Prof. Dr Ulrich Palm, Chair of the Foundation Council of the Palm Foundation in Schorndorf, on the Johann Philipp Palm Award, the historical figure of the courageous bookseller, and the current threats to press freedom.
Professor Palm, what is your personal connection to Johann Philipp Palm, and how did you become involved in the work of the Palm Foundation?
The name Johann Philipp Palm was very much a part of my family. My father was interested in history and passed this fascination on to me – through stories in which Johann Philipp Palm played an important role, as he is a member of the wider family. Although there are no direct descendants left, we all feel a sense of responsibility towards this historical figure. When the time came for Dr Maria and Johann-Philipp Palm to establish the foundation, the founders approached my father and me. They wanted to donate a large part of their fortune to a charitable organisation and were looking for a suitable purpose for the foundation. My father had the idea of an award, and I suggested linking it to the historical figure of Johann Philipp Palm – this tied in with freedom of expression and press freedom. The founders took up this idea, and so we were able to hold the first award ceremony in 2002.
What does Johann Philipp Palm mean to you personally – and how would you describe his significance?
As a child, Johann Philipp Palm was, for me, above all an exciting story from the past. The older and more mature I became, the more I realised the significance of this person and felt a sense of responsibility towards him. It is important to know that Johann Philipp Palm was appropriated by the National Socialists. As a result, he was miscategorised in the post-war period. He was neither a nationalist nor a chauvinistic German patriot, but a courageous man who stood up for freedom of expression. He unwittingly made history by publishing a pamphlet against Napoleon whilst Germany was under French occupation. And when the autocrat wanted to make an example of him, Palm did not reveal the author’s name until the very end. I would not call him a hero – the word has many connotations today. But he can serve as a role model for us in courageously speaking out against injustice and standing up for freedom of expression and press freedom.
The foundation was established in 1995 – what motivated the founders?
The starting point was the historic Palm Pharmacy in Schorndorf – the birthplace of Johann Philipp Palm. Johann-Philipp Palm, the founder, born in 1931, said of himself that he had initially been an ardent supporter of the National Socialists, but returned broken and war-wounded, having gained a profound insight. He wanted to make amends, clearly distanced himself from his past and from then on dedicated himself to the common good. He took over the Palm Pharmacy, which was in need of renovation, realised he needed money for this, and built up a business by establishing further pharmacies. He donated this fortune – apart from a small share reserved for his children – to the foundation, which was legally established as a non-profit association. The guiding principle was: taking responsibility for and in the world begins on one’s own doorstep.
What has personally motivated you to remain involved with the foundation for 25 years
I see it as a responsibility towards the founders. They were looking for someone to take over when their time was up – that is how I understood my role. Furthermore, I am convinced by the idea behind the prize and the foundation. We often take freedom for granted. But there is the Böckenförde dictum: the liberal state lives by prerequisites which it cannot itself guarantee; otherwise, it would not be a liberal state. Citizens must be active in order to preserve freedom. Freedom of expression and press freedom are fundamental to the democratic constitutional order – the Federal Constitutional Court has emphasised this time and again. I am happy to make my contribution to this idea, to the preservation of these fundamental rights.
How do you assess the current state of freedom of expression and press freedom – and what risks do you see?
In Germany, we still enjoy strong freedom of expression and freedom of the press – the Federal Constitutional Court actively ensures this, including through recent chamber rulings. It is possible to criticise those in power here. But one gets the impression that the scope of what can be said is narrowing. There are groups that no longer want certain opinions to be expressed. If you look online at how much polemic there is and how people who express their opinions are being attacked or publicly disparaged – that is worrying. Democracy is built on pluralism: it means the principle of majority rule, but also that there is a minority which must have the chance to become the majority. For that, we need an open public discourse. Added to this are new threats: foreign influence, manipulation of information, fake news. At the same time, the state must take care not to restrict freedom of expression itself in the fight against these phenomena – the Network Enforcement Act is an example where, for fear of fines, private platforms would rather delete content as a precaution when in doubt than opt for the liberal approach. That is a major challenge.
How does the selection process for the aureates work?
We have secured renowned institutions as partners who provide us with well-founded recommendations: Reporters Without Borders, Amnesty International, the Hamburg Foundation for the Politically Persecuted, Journalists Help Journalists, and others. These organisations conduct thorough research and provide justification for their nominations. In addition, we have appointed a board of trustees responsible for the selection process. We follow the example set by Johann Philipp Palm: we are looking for someone who champions press freedom and is willing to take personal risks in the process – in the interests of a free society.
What is the discussion process like within the Foundation Council?
The Foundation Council, consisting of eleven people, engages in intensive discussions. We know that all the nominees are worthy of the award, and there is always a sense of unease when giving preference to one nominee over another. There are, of course, differences of opinion, but in the end everyone stands behind the decision. There has never been a situation where someone has said, ‘I cannot live with that’. This is, of course, down to the quality of the shortlist put forward by the institutions.
Can you name any award winners who have particularly stayed in your memory?
We have two German award winners: firstly, Christian Führer, the pastor of St Nicholas’ Church in Leipzig, who helped launch the Monday demonstrations – that was very moving, but of course those were the circumstances shaped by dictatorship. The other is Seyran Ateş, a lawyer who advocates for Muslim women, founded a liberal mosque in Berlin and is threatened by fundamentalists – she advocates a liberal understanding of Islam and stands up to protect women who are attacked by their husbands. Moreover, our gaze is almost inevitably drawn abroad – to countries where freedom is not guaranteed and where journalists and authors rebel against authoritarian regimes, speak out against injustices and are persecuted, imprisoned or disappear forever as a result. These people most clearly embody the role model we see in Johann Philipp Palm.
What is your message to society, to the public?
My appeal is this: don’t just express your own opinion – something we should certainly do in a democratic society – but also listen to the views of others. In a democracy based on pluralism, we must engage in discussion and exchange our positions. There is a quote attributed to Voltaire, in which he is said to have declared that he would give his life for the freedom of expression of others. We don’t need to go that far. But we must work to ensure that we can exchange our views. This is a conviction that has taken root in me over decades. I didn’t invent this idea; many people express it – but with the Palm Foundation and the Palm Prize, we are making our small contribution to it.
About the person:
Prof. Dr Ulrich Palm (56) is Chairman of the Foundation Council of the Palm Foundation in Schorndorf. After completing his studies and obtaining his doctorate in Heidelberg, he worked at the institute of the constitutional law expert Paul Kirchhof and as a research fellow at the Federal Constitutional Court. Since 2012, he has held the Chair of Public Law, Financial and Tax Law at the University of Hohenheim. His father, Guntram Palm, was the state’s Minister of Justice, the Interior and Finance, as well as President of the State Central Bank. The Johann-Philipp-Palm Award for Freedom of Expression and Press Freedom, endowed with 20,000 euros, is presented every two years in Schorndorf.