Mikael LEYI

Secretary General of SOLIDAR and SOLIDAR+

Attacks on civil society are no longer just a problem for those countries and organisations normally associated with democratic backsliding. It is a European trend that, unfortunately, no longer excludes even progressive parties. The arrests of thousands of activists in the UK for holding up signs in support of Palestine Action in the UK under Labour’s rule are a particularly stark example. Progressive parties that are of civil society. Historically sharing roots, constituencies and leaders. Mutually dependent on the creative cross-fertilisation of ideas, experience and trust for our shared success. The current authoritarian winds, therefore, carry a crucial question for progressives: Will you stand with civil society or enable its continuous deterioration?

The far right, unsurprisingly, attacks civil society whenever it has a chance: with laws, budgets as well as narratives. What has changed today, however, is that centre-right forces often support them. What once appeared unthinkable is becoming part of ordinary political debate and policymaking, institutionalised and mainstreamed. The recently set up Scrutiny Working Group on NGO funding initiated by the European People’s Party (EPP) is a case in point, disguised as talk of improved transparency, efficiency and accountability, but actually directly targeting civil society as ‘disturbing’, with increased scrutiny, baseless public discrediting and intended budget cuts or financial harm.  

Active support for civil society is democracy in action

Public funding for an independent civil society is questioned time and again. Civil society organisations are portrayed as unaccountable lobbyists, shady political agents or illegitimate recipients of public money. But funding for civil society is not a favour, and it must never come with demands of compliance and obedience. It is an investment in our democratic infrastructure. Just as necessary as independent media, our parliaments and courts. It should be expanded, not limited, and made accessible to more and smaller, grassroots and community-led organisations. The EU’s first Civil Society Strategy and its planned Civil Society Platform are welcome recognitions of civil society’s role. But recognition must be translated into action to reverse the trend, accompanied by effective protection mechanisms and adequate, accessible funding in the coming EU budget. It requires the continuation of the kind of steadfast support already shown by the European progressive family against these ongoing attacks on civil society.

Civic space is shrinking across Europe 

SOLIDAR members – progressive civil society organisations working on topics around social justice, popular education and international solidarity – work to support the elderly, migrants and rural communities, and push for political change at local, regional and national levels. They testify to similar patterns across Europe, from Germany and Sweden to Italy and Serbia. The objective seems clear: to weaken resistance, silence critical voices, isolate communities and further restrict democratic participation. Our members, who defend marginalised communities, work to advance climate and social justice and organise international solidarity, are experiencing budget cuts, closures, legal restrictions and smear campaigns. This amounts to the criminalisation of dissent and solidarity itself. And with a shrinking civic space, vital social connections are lost, marginalised voices grow silent, and societal energy flickers and eventually dies – inequality deepens and democracy declines.

The support from and cooperation with progressive parties vary substantially across and within countries. In most cases, our members are treated as an integral part of the progressive movement, turned to for support, cooperation, co-creation and mobilisation. In other cases, we are treated with suspicion and discomfort, and, in some instances, with similar restrictive impulses that characterise the right. We have seen examples of this lately in diminishing access to grants and worrying comments on the legitimacy of international conventions in Denmark and in the repressive response to solidarity with Palestine in the UK and Germany.

Progressives must not waver 

The regressive and authoritarian trend is led by right-wing and far-right parties across Europe. That is why Progressives everywhere must stand firm in their support for civil society as fundamental to democracy and social justice. It is about principles and rights, but also of strategy. We represent movements and organisations that can back and defend progressive policies and ambitions. When civil society organisations, trade unions, independent media, activists and human rights defenders cannot speak freely, organise communities or hold power to account, we all lose something important. But progressives lose more. They lose the connection to the people and communities they wish to represent. They lose their base. 

Progressive parties celebrate civic mobilisation when democracy is threatened, often joining our ranks and protests. Yet, too often, when in power, this engagement is reduced to peripheral stakeholder meetings, public consultations or invitations to endorse already decided priorities, rather than substantive involvement and relations. And here lies another strategic loss. Civil society creates spaces for collective action, political education and solidarity before and after an election campaign. Marginalising civil society cuts progressives off from social and economic realities, weakens their own structures and the quality and accuracy of their proposals. It leaves more room for right-wing populist parties and authoritarian governments to exploit the fear and distrust that grows in our absence. 

Progressives must not see civil society as an audience to be managed, a contractor or service provider to be hired or a box to be ticked, but as part of their own movement and political project. To be genuinely engaged requires confidence, curiosity, capacity and care of progressive parties. If this is present, dialogue and relationships are established as a natural part of developing policy, they continue throughout implementation, allowing for honest feedback on outcomes and inviting constructive criticism on what to do differently. Most progressive parties know this, many try, even if inconsistently, to live by it, and some fail miserably. Civil society is not an accessory to democracy; we are the first and last lines of defence. The attacks on civil society organisations today will ultimately weaken the foundations on which progressive parties and politics depend. 

Progressive forces have a particular responsibility to turn solidarity into practice. They must speak out against public attacks and villainisation at all levels, consistently and convincingly defend the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression, and build genuine partnerships and lasting alliances. This is how we turn the authoritarian tide and build a resilient, sustainable and just democratic future together.

Photo credits: Shutterstock/wjarek