More and more companies, state actors and wealthy individuals are using legal means to silence critics. Blueprint for Free Speech and RA Dr. Jasper Prigge introduces the phenomenon of “Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation” and possible countermeasures.

The short form SLAPP comes from the USA: overpowering players who want to silence journalists or activists with legal “slaps in the face”. The demands are not always legally unfounded, but in any case they have an intimidating effect. Because SLAPPs are a strategic tool in the debate about issues that are important to the public, they are not least a slap in the face for democracy.

SLAPPs are aimed at weakening public participation by intimidating and silencing critics. The best protection against legal attacks is to keep the attack surface as small as possible in advance. If a warning or even a report is issued, it is important to act prudently and quickly.

Blueprint for Free Speech is an internationally operating non-profit organization that organizes anti-SLAPP training in Germany. At the lecture at the Freiraumforum, Blueprint trainer RA Dr. Jasper Prigge (https://www.prigge-recht.de) introduces the topic, including Q&A.

The Freiraumforum is a local satellite event of the ccc Congress, taking place between 26 December and 31 December 2022 at Schillerstraße 38, 80336 Munich.