Meeting of the German-speaking ECCAR cities in Jena

The city of Jena and its anti-discrimination office hosted the annual meeting of the German-speaking member cities of the European Coalition of Cities Against Racism on Monday and Tuesday.

35 representatives from 21 German and Austrian ECCAR member cities came together in the plenary hall of the historic town hall. After a welcome address by Thomas Nitzsche and Kathleen Lützkendorf, legal scholar Mathias Hong reminded the audience of the responsibility of municipal administrations to actively defend the constitutional order in his presentation on the neutrality requirement.

Doreen Denstädt, who now works for the Verwaltung für Demokratie association, also spoke about the first aid kit "Democracy for administrative staff" and presented practical approaches for democratic action in everyday administrative work.

The specialist presentations and internal consultations on the further development of ECCAR were supplemented by contributions on Jena's city history and the confrontation with right-wing violence: city historian Jenny Price and Leonie Dellen shed light on the history of the National Socialist Underground. There was also the play "Youth in Jena in the early 1990s" by Haydi e. V. in cooperation with Freie Bühne Jena and a city tour entitled "Fear zones and safe spaces. Right-wing violence, anti-racist commitment and Jena's urban society around 1990" with Katharina Kempken.

Lord Mayor Thomas Nitzsche says: "We were delighted to welcome the ECCAR member cities to Jena. Such encounters not only strengthen the network, but also the shared awareness of how important democratic attitudes are in everyday municipal life."

Kathleen Lützkendorf emphasized: "A city like Jena thrives on the fact that diversity does not divide, but enriches coexistence. That's why anti-discrimination work is not a marginal issue for us, but part of our municipal responsibility."

Danijel Cubelic, Vice President of ECCAR from Heidelberg, thanked the city of Jena for hosting the meeting. He particularly emphasized the open, constructive and motivating working atmosphere. Jena has also been an active member of the ECCAR Steering Committee since October 2025.