Are European cultural institutions immune to political pressure?

A year and a half ago, I moderated a discussion with the then director of the American Library Association (ALA), Emily Drabinski, and with Julia Lesser, from the project CHAPTER - Challenging Populist Truth-Making in Europe: The Role of Museums in a Digital ‘Post-Truth’ European Society. I will come back to Julia below, I would like first discuss what Emily shared with us on that occasion.

In 2024, when we spoke, pressure groups in the US, such as Moms for Liberty, had tried to remove 2452 books from school and public libraries (according to ALA, which also reported that between 2001-2020, the average was 273). The books mainly refer to LGBTQIA+ characters or themes, as well as racism, equality, social justice, the American Civil War or religion. Many reports referred threats against librarians and layoffs, as well as the serious mental health problems that these professionals faced. I then asked Emily if we are exaggerating when we react in our countries to the slightest sign of censorship, intolerance, verbal violence in the cultural sphere. “Absolutely not,” she replied. “We got where we are because we kept giving space.”

It is important to mention that this whole book censorship affair in the US (which we also see in Brazil, Ireland and elsewhere) is carried out almost behind the scenes and many citizens (and parents) are unaware of it. According to a survey last year by the Knight Foundation, 3% of Americans have been involved in this: 2% against censorship and 1% in favor. It is almost unbelievable what damage 1% can do to a democracy. If Donald Trump is the most visible side of the problem, we should not underestimate what is happening more quietly, at a grassroots level. Nor should we give space or be indifferent, as long as it does not touch us personally.

I remembered all this while reading the opinions of five Greek colleagues who hold management positions in museums and organisations regarding what is happening between the Trump administration and American museums (Maro Vassiliadou, “Correcting” the history of the USA, Kathimerini, 5.9.2025). I mainly agreed with Elina Kountouri (NEON), who emphasises the need to understand what is happening, not to limit ourselves to simply noting that a growing cultural fear is spreading throughout the world. And I also agreed with a reminder by Giorgis Magginas (Benaki Museum) not to be complacent that pluralism has been achieved. Nothing has been definitely achieved, the struggle is being waged every day, and one shouldn’t concede a single inch, give space to those who do not respect the principles of democracy.

If there is something that deeply worries me (and sometimes fills me with despair) it is that we prefer to ignore the signs and hope that some things only happen elsewhere. Which means that, when history repeats itself (in its own way), we are usually unprepared to handle it. Syrago Tsiara (National Gallery) sees what is happening in the US, and the way it is happening, as an endogenous phenomenon, not exportable. Katerina Gregou (National Museum of Contemporary Art) believes, despite what we saw happening in Hungary and Poland, in the institutions of the EU and the law of the member states, which guarantee freedom of expression. Thouli Misirloglou (MOMus) hopes that if the new museum “Mein Kampf” were published, we would not all turn into soldiers in the war for “our ideal nation” and “our ideal race”.

I believe that, although the political conditions that are formed in each country are unique, they are not simply copied, we should be vigilant, learn from what we see happening elsewhere and adjust our strategic plans in time. We should not be complacent, believing that events in other countries do not affect us or that laws guarantee rights forever. Much less can we hope that most of us will not turn into toy soldiers if we are confronted with fascist tactics. It is enough to look at what is happening in a strong democracy, like the USA.

But also in Europe, we do not only have the examples of Hungary and Poland. The European project CHAPTER - Challenging Populist Truth-Making in Europe, which I mentioned above, conducted research in museums in the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland. Julia Lesser shared with us some key results:

1. Political violence and exhaustion: Anonymous threats, phone calls, text messages, constant pressure, budget cuts, dismissals and summary appointments in museum administration, forms of harassment.

2. Silent transformations and (self)censorship: Secretly, quietly, museums remove references that could provoke populist politicians and organized groups.

3. Populist traps: According to a museum director, populism creates a situation where there is no longer objectivity and no one can judge what is actually a fact.

All this is also confirmed by NEMO – Network of European Museum Organisations. At the beginning of the year, NEMO published the results of the barometer on political influence in museums in Europe. It referred to the restrictions faced by museums that depend on state funding, interventions and cancellations in exhibitions and other programmes, political appointments, pressure to align with political agendas, censorship and self-censorship. And if we would like to see a specific “case study”, let us consult “Early Warning: The Politicization of Arts and Culture in Slovakia”, published in April by the Artistic Freedom Initiative and Open Culture! We will see how principles and laws can erode before anyone has time to blink.

The issue is no longer ‘if’ but ‘when’. For this reason, it is necessary to monitor everything that happens in the field of culture, to be informed, to stand in solidarity, to learn from each other, to have a common strategy. No matter how far away some things may seem, they concern us and they will affect us.