Liberties' November Recap

A monthly round-up of Liberties' work: how to plan a strategic communications campaign in 30 minutes, findings from six countries on the use of targeted ads during the EU elections, and our view on Google's decision to stop political advertisements.

Dear Friend,

After much to-ing and fro-ing, the European Parliament (EP) has finally reached a coalition agreement that paves the way for the second term to begin on 1st December. Seven nominees held up the EP’s vote as the bloc’s political factions tussled over who should fill the six Commission’s executive vice president positions and the portfolio assigned to Hungary’s far-right commissioner candidate Olivér Várhelyi also resulted in some reshuffling.

The new political configuration of the Commission was at stake during this week-long stalemate, as certain groups resisted von der Leyen’s approach to transmuting the EU election results into the Commission’s power structure. Her appointment of Italy’s Raffaele Fitto, from right-wing Brother’s of Italy, raised eyebrows and stirred fears that her group, the European People’s Party, will be open to right-wing partnerships. While an agreement was reached underlining the intention of the EPP, the Socialists and Democrats and liberal Renew to continue working together, it falls short of a commitment to maintain the centrist mainstream majority.

This new right-leaning constellation was inevitable following the results of the EU elections last June, which saw right-wing parties boost in popularity. During this five-year term, the need for civil society to hold our European leaders accountable is critical. While this new political reality is troubling, Liberties remains firm in our commitment to protect your civil liberties so you can fight for the issues you care about.

Whatever cause inspires you, from using greener energy sources, lifting families out of poverty or combatting discrimination, you need effective democratic tools to make the government listen. However, EU governments are increasingly introducing measures that strip you of your power. Liberties is pushing hard for guardrails to be put in place to reverse this descent towards authoritarianism which is trending across the EU, including traditionally strong democracies. Your support allows us to remain independent, so we don’t have to stay silent or compromise protecting human rights - regardless of who is in power.

In a nutshell

• Civic space socialite: Liberties’ executive director Balazs Denes was the man about town, presenting the findings and gaps for our rule law monitoring exercise at the Civic Space in the EU event in Budapest, hosted by Civil EU Presidency, as well as for the America for Bulgaria Foundation.
• Make the internet safe again: On the back EDRi’s Tech & Society conference, Liberties is one of 48 NGOs calling on the new European Commission to use its powers to create a digital environment that is just, safe, open, sustainable and inclusive. Read the statement here.

In focus

How To Plan a Strategic Communication Campaign In 30 Minutes

Want to sharpen your human rights communication skills in 30 minutes? In this crash course for entry-level communicators, we cover the so-called 'G.A.M.E. plan' method, an easy way to build a strategic campaign plan around human rights issues.

Check out our other e-learning courses on Knowledge Hub, designed specifically for civil society and human rights advocates. All the courses are free, and designed to be completed quickly and in your own time - because we know you’re busy!

• How To Message On Human Rights
• Foundations of Persuasive Progressive Messaging
• Using the EU Charter to Advance the Protection of Fundamental Rights in the EU

Who tries to influence your vote on Facebook?

How much did politicians use Facebook during the last EU elections and how does it impact election integrity? Throughout November, Liberties has been publishing findings from our election monitoring project with our collaborators in Bulgaria, Hungary, France, Spain, Poland and Germany.

Check out the papers and interviews published as part of the project.

In the news

Op-ed - Why should we worry about Google’s decision to stop serving political advertising in the EU? - EU Observer

Opportunities: Check out our vacancies

Are you a student interested in a career in the NGO sector? We are looking for interns for the following positions:

• Communications & Campaign Assistant (Intern)
• Operations Team Assistant (Intern)
• Advocacy & Research Assistant (Intern)

Network news

Protect the protest: Lawyers from PILP, one of Liberties’ Dutch members, were present as ‘legal observers’ at a Palestine protest in the Netherlands to observe how the authorities and citizens deal with the right to demonstrate. PILP conducts various cases concerning the right to demonstrate.

Bring dignity to detention centres: One of Liberties' Italian members, CILD, released an in-depth report documenting conditions at the administrative detention center in Rome. Based on inspection visits and generalised civic access requests, the findings expose inhumane detention conditions, restricted access to healthcare, abuse of psychiatric medication, and questionable management practices by private operators. As part of their Black Holes campaign, CILD calls on the government and local authorities to close the centre and dismantle the system of immigration detention entirely.

Overcoming solitary confinement: Liberties' other Italian member Antigone marked a significant victory in their efforts to end solitary confinement in prisons following an invitation by the Council of Europe to promote their guidelines in front of prison administrations from member countries.

Tips for Queen Ursula’s Tech Challenges: Liberties’ Irish member, ICCL, knows how Ursula von der Leyen can harness Europe’s legal toolkit to address tech challenges. It has put together a set of recommendations, published by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, and published an op-ed in Tagesspiegel.

What we’re reading

• Human rights: Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ+ law breaches human rights standards, say experts - Politico: EU's Borrell on Gaza: A 'war against the children' - EUObserver
• Elections: The hard right is mainstream in Brussels now - Politico
• Privacy: Anyone Can Buy Data Tracking US Soldiers and Spies to Nuclear Vaults and Brothels in Germany - Wired

Coming soon

• Liberties has been following the debate surrounding X, formerly known as Twitter. We share many of the concerns being voiced and will add our two cents in the coming weeks. In the meantime, join us on Bluesky, where we hope to build a democratic online community for human rights enthusiasts.
• An anti-NGO sentiment is brewing across Europe and the world, prompting some countries to propose foreign agent laws. These laws are a disingenuous attempt to improve transparency, with their real aim being to undermine civil society's reputation and endanger their funding. Liberties is compiling a database of foreign agent laws and relevant research materials to keep track of these worrying developments. More on this soon!

Events

The Engine Room Report Launch: “Exploring a transition to alternative social media platforms for social justice organizations in the Majority World.”?

On Tuesday 3rd December at 15:00, The Engine Room is launching their report for funders, researchers and social justice organisations interested in learning more about what a transition to alternative social media could look like for social justice organizations in the Majority World.

You can register here.

The Future of Democracy - WahlheYmat Talks

??? December 11, 2024, at 5:30 PM

?? Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek, PopUp Saal

In their December Talk, WahlheYmet will embrace an open perspective on the future through an interactive session. In the first half, attendees will explore insights from futurologists on how they envision Germany in 2045. Deana Mrkaja, board member of D2030 - Deutschland neu denken e.V., will guide us through these future scenarios. In the second half, participants will collaborate to co-create visions for Berlin’s society and democracy.