The Global Campaign for Art and Democracy
Democracy is weakening. Independent institutions and artistic freedom are suffering. RESISTANCE NOW TOGETHER stands up to this: it is an umbrella campaign that links events and performances about art and politics; civil society and the media; and the struggle for democracy in different countries.
Building on a call for artistic freedom in Winter 2024 that connected 200 leading cultural organisations and reached 100 million people, RESISTANCE NOW TOGETHER unites all cultural and civil society actors to stand together joined in a united, global and diverse response to rising nationalism.
Actions
Why Europe Needs a European Artistic Freedom Act
November 2025
Culture Action Europe joins the informal coalition of cultural institutions, legal experts, networks, and activists to call on the European Commission to initiate the process of establishing a European Artistic Freedom Act. This Act would transform artistic freedom from a principle into a practical, enforceable right, securing an environment in which artists and cultural workers can operate without fear of censorship or retaliation and contribute to a democratic, diverse, and resilient Europe. In an era of polarisation, disinformation, and closing civic space, Europe must act decisively to uphold its core values. Protecting artistic freedom is not only a cultural imperative; it is a democratic necessity.
Bratislava Declaration
May 2025
This Declaration arises from a shared and urgent need to resist the threat to artistic freedom across the Member States of the European Union (EU). We call for a robust legal response to the growing influence of governments that seek to control and interfere with the cultural and creative sectors and undermine internationally agreed human rights standards.
This Declaration is issued during the International Conference Open Culture! organised by Open Culture! Platform on May 29–30, 2025, in Bratislava, Slovakia. It reflects the lived experience of cultural workers, artists, institutional leaders, and grassroots organisations across the EU who face, on a daily basis, the consequences of rising authoritarianism, censorship, and the erosion of cultural freedoms. The deconstruction of the cultural and creative sectors leads to the deconstruction of our societies.
Open Letter to European Parliament
November 2024
In November 2024, together with Milo Rau and Wiener Festwochen, as well as the Europa and Prospero – Extended Theatre networks, the European Theatre Convention launched an urgent initiative to stand against increasing threats to European cultural policy and artistic freedom, in the form of an open letter addressed to the European Parliament. For the first time ever, over 200 leading artists and prominent personalities of major cultural public institutions from 50 countries representing 180 national theatres, operas, festivals, and performing arts venues, have come together to call for decisive actions now, including:
- Adopting a European Culture Freedom Act to safeguard artistic freedom.
- Establishing a clear EU stance to protect the independence and autonomy of cultural institutions.