rights movements, exploring how people confront power, defend freedoms, and adapt democratic values to an age of surveillance, misinformation, and rapid technological change. In short, it’s a space where critical thinking meets civic imagination — tracing the struggles, ideas, and collaborations that keep democracy alive in the 21st century.
About the guest:
Donatella Della Porta is Professor of Political Science and Founding Dean of the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Florence, where she also directs the PhD program in Political Science and Sociology and leads the Center on Social Movement Studies (COSMOS). A globally recognized scholar on social movements, political violence, protest policing, corruption, and democratization, she has led major international research projects, including the ERC-funded Mobilizing for Democracy, and has authored or edited more than 100 books. Her distinctions include the Mattei Dogan Prize, the Alexander von Humboldt Research Award, and the 2024 John D. McCarthy Award for Lifetime Achievement. She is an Honorary Doctor of six universities and a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Accademia dei Lincei.
- Academic Freedom
- antisemitism
- civic activism
- civic space
- class struggle
- democracy
- democratic erosion
- dissent
- Donatella Della Porta
- Europe
- Free expression
- freedom of speech
- Germany
- hate speech
- Holocaust memory
- Human rights
- identity politics
- Israel
- mobilization
- moral panic
- political repression
- protest movements
- public debate
- social movements
- Vox Civica
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