In recent years, far-right actors around the world have been increasingly forming networks. In media reports, conference announcements and even transnational partnerships, they promote the same recurring themes amidst a sometimes bewildering array of issues: anti-immigration, anti-feminism, climate change denial and the fight against a supposed ‘global left’. But who exactly are these far-right figures? How are they organised and what international goals do they pursue? And what can be done to counter them?

These and other questions form the focus of Ulli Jentsch’s talk. As a member of the ‘Research against Global Authoritarianism’ (ReGA) initiative, his aim is to understand the alliances and demands of the global far right so that local resistance can be effectively organised. For it is the same authoritarian forces, both locally and globally, that seek to hinder the protection and defence of human rights whilst also criminalising the pursuit of humanitarian goals. A practice of resistance against the far right should keep both these levels in mind.

Speaker:
Ulli Jentsch is a freelance journalist from Berlin who has been active for decades in various anti-fascist initiatives and international networks, including ‘Research against Global Authoritarianism’. He has been researching the far right in Germany for over twenty years. His work focuses on exposing the structures and ideologies of right-wing terrorism, Christian fundamentalism and the ‘pro-life’ movement.

The lecture is part of the series ‘Right-wing Networks: Manifestations, Explanatory Approaches and Counterstrategies’. The event is organised in collaboration with Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen, the DGB Weser-Ems region and the Cooperation Centre for Universities and Trade Unions in Osnabrück.

Attendance at the event is free of charge. Please register by 20 September 2026 using the online registration form on the website of the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation.

The organisers reserve the right to exercise their right to admit or exclude persons and to refuse entry to the event or exclude anyone from it who belongs to far-right parties or organisations, is associated with the far-right scene, or has previously made racist, nationalist, anti-Semitic or other inhuman remarks.

Experiencing the city as a learning space and bringing history to life in various locations. This is possible with the help of a city walking tour. With our walking tour on National Socialism in Oldenburg, we aim to provide an opportunity to explore an important part of the region’s history.

The tour on National Socialism in Oldenburg covers just under four kilometres, taking in ten stops from the Pferdemarkt through the city centre to the former Oldenburg State Parliament building, and finally ending at the memorial wall for the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. At these memorial sites, topics such as the possible reasons for the NSDAP’s early successes in Oldenburg, the wartime experiences of the city’s residents, and the rising anti-Semitism that ultimately led to the Holocaust are explored.

At each stop, participants can explore the information at their own pace. The stops are designed to appeal to people with and without prior knowledge of the subject.

Participation in the event is free of charge. The exact meeting point will be announced by email a few days before the event begins. Please register by 2 October 2026 using the online registration form on the website of the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation. The number of participants is limited to 20.

Speaker
Kevin Mennenga, education coordinator at Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen

The city tour is part of the series of events entitled ‘Right-wing networks: manifestations, explanatory approaches and counter-strategies’. The event is being organised in collaboration with Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen, the DGB Weser-Ems regional branch and the University-Trade Union Cooperation Office in Osnabrück.

Generative AI systems such as ChatGPT are currently fundamentally changing the way knowledge is produced and used. Texts, arguments and summaries can be generated in a matter of seconds – with significant implications for schools and universities. Traditional examination formats are coming under pressure, teachers are facing new challenges in assessing performance, and at the same time, fundamental practices of learning and writing are shifting.

Kira Baresel and Benjamin Möbus examine these developments from a critical education policy perspective. The centre of their attention is not so much the specific didactic applications of AI, but rather what these technologies fundamentally mean for the transmission of knowledge and education. As machine-based systems become increasingly involved in the production of knowledge, the question arises anew as to what role independent thinking, judgement and critical reflection will play in educational processes in the future.

The lecture thus views AI as a challenge to the self-image of schools and higher education institutions and invites discussion on the consequences this will have for teachers, higher education institutions and education policy.

Speakers:
Kira Baresel is a research assistant at the Centre for Media Literacy at the University of Vechta. Her work focuses on artificial intelligence in higher education and its impact on teaching, learning and assessment.

Benjamin Möbus is a research assistant in the Department of Education at the University of Vechta, specialising in inclusive education. His research focuses on artificial intelligence in an educational context and its impact on learning, knowledge production and performance assessment.

Attendance at the event is free of charge. Please register by 25 October 2026 using the online registration form on the website of the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation.

The FRITZSCHE-FORUM is a joint event organised by Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen, the DGB Weser-Ems regional branch, the GEW Weser-Ems district association and the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation. The event is being organised in co-operation with the Centre for Teacher Training – Didactic Centre (DiZ) at the University of Oldenburg.

They are family members, friends, acquaintances, club members, double header players, tennis partners or members of the volunteer fire brigade. They have made up their minds: This Federal Republic is no longer their republic. We know them, they don't just sit in parliaments or talk shows, they also sit at kitchen tables or regulars' tables. They come from the so-called centre of society. Their revolt tends towards the authoritarian. The various spectrums of authoritarians from the Reich to alternative movements have a deep-seated longing for a pre-modern harmony in common. They are concerned about freedom and yet are afraid of it. This ambivalence exacerbates current crises and has a long tradition - in the Enlightenment and in fairy tales. In his lecture, Andreas Speit shows why anti-modern ideas dominate in broad sections of society and the consequences of their accompanying radicalisation: Doubting reality, rejecting the rule of law, delegitimising democracy.

Speaker:
Andreas Speit is a freelance journalist, author and editor of numerous books on right-wing extremism and neo-Nazism in Europe. He has been the author of the taz-nord column "Der Rechte Rand" since 2005 and regularly contributes to zeit-online, Deutschlandfunk Kultur and WDR. He has received several awards for his work, including from the German Journalism Association.

The lecture is part of the event series "Rechte Netzwerke: Erscheinungsformen, Erklärungsansätze und Gegenstrategien". The event is being organised in cooperation with Arbeit und Leben Niedersachsen, the DGB Weser-Ems region and the Cooperation Centre for Universities and Trade Unions in Osnabrück.

Participation in the event is free of charge and takes place online via BigBlueButton. Please register by 13 November 2026 using the online registration form on the homepage of the Office for University and Trade Union Co-operation.

The organisers reserve the right to exercise their domiciliary rights and to deny access to or exclude from the event persons who belong to right-wing extremist parties or organisations, are associated with the right-wing extremist scene or have already made racist, nationalist, anti-Semitic or other inhuman statements in the past.