zusammenfassung zur aec diskussion 18:00 - 20:00 Free Speech Round Table (english) Moderation:  Gerfried Stocker Teilnehmer: Thomas Lehner (Stadtwerkstatt) Alexander Baratsits (Radio FRO) Konrad Becker (Public Netbase) Pitt Schultz (Nettime/MicroLab) Rafaelo Samo (Netartist) Summary: Austria is not the only place in the European Union where free speech is under heavy attack. France are discussing very restrictive restrictive approaches to regulate the creation of internet content. Different than the United States Europe is answering the question of internationalization with tight surveillance of the civic sector with an inner-national civic reorientation towards conservatism and banal nationalism. Japan is going similar ways. It isbound into a political reorientation towards the pre-war era fostering the establishment of a traditionalistic and conservative political regime based in national nostalgy. The difference between these developments lies in the discourse. While the Austrian media and culture scene has benefitted from a abundant financial subsidy system by the state for the last twenty years, current developements cut back public funding for the purpose of reducing the state´s indebtness. So the discussion about Austrian repressive strategies is mainly about funding, when it comes to the question of securing free speech. But funding is just one and a very reductionist approach to the current situation. National and xenophobic propaganda is instrumentalized on the national level to legitimize political forces, which promote economic liberalism and the cut backs in official spendings. Critical voices are therefore under steady and haevy attack, as they are disturbing the process of  agenda setting  and awareness building by the economic and political system. But this problem also exists on the internartional level. It is just taking different forms. Repression has many faces, and it will be difficult and complex to develop a mutual concept to fight this anti-democratic forces as the concept of mutuality is growing more and more unpracticable in the process of internationalization.