What I have learned from fascism and hate in my home country.
Fighting for freedom — A choice
There is this rusty, opaque, old iron medal.
The medal hangs on a tiny pin, within a parched piece of paper, placed within a chipped frame. Half-forgotten.
Mould, eating away at the paper. Rust, eating at the iron.
Longhand, quill-made words spell my great grandfather’s name.
It looks like this one:
It is called a ‘medal of valor’, appointed to soldiers to recognize courage in front of the enemy.
This enemy wore a black uniform and pointy black helmet. The enemy had a rudimental machine gun, long knife and a gas canister.
My great grandfather chose to fight them because he believed in freedom and independence.
Fleeing fascism — A choice
There is another ‘medal’, in the shape of a piece of paper: an arrest order for sedition with the name of my grandfather on it.
It looks like this one:
It spells how he defied the rule of law, escaped mandatory military service under the fascist regime, hid in the mountains and helped rebellious groups in the fight against their nation. Their government. Their countrymen.
My grandfather chose to fight against his neighbours, friends and even family members because he believed in freedom and civil rights.
Not complying to fascism — A choice
But the most valuable of these ‘medals’ in my family is the one that does not exist.
Its absence speaks volume: it’s the absence of any fascist party card, for all of my grandparents. They never had one.
It looked like this one:
Having a fascist card wasn’t only mandatory, it wasn’t just a political statement: in a dictatorship, during a war, it was the only way to access food, services and basic day-to-day necessities.
Fascist cards weren’t just for fanatics, they were meant for everyone. And most people had one. Most people conformed because it was an easier choice.
My grandfather instead, reportedly, said: “I’d rather starve than join them.” He didn’t join them and fortunately, he didn’t starve either. That is also why I live today.
I live today because they survived the war, the abuse and the fascism. Most importantly, I can write today because of how my grandparents chose to survive all of that.
They did not give up. They did not sell out. They did not conform to what was ‘normal’.
The narrow gate
We all know that if today we live freely, it is thanks to our grandparent’s choices. Most of them were illiterate, poor, half-starved, common men and women that still chose not to comply.
Millions of them made that choice. Millions died. Millions survived.
We stand on their shoulders today and we stand over their graves. We stare at their photos and we stare at their medals. We stare at ourselves in the mirror and we know they are a part of us. We also know that we can be like them if we so choose.
Today, and every day, we are called to make the same choice: to comply or to stand for our values.
Our battle
Yesterday was nazi-fascism, before that was slavery and imperialism, today it is the apocalypse of racism and classism that is breaking the world apart. Different labels for the same problem: fear and oppression. The battle exists and we all are called to make a choice.
George Floyd (back right) with his church group, before moving to Minneapolis for a job opportunity found through a Christian work program. Read more
Italy is more than ever gripped by rampant racism and apology of fascism is in everyday politics and news.
A group of neo-fascist march in Rome, Italy. Apology of fascism, including banners, logos and merchandise are widely sold and used in Italy
We saw this rampant fear and desire to oppress in many ways, shapes and forms in the last decade. The most visible and successful ones being populists movements in Europe (the UK included).
Left: Nigel Farage stands in front of a ‘Leave EU’ campaign poster. This picture, filled with non-white faces, makes explicit the racism in Ukip’s vision of leaving the European Union. Right: the stark resemblance with a Nazi propaganda film. Read on the Guardian
Racism is creeping in from every side and if you think it’s not your problem because you are not a racist, you should realize that standing by is as good as joining in.
We don’t get to not care.
We don’t get to be cynical.
We don’t get to say “Well, that’s not our problem”. Because it is.
Our choice
We must choose where we stand. With thoughts, with words, with action. The first step is to think and ponder the situation. The next one is to speak up. The next one is to donate and support. The final one is to protest.
One way to make a choice and act on it is to donate to the NAACP at this link: https://www.naacp.org/
What will we choose?
“All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” John S. Mill
