Background
The Young European Federalists launched the campaign in 2006 by under the name of “Free Belarus Action” to raise awareness against the Lukashenka regime, considered as the last dictatorship in Europe. Since then, JEF Europe has been lifting the voices and the stories of activists and citizens demanding to live in a democratic country.
Unfortunately, recent times have shown that threats to democracy and the rule of law concern several countries on the European continent. Hence, JEF actions have been rebranded under the name “Democracy under Pressure” in 2014 and aim at drawing attention to the systematic weakening of democratic values on which the European Union is founded.
What do we do?
In the past 19 years, JEFers have been showing how crucial abstract concepts such as democracy and the rule of law are and how important it is to recognise when they are being taken away. The campaign is based on very concrete actions such as gagging statues, organising awareness-raising activities, flash mobs, debates, articles, press releases as well as partnerships with other civil society organisations and local and European authorities. Through these, JEF has strived to make sure the voices of those who are silenced by the ones who want to put democracy under pressure continue to be heard and supported in solidarity.
Join the campaign week of 2025!
The 2025 edition of Democracy under Pressure will take place between the 18th and 25th of March. This year the campaign will focus on our elections, informing about ongoing threats to democracy in Europe and with new focus on the USA, as well as through measures targeting democratic activism, such as the so called Foreign Agent Registration Acts (FARA).
Join our street and online actions in Europe’s cities, amplify the voices of those who have been silenced and raise awareness on social media!
Since 2022, democracy is no longer just under pressure but also under attack – as our secodary campaign title highlights following Russia starting the full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. JEFers across Europe answered and continue to answer the call and standd up for democracy for Ukraine!
The campaign happens annually in more than 20 countries, raising awareness in the streets through protests, flashmobs and interviews, writing letters to political prisoners in Belarus and Russia, conferences and debates.
Follow our social media and our sections to know what is happening near you!
How can I get involved?
Upcoming events
Our next action week is on 18-25 March 2025! You can join our events or create your own action. In 2025 European level action will focus on a series of Instagram lives with activists from different countries informing us about current topics close to them. We will also host a panel discussion about threats to democracy at out next Federal Committee meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria. Stay tuned for the details!
Final Event: Freedom of the Press and Media in France and Italy
As part of the “Democracy Under Pressure” campaign, JE Paris and JE Sciences Po, together with GFE Bologna and GFE Brescia in Italy, invite you to our final event to analyze the freedom of the press and media in France and Italy.After working in small groups over the last few weeks, the event will be an opportunity to present our final conclusions: is the freedom of press limited? Who owns the media? What are the consequences of news polarisation? Come and discover this with us!
Date: Wednesday, March 19
Location: Online
Time: 7pm – 8:30pm (19h-20:30)
The event will be in English
Join us for an enriching discussion and sign up now! Link for the subscription down below
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScM08fnYQ3EYCRObIEgwGAs1SQTTYohfAZfC-lGy_mqVrgjNw/viewform?usp=header
What can I do?
- Read our infokit to join our action week!
- We have also drafted a description why this campaign is so important to continue.
- Read also our updated country profiles informing about developments of democracy various countries.
- You can organise an event covering topics such as reasons behind democratic values put under pressure, why people vote for parties that want to limit human rights, how the rule of law is under threat in the EU and beyond. The focus can also be on the political situation in specific cases.
- Check our solidarity actions with Ukraine and join or create your own.
- Record a video for our European chain of democracy (details in the infokit).
- Speak up for democracy on social media! Do not forget to use the #DemocracyUnderPressure!
- You can send an hand-written letter to one of the over 1,400 political prisoners in Belarus, detained for peacefully protesting against the Luakshenka’s regime. With this simple gesture of solidarity, you can show your support for their struggle and let them know that we are fighting to let their voices be heard.
At the moment we sent over 150 hand-written letters to political prisoners. You can find information on how to do the same here.
What to do more?
- You can consider making a donation to support the victims of political repressions in Belarus. The initiative #BY_help collects money for them to cover the costs of their fines, lawyer fees as well as medical treatment and rehabilitation. You can transfer the money via PayPal or Facebook donations. You can also support dissidents financially via others dedicated platforms, including BySol and A Country to Live In.
- We have also collected a list of charities in different countries whose work for democracy you can support. See the list here.
- We have also listed some good documentaries to watch to be informed about current state of democracy and other related topics.
👇 Learn more 👇
Check out our country profiles and watch our country talks in the videos below to learn about the threats to democracy and rule of law in several countries.
Not only will you discover the struggles that many young people are facing but you will also learn how to recognise when similar threats are posed also to the democracy in which you live.
More statements and actions by JEF Europe on the topic:
18/03/2024
24/02/2024
Joint Statement | We cannot let war become the new normal
09/06/2023
JEF Europe stands with Vesna imprisoned democracy activists in Russia
16/03/2023
Democracy under Pressure 2023: JEF Europe builds a European chain of democracy
24/02/2023
The Ukraine of tomorrow is built today: independent and on track to EU accession
18/03/2022
Press release | Democracy is under attack: JEF launches its “Democracy under Pressure” 2022 campaign
01/03/2022
24/02/2022
Statement | Europe’s youth stand against Russian aggression and in support of Ukraine’s future
02/02/2022
Press statement | Europe must unite against the Kremlin’s aggression
21/11/2021
JEF Europe Resolutions Regarding the Protection of Rule of Law
25/03/2021
18/03/2021
07/02/2021
Joint Statement: European political youth organisations #StandWithBelarus
They support us 🤝
Many Members of the European Parliament support #DemocracyUnderPressure. You can find their names here and listen to their words in the videos they sent us 👇
Contact information
Contact information
Kati Systä, board member
Young European Federalists
kati.systa@jef.eu