The first "Left in Darkness" event was held in the wake of 7 October – it served as a kind of starting point for emerging from the state of shock. More than two years have passed since then – the concerns of that time have been exceeded in many respects. The left in particular has been subjected to profound upheavals.

Whilst the right has long since shifted from a culture war to a takeover of power, the left seems to be grinding itself down somewhere between dogma, resentment and a lack of orientation. Some glorify authoritarian forces as anti-imperialist, whilst others enter into concrete or ideological alliances with nationalists, Islamists, despots, enemies of human rights and other forms of the political right.

Struggles against racism and struggles against antisemitism are being positioned in opposition to one another, rather than maintaining an unconditional commitment to the fight against all forms of inhumanity. The left's turn towards antisemitic actors and narratives is a particularly striking symptom of its capitulation amidst escalating crisis dynamics. Faced with an authoritarian shift, capitalist crises and the climate catastrophe, it seems to have lost its common ground.

Yet in times of such global and existential threats, the question of a fundamental left-wing consensus becomes particularly urgent. With this panel, we want to take this path by asking what constitutes a valid form of anti-fascism. We believe that such a debate cannot only take place in national discourses or within subcultural circles without ending up in dead ends.

At the same time, like other people on the left who insist on a universal anti-fascism, we find ourselves somewhat politically isolated.

That is why we want to discuss common ground, differences and the question of what alliances are needed for a transnational renewal of the Left with comrades from France, Belgium and Italy.