Challenging Propaganda through Remembrance
Meet Antonella di Matteo, Remembrance Messenger of SCI Catalonia, who attended the final CHAPTER event. Antonella tells us about her experience in the project, especially focusing on the Remembrance Week in Barcelona, and shares with us what she learned, the research she did with other participants, her encounters, discoveries and much more.
Welcome to CHAPTER: Challenging propaganda through remembrance – the campaign. During the next weeks, we will use this platform and the social networks to share with you the experience and findings of the project:
Participation: The event involved 15 participants from partner organizations, including 6 participants from Rome (Italy), 1 from Turin (Italy), 1 from Athens (Greece), 1 from Wien (Austria), 1 from Barcelona (Spain), 1 from Sofia (Bulgaria), 1 from Poznań (Poland), 1 from Budapest (Hungary), 1 from Lille (France), 1 from Bonn (Germany).
Location / Dates: The event took place in Rome, (Italy), from 10/12/2019 to 16/12/2019.
Short description: The aim of the event was to agree on the management, set up the activities, discuss the visibility and dissemination.
Participation: The event involved 25 citizens, including 8 participants from Turin (Italy), 4 participants from Rome (Italy), 2 participants from Berlin (Germany), 2 participants from Athens (Greece), 2 participants from Lille (France), 1 participant from Sofia (Bulgaria), 2 participants from Poznań (Poland), 1 participant from Barcelona (Spain), 2 participants from Budapest (Hungary), 1 participant from Wien (Austria).
Location / Dates: The event took place online from 03/04/2021 to 12/04/2021.
Short description: The aim of the event was to train a group of experienced multipliers (Remembrance Messengers) who could also supervise the Remembrance Weeks organized in different countries. Participants have been trained on propaganda before and during the World War II. They discussed the ICT aspects of the project and defined the topics of the researches they were going to start immediately after the end of the event.
The final event of Chapter project was held in Rome on the weekend of 6th and 7th November: historical, intellectual and militant subjects, from different experiences and different areas of the world met in three events open to the public, in different spaces of the city. Watch now the recorded events!
Non avevamo detto mai più? Le nuove destre e i movimenti antifascisti
Round table with historians and intellectuals (Davide Conti, Elia Rosati, Augusto Illuminati) with anti-fascist collectives and militants from different European countries and not (Italy, Greece, Germany, Kurdistan) to discuss what it means to be “internationalists” in the current context.
Genere e minoranze. La strumentalizzazione di vecchie e nuove destre sui corpi di donne e migranti
Dialogue with the activist and translator Marie Moïse, a representative of Lucha y Siesta, the journalist and co-author of the podcast “Sulla Razza” Maria Catena Mancuso. Moderator by Enrica Rigo.
Contropropaganda nella rete
Conference day and debate on propaganda and counter-propaganda, on the role of movement information in the context of the growth of the new right with media representatives from different European countries.
From June till October 2021, five Countries have been crossed by a same number of Remembrance Weeks. For ten days, 25 participants to the activity held in Italy, Poland, Austria, Greece and Catalunya reflected on the historical aspects connecting the hosting country to the nazi-fascist regimes – sharing the material previously collected through archives, websites, songs – and analyzed the use and the impact of propaganda on the events. At the same time, they researched the role of grassroots media and peace organizations in responding to the regimes’ propaganda. As a result of each Remembrance Week, participants realized 10 sets of infographics on 10 relevant topics, previously identified.
The first Remembrance Week took place in Rome, Italy, from the 14th to the 23rd of June. During this week, the participants developed two infographics related to the topics of youth and freedom of speech. The infographics introduce different ways of expressions, question the use of social media and reflect on what makes the youth take actions. Find the infographics attached here: INFOGRAPHICS ITALY
Participation: The event involved 25 citizens, including 1 Participant from Poznań (Poland), 1 from Barcelona (Spain), 1 from Madrid (Spain), 3 from Turin (Italy), 1 from Wien (Austria), 1 from Colonia (Germany), 1 from Sofia (Bulgaria), 1 from Paris (France), 1 from Lisbon (Portugal), 1 from Athens (Greece), 13 from Rome (Italy),
Location / Dates: The event took place in Rome, Italy, from 14/06/2021 to 23/06/2021
Short description: The aim of the event was to deepen the research about propaganda during totalitarian regimes and in current media, analyzing specifically the topics of youth participation in regimes and anti-regimes movements and freedom of speech.
The second Remembrance Week was hold in Warsaw, Poland, from the 25th of June to the 4th of July. This Remembrance Week focused on the topics of hate crimes and history with the result of three infographics. The infographics consist of printed manifestos about topics that, according to the participants, need peoples’ attention including reflections on the impact of words, diversity and the values needed for humanity. Find the infographics attached here: INFOGRAPHICS POLAND
Participation: The event involved 26 citizens, including 1 participant from Rome (Italy), 17 participants from Poznań (Poland), 1 participant from Budapest (Hungary), 1 participant from Geneva (Switzerland), 2 participants from Barcelona (Spain), 1 participant from Wien (Austria), 1 participant from Paris (France), 1 participant from Copenhagen (Denmark), 1 participant from Kosovo.
Location / Dates: The event took place in Poznan, Poland, from 25/06/2021 to 04/07/2021
Short description: The aim of the event was to focus on the topics of hate crimes, through the cooperation with Martyrdom Museum Wielkopolska, Poznan, and history with the result of three infographics. The infographics consist of printed manifestos about topics that, according to the participants, need peoples’ attention including reflections on the impact of words, diversity and the values needed for humanity.
The third Remembrance Week took place in a village close to Vienna, Austria, from the 14th to the 23th of June 2021. The two main topics of the week were nationalism and propaganda with which the participants produced two infographics. One infographic provides information on how far right movements communicate while the other deals with the Nazi persecution of homosexual people during the holocaust. Find the infographics attached here: INFOGRAPHICS AUSTRIA
Participation: The event involved 25 citizens, including 3 participants from Barcelona (Spain), 9 participants from Rome (Italy), 5 participants from Wien (Austria), 1 participant from Bratislava (Slovakia), 1 participant from Bruxelles (Belgium), 1 participant from Paris (France), 3 participant from Berlin (Germany), 1 participant from Zagreb (Croatia), 1 stateless participant asylum seeker in Austria.
Location / Dates: The event took place in Austria, from 14/06/2021 to 23/06/2021
Short description: The aim of the event was to focus on the topics of nationalism and propaganda and from these topics developing infographics to be distributed through social media channels. The result of the event was two infographics – one providing information on how far-right movements communicate while the other deals with the Nazi persecution of homosexual people during the holocaust.
From the 29th of August until the 7th of September, the Remembrance Week took place in Athens, Greece. As a result of this week, the participants have created three infographics with information on several topics including Neonazism in football, use of violence and facist propaganda in the media. For example, the first infographic identifies varous symbols used by facist and nazi groups also in relation to football. Find the infographics attached here: INFOGRAPHICS GREECE
Paticipants: 14 participants from Athens (Greece), 1 participant from Sofia (Bulgaria), 1 participant from Amsterdam (The Netherlands), 1 participant from Poznań (Poland), 1 participant from Paris (France), 1 participant from Madrid (Spain) and 1 participant from Berlin (Germany).
Location / Dates: The event took place in Greece, from 29/08/2021 to 07/09/2021
Short description: The aim of the event was to deepen the Metaxas regime propaganda and the period of the nazi-fascist occupation of the country. Moreover, the role of the civil society in opposing the regimes has been analysed. Participants developed three infographics with information on topics related to propaganda and anti-facism.
The last Remembrance Week lasted from the 23rd of September until the 3rd of October and took place in Barcelona, Catalonia. The output of this Remembrance Week resulted in three infographics concerning the issues of populism, gender and exile as well as a reminder of critical thinking to prevent becoming victims of propaganda. Find the infographics attached here: INFOGRAPHICS CATALONIA
Participation: The event involved 25 citizens, including 3 participants from Rome (Italy), 2 participants from Poznań (Poland), 1 participant from Bruxelles (Belgium), 1 participant from Athens (Greece), 1 participant from Istanbul (Turkey), 1 participant from Budapest (Hungary), 1 participant from Berlin (Germany), 1 participant from Bucares (Romania), 1 participant from Amsterdam (Netherlands), 13 participant from Barcelona (Spain).
Location / Dates: The event took place in Catalonia, from 23/09/2021 to 03/10/2021
Short description: The aim of the event was to discover the country’s past issues of propaganda and facism. The research resulted in three infographics regarding the issues of populism, gender and exile as well as a reminder linking the past to the present by urging critical thinking to prevent becoming victims of propaganda.
It is a project of Servizio Civile Internazionale Italia in partnership with CVS Bulgaria, SCI Hellas, SCI Austria, SCI Catalunya, OWA Poland, SCI France, Utilapu (Hungary), SCI Germany, UNITED (Hungary), Centro Studi Sereno Regis (Italy) and DINAMO (Italy) and co-financed by the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union.
Servizio Civile Internazionale – Italia (SCI Italia) is the Italian branch of an international voluntary movement, Service Civil International (SCI), which has been organising voluntary activities and campaigns for the promotion of Peace, Human rights, International solidarity and Active citizenship since 1920. TodaySCI is present with branches and partners in more than 80 countries in all continents and its main actions are meant to support local communities in implementing social, cultural and development activities.
As part of this international movement, SCI Italia promotes intercultural learning and empowerment of citizens and grassroots organisations through their active participation in voluntary projects and exchanges. All SCI activities are based on the belief that all people are capable of living together and cooperating with mutual respect and without recourse to violence to solve conflicts, thus promoting the feeling of belonging to an international community.
Centro Studi Sereno Regis ODV (CSSR) is a a non profit, independent, volunteering organisation founded in 1982 by MIR-Movimento Internazionale della Riconciliazione (the Italian branch of IFOR-International Fellowship of Reconciliation) and Movimento Nonviolento (Nonviolent Movement, the Italian affiliate to WRI-War Resisters International). Our mission is to spread the culture of peace and nonviolence.
CSSR is active upon 3 main pillars of action: research, education and nonviolent action.
Regarding the topic of the project, in the last 6 years we have been active in:
CVS-Bulgaria is a non-governmental organisation that has worked in the field of international volunteer exchange since 1998 and was officially registered in 2002 as an organisation working in public benefit. CVS-Bulgaria is a branch of the international peace and volunteer-exchange network of Service Civil International (SCI – www.sciint.org) as well as a full member of South Eastern European Youth Network (SEEYN – www.seeyn.org). CVS-Bulgaria aims to promote the idea of volunteer work through organising a variety of voluntary activities; to motivate the young people to be active and participate in volunteer actions; to promote and support intercultural understanding and solidarity, social justice and environment preservation. Main activities of CVS-Bulgaria are: organising short- and longterm volunteer projects – youth exchanges, trainings, hosting and sending volunteers for projects in public benefit in Bulgaria and Europe, as well as working in partnership with other NGOs to promote volunteering as a tool for active citizenship. CVS-Bulgaria has years of experience in the field of work with young people including young people with fewer opportunities. We also have significant experience with the YOUTH, Youth in Action and Erasmus+ Programs which includes organisation of and participation in trainings, seminars, youth exchanges, coordinating, receiving and sending longterm volunteers.
Since 2010 the organisation has been working with asylum seekers and refugees, including women and unaccompanied minors. We have been coordinating the biggest volunteer project in Bulgaria aimed and direct work with the mentioned groups above. The organisation is involved in partnership projects in the field of forced migration with the State Agency for refugees and Caritas Sofia, Bulgarian Red Cross, UNHCR Bulgaria and Center for Study of Democracy.
SCI Austria, founded in 1947, is the Austrian branch of the global peace and volunteering network Service Civil International (SCI) and is based in Vienna. The organisation mainly organizes together with local partners short-term volunteer projects in Austria called workcamps and promote long and short-term volunteering projects all over the world. We are a grass root organization based on volunteer engagement and most of the team members involved are volunteers themselves.
We believe that living and working together with people of different backgrounds helps volunteers to break down barriers and prejudices. It allows them to experience a world of mutual respect and understanding. In this sense, volunteering can be seen as a way of life, in our worlds “as a demonstration of the possible reality of a peaceful and cooperative world”. SCI Austria offers a variety of volunteer opportunities to people, such as short, mid- and long term projects, but also the possibility to become active for a local branch or participate in seminars, training and thematic workshops focused on active citizenship, raising awareness and criticism concerning unequal and violent social structures.
SCI Catalunya is the Catalan branch of Service Civil International which was created in 1982. We work to build peace and social transformation understanding that international volunteering and solidarity are basic tools to reach our goals. In addition, we strongly believe in peace education and local activism as tools for transformation as well. We understand that as an organization we have responsibility to work also in networking (local and international) and advocacy. We work in Catalunya, País Valencià, Illes Balears i Andorra. We are a social base association which is formed by more than 600 members. We are organized through local activists groups, voluntary based board and staff.
SCI Catalunya organises seminars and trainings in peace education and in international volunteering, both in local and international level. Furthermore, it is accredited as a coordinator, sending and hosting organization for ESC program. So it is promoting throughout the year the youth participation in terms of international volunteering and also local activism.
The French branch of Service Civil International is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 1936. Since its creation, the Service Civil International movement has fought for the establishment of an international voluntary civil service and is now composed of 42 branches and 90 partners. Our goal is to promote intercultural understanding through international volunteering. Thus, we offer a wide variety of volunteer opportunities such as short, medium and long term projects to get involved in various fields such as peace building, ecological transition, gender equality, inclusion of vulnerable populations, but also the possibility to become an activist for a local branch or partner and to participate in a seminar or training.
We are also a sending/hosting/coordinating European Solidarity Corps organization since 2008. Since 2011, we also welcome and send volunteers abroad through the French government program “Service Civique”.
SCI Germany has a long tradition with organising workcamps in cooperation with memorials, dating back to the 80ies and going alongside with the process of setting up more and more places of remembrance and learning about the history of german concentration camps. Today SCI Germany offers about 8-10 international or binational workcamps in memorials every year, for example in the Gedenkstätte Buchenwald, Mahn- und Gedenkstätte Ravensbrück or in the former Prisoner of War camp Gedenkstätte Ehrenhain-Zeithain.
Besides SCI Germany has a lot of experience with other remembrance projects, like special trainings for campleaders in memorials or for example the Erasmus+ -project “Youth4Remembrance” in autumn 2019. Volunteers of 10 different nationalities discussed different perspectives on history, national and personal narratives, but also narratives of marginalised groups. One outcome of this project was the toolkit “REMEMBRANCE FOR PEACE – Approaches, Knowledge and NFE Methods around Remembrance Work for youth workers and peace activists”.
SCI Hellas is the Greek section of SCI International and defines itself as an independent sociopolitical organization working to defend human rights through international voluntary cooperation and solidarity projects aimed at establishing the culture of peace.
Currently, SCI Hellas is operating projects that focus on drama (Co Existence Is Possible, Recreating Peace), empowering women (Women Voice), football (Umoja-Enosi fc), sports as a means for social inclusion (Bala_Patisia project) within the European Solidarity Corps and Anna Lindh Foundation as well as IVP Australia; SCI Hellas is also active in networks and campaigns on refugee/migrant issues and climate change.
Stowarzyszenie Jeden Świat – SCI Poland is is a non-governmental organisation whose mission is to promote the idea of peace and understanding between people through international and national volunteering and education. For over 25 years we have been organizing short- and long-term volunteering projects, educational projects, and local activities in the field of human rights, anti-discrimination, environmental justice and remembrance.
SCI Poland website
Utilapu Halozat is an NGO, founded by a group of active citizens in 1993 in order to help small communities through volunteer projects. Soon after its foundation it became the official Hungarian branch of Service Civil International (SCI). Utilapu is dedicated to promoting a culture of peace by organizing international voluntary projects for people of all ages and backgrounds therefore we created our Peace Messenger Working Group. The members of the group are volunteers who contribute to build and promote a culture of peace by organizing Peace Education sessions in short term projects.
UNITED for Intercultural Action is the European network against nationalism, racism, fascism and in support of migrants, refugees and minorities. Together with over 560 supporter organisations all around Europe, ranging from local grassroots associations to national and international NGOs, UNITED coordinates campaigns, organises conferences, takes part in projects, produces publications and undertakes advocacy work to protest against discrimination and promote our shared vision for a diverse and inclusive society.
DINAMOpress is an editorial project based in Rome (Italy) and founded in 2012. It consists in a daily-updated news website (dinamopress.it) focusing in political analysis and reports about social movements around the world, in a print six-monthly issue (DINAMOprint) and a small publishing house (DINAMObook). DINAMOpress newsroom has members in different countries and is open to several collaborations.It promotes the values of social justice and equality.
Chapter – Challenging propaganda through remembrance, is a project aiming at casting a light on propaganda before and during WWII, focusing on its role to enforce the concept of “enemy” – from national and ethnic groups to political opponents and social groups. The research on nazi-fascist propaganda is meant to be actualized also in the present, when a mix of migration and economic crisis brought to an increase in xenophobic and populist trends all over Europe.
Since 2014 Europe is in fact facing the worst humanitarian crisis of refugees since World War II (WWII), the majority of them fleeing from Syria and Libya, while the economic crisis has been causing cuts to social inclusion, education and healthcare programmes.
Populist groups’ media depicts third-country nationals as exploiters of the welfare system while criminalizing civil society organizations in solidarity, thus fuelling social tensions into organized violence against people and institutions. An in-depth analysis shows that current propaganda roots in methodologies and tools developed under totalitarian regimes. Nazism and Fascism emphasized those features characterizing the public discourse during World War I and its aftermath such as nationalism, hatred of the enemy and dehumanization: all of that contributed to lay the groundwork for WWII.
The project wants to draw attention also on the role of grassroots media and peace organizations in challenging propaganda through innovative communication methodologies and tools, both in the past and present.
Project outputs – such as researches, infographics, an online campaign – was realized by participants who will act as Remembrance messengers, in order to relate past events to current trends through different activities taking place in Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, Austria, Poland and Catalunya.
It is a project of Servizio Civile Internazionale Italia in partnership with CVS Bulgaria, SCI Hellas, SCI Austria, SCI Catalunya, OWA Poland, SCI France, Utilapu (Hungary), SCI Germany, UNITED (Hungary), Centro Studi Sereno Regis (Italy) and DINAMO (Italy) and co-financed by the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union.
(by Isabella Pezzolini)
Hate crimes include all acts of violence perpetrated against people based on ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or physical disability. Discrimination becomes the reason of the crime.
In Italy, on May 2nd 2018, the deputy and LGBT activist Alessandro Zan presented a law “Ddl Zan” aimed at combating discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and provides for specific aggravating circumstances for hate crimes against homosexuals, transsexuals, women and disabled people.
This law has immediately sparked criticism from the fascist movement Casa Pound, but instead was supported by the anti-fascist association ANPI.
Casa Pound states that the Ddl Zan is unconstitutional because it defines it as a law that would limit freedom of expression and could legitimize paedophilia. For this reason, CasaPound organized demonstrations throughout Italy against this law.
The fascist movement believes that the Italian LGBTQ + associations that support this Ddl Zan are not representative of Italian society but are only interest groups and that their only obvious goal is to silence any opposition voice.
Instead, the ANPI proposes propaganda in support of the Zan law and it participates in the Pride Month events in Italy.
According to this anti-fascist association, this law is essential for reasons of rights, but also to counter the violent discrimination present in Italy and episodes of physical aggression.
It therefore stands in contrast to the intervention of the Vatican which would like to propose a change to this law and condemns the anti-LGBTQ law approved in Hungary.
In conclusion, it is very interesting to note how fascist propaganda is used to promote hate crimes by justifying them as “freedom of expression” and by accusing anti-fascists of silencing all forms of opposition, while anti-fascist propaganda tries to counter hate crimes and defend rights of all human beings believing that discrimination cannot be defined as freedom of expression.