The project “Chapter-Changelling Propaganda Through Remembrance” was developed from the desire to relate past and present by examining and comparing forms and discourses of nazi-fascist propaganda and the current dangerous right extreme tendenicies in order to identify the best way to oppose and fight them.
The importance of understanding propaganda has always and will remain one of the most important aspects to both fighting fascism and reactionary policies that seek to distract from failures of good governance and perpetuate policies of discrimination and racism. If we understand the information that is being told to us we have a better chance at challenging or changing policies and laws that maintain a status quo of ‘us and them’.
We live in a diverse society of many opinions, backgrounds and cultures, this is what makes a society stronger, safer and more equal rather than one of division and separation. This strategy only serves to control society through fear, coercion and violence which we at SCI actively oppose through our goals and actions as a peace organization. We believe that one of the strategies to tackle fascism and the far right is to understand how they speak, what methods they use to manipulate individuals’ fears and emotional responses to issues that may seem out of their control.
This project joined groups and SCI branches across Europe to build a collective understanding and strategy of how to tackle propaganda and the far right that has exploded across the world in the last decade. Chapter has allowed twenty-five participants, from ten European countries, to participate in five Remembrance Weeks in Greece, Austria, Italy, Spain and Poland and reflect upon the new forms of media, the far-right uses to distribute its propaganda and develop strategies in understanding the importance of historical propaganda and the similarities with current far right and fascist movements in order to challenge them. 8 events have been carried out within this project:
Event 1- Preparatory Meeting
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.
Event 2 – Training for Multipliers
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 World War II. They discussed the ICT aspects of the project and defined the topics of the research they were going to start immediately after the end of the event.
Event 3 – Remembrance Week in 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.
Event 4 – Remembrance Week in 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.
Event 5 – Remembrance Week in 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.
Event 6 – Remembrance Week in Greece
Participation: The event involved 25 citizens, including 4 participants from Rome (Italy), 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.
Event 7 – Remembrance Week in 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.
Event 8 – Final Event
Participation: The event involved 127 citizens physically participating in the event, including 102 participants from Italy, 6 participants from Spain, 1 participant from Austria, 4 participants from Bulgaria, 1 participant from Denmark, 2 participants from Croatia, 3 participants from Germany,1 participant from France, 1 participant from Ireland, 1 participant from Portugal, 1 participant from Poland, 2 participants from Greece, 1 participant from Kurdistan, 1 participant from Cyprus.
Location / Dates: The event took place in Rome, from 5/11/2021 to 8/11/2021
Short description: The aim of the event was to wrap-up the project of CHAPTER: Challenging Propaganda through Remembrance by inviting prominent speakers from all over Europe to discuss the current situations in terms of propaganda by far right movements and counter-propaganda in their respective countries. It gathered academics, media-activists, journalists, people and institutions. During the event, project outcomes have been presented to a broader public also thanks to the live-streaming, allowing to reach a transnational audience. Check out the recorded events now:
Didn’t we say never again? The new right-wing and anti-fascist movements: https://www.facebook.com/sci.italy/videos/587448815824191
Gender and minorities. The instrumentalization of old and new right-wingers on the bodies of women and migrants: https://www.facebook.com/sci.italy/videos/610070380129302
Counter-propaganda in the network:https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=search&v=409439264186608
“Chapter – Challenging propaganda through remembrance”, is a project of the International Civil Service Italy in collaboration 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 DINAMOPRESS (Italy) and co-funded by the European Union’s “Europe for Citizens” program.
