Democracy is not merely a system of governance, it is indispensable also for protecting individual rights, freedoms, and dignity. The aim of this panel to focus attention on the curtailment of rights in democratic societies and efforts at resistance. Specifically, welfare policies and the language of welfare in many democracies evince little concern for beneficiaries' rights, such as for instance to food and shelter. At the same time, a narrow elite have commandeered the language of rights, and particular rights such as that to freedom of expression, in the service of power and privilege. Are these new developments? How far do they reflect attitudes and processes that have been long at work at grassroot or local levels, and have filtered upwards and become more visible? What can we learn from grassroots and local efforts to defend and advance rights, and the horizontal and vertical solidarities needed to support them?