The recent demonstrations in Kiev join a long wave of social protests which have swept through European cities in recent times. Where do the demonstrators come from and what results do they expect? How is the lack of will, or the inability to create a political alternative to be explained? What role have the social networks played in mobilising these crowds? Activists and political analysts from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria and Spain pool and share their experiences and draw conclusions concerning the future of democracy in Europe.

Chairperson: Jordi Vaquer Fanés
Participants: Ivan Krastev, Maria Lipman, Oleksandr Sushko, Ayse Akalin, Jaume Asens

The seminar “The Lessons of the Protest Wave in Europe” is part of a research project aiming to understand the experience of the current wave of protests in Russia, Turkey, Spain, Ukraine and Bulgaria. The project is initiated by the Centre for Liberal Strategies and the IWM, and supported by Charles Steward MOTT Foundation, Robert Bosch Stiftung, and the Open Society Initiative for Europe.

Further details: www.cccb.org