At the end of January, he ended his "fossil fuel era", as he himself put it. After 22 years as Head of Corporate Communications, Michael Sasse left the oil and gas company Wintershall Dea. The 56-year-old passionate public relations officer worked for three CEOs and accompanied crises such as the war in Libya and the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine with intensive media work. At the end of his personal age of energy, he had to – reluctantly – publicise the sale of Wintershall Dea to British competitor Harbour Energy. His exit from the company was sealed long before the deal was announced.

Sasse is still keeping quiet about his future career plans. What is certain is that he wants to committ himself even more for the democracy initiative "Open for diversity – united against marginalisation". On his LinkedIn entry, he describes himself as a "full-time democrat" for the time being.

The alliance has been campaigning in Kassel and northern Hesse for more than five years for diversity, cosmopolitanism and against all forms of discrimination and misanthropy. The initiative was launched after the xenophobic riots in Chemnitz in 2018, when several Kassel-based companies wanted to send a clear signal against the right and in favour of respect and the rule of law ahead of the state elections in Hesse in October 2018. In a poster campaign, the initiative called on company employees and the public to go to the polls.

In addition to Wintershall and K S, the five founders included the Hübner Group, Kasseler Sparkasse and the Schaltbau Bode Group. Almost 40 regional co-operation partners are now on board – from the medical technology group B. Braun, Volkswagen in Baunatal, SMA Solar and Daimler Truck in Kassel to the Kassel Huskies ice hockey team and the MT Melsungen handball club. Other supporters come from culture and the church. No political parties are involved. "We are not party-political, we are socio-political – in the sense of a free and democratic basic order," says Sasse, outlining the claim.

The "Open to diversity - united against exclusion" poster that was put up at the start of the initiative was intended to reflect the situation and aspirations of companies with an international workforce. Sasse describes the motivation behind the founding of the alliance as being to oppose hate speech against foreigners and to campaign for an open and diverse society. The slogan was not only put up on posters but also produced as door hangers and distributed free of charge. More than 30,000 of them in the meantime. And the signs can be found on entrance doors in the most amazing places, says Sasse happily – even in biker clubs and stalactite caves.

Over the years, "Open to Diversity" has become known for a wide variety of projects and campaigns. It sets up information stands, organises the annual "Diversity Booster" diversity competition and awards prizes to local projects that promote diversity. There is also the "Diversity Municipality" competition. Since 2022, the Demokratie-Mobil has been in action to literally get democracy moving and enable campaigns to take place beyond the state borders – all the way to the capital, Berlin. Young people are informed about democracy from the kebab stand in school playgrounds. At Christmas 2023, the initiative translated Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's speech into twelve languages with the help of AI and distributed it on social media.

The murder of Kassel District President Walter Lübcke (CDU) on June 2nd 2019, was a game changer for the initiative – "the whole region was rendered speechless," says Sasse. The murder of a sitting politician by a right-wing extremist made it clear that it was not just about a diverse and open society but also about democracy as a form of government. "Diversity can only work if the constitution is not infringed," emphasised Sasse. With this claim, the Alliance for Diversity has expanded its spectrum and has seen itself as a democratic initiative ever since.

After Lübcke's assassination, the initiative came up with the claim: "Democratic values are immortal" and, in consultation with the Lübcke family, put it up on a 200 square metre banner on the façade of the regional council building. The mayor of Kassel later referred to "Offen für Vielfalt" as the "Democracy Ultras" Sasse recalls and confirms: "We are the fan base of democracy – loud and always there when it matters."

At the start of the trial against Lübcke's murderer at Frankfurt Higher Regional Court and on the day the judgement was handed down, the initiative was present in front of the courthouse together with pupils from Lübcke's home town of Wolfhagen and took a stand for democratic values. A more significant event is planned for the fifth anniversary of Lübcke's death this year. Campaigns are also being prepared for the 75th anniversary of the German constitution Grundgesetz on May 23rd and for the European elections at the beginning of June.

The "Open for Diversity" alliance is currently also taking action in the demonstrations against the right, triggered by research by the non-profit platform Correctiv on "remigration plans" by AfD politicians. In Kassel, there was prominent support from the CEO of solar technology company SMA Solar, Jürgen Reinert. The CEO took to the stage as a representative of the alliance at the beginning of February to speak at a demonstration under the motto "Hand in hand for democracy and diversity". The manager appealed to everyone to "make a clearly visible commitment to diversity, tolerance, integration, and acceptance". He was pleased that hundreds of thousands of people across Germany were now standing up together – "against right-wing propaganda, stupid slogans and intolerance".