A clear commitment to democracy and diversity, as well as against extremism in any form: This is the “Bochumer Versprechen” made by the institutions and associations of the “Wir für Demokratie” alliance at the Schauspielhaus Bochum.

“Our city society wants to send a clear signal for our democratic coexistence with this alliance,” said Bochum’s mayor, Thomas Eiskirch, during the ceremonial signing of the promise. “Wir für Demokratie” brings together a total of 23 alliance partners, including employer representatives, churches, social associations, trade unions, cultural workers, political parties, and other institutions from the city society with a clear goal:

“We want to act as a counterweight to the anti-democratic tendencies of recent months and years,” says Catholic pastor Michael Kemper, dean of Bochum and Wattenscheid. “And with our promise, we are underlining how important it is to fight for common solutions,” says Michael Bergmann, Managing Director of the IHK Mittleres Ruhrgebiet. Léon Beck, district chairman of the FDP Bochum and spokesperson for the parties in the “Wir für Demokratie” alliance, emphasized: “As parties, we promote our respective positions during the election campaign; we promote democracy all year round!” For Gaby Schäfer, Chairwoman of the Bochum City Sports Association, it is a matter of course to join the alliance: “Democracy and respect are part of everyday life, especially in Bochum’s sports sector with its 360 clubs and over 100,000 members.”