In 2015, refugees began making landfall on the shores of Greece by the tens of thousands. At first, they were welcomed by locals, activists, and humanitarians. It was a sight that left journalist and author Patrick Strickland awestruck. But across the next decade, Greece experienced an alarming surge in far-right, anti-refugee sentiment that would threaten the fabric of society — and inspire his new book, You Can Kill Each Other After I Leave: Refugees, Fascism, and Bloodshed in Greece.
But it’s not about the vigilantes, the fascists, the angry mobs. It’s about those Greeks who stood up to them … and won.
Strickland’s previous book, The Mauraders (2022), is set on the borderlands in southern Arizona, and it charts a similar course. As Mexican and Latin American refugees made their way across the border, in the small town that was the focal point of his reporting, they found themselves in the middle of a battle between bloodthirsty militias and the townspeople who stood up to them.
Fascists want to be the protagonists of every story. And too often we let them. But the truth is, we are the main characters in this story. It’s time we started acting like it.
Thank you
, , , , , and many others for tuning into our live video!
Share this post