Thread by @NickWhithorn

How an opinion piece entitled "Pietismo fuori posto" (Misplaced sanctimony), published in Italian newspaper 'La Stampa' on 10th September 1938 is relevant to political discourse in the UK in October 2020 [Thread] >> 1

I recently commented on Twitter that Johnson's & Patel's references to "do-gooders" are straight out of the far right playbook, as in Salvini's use of "buonisti" & AfD's use of "Gutmenschen" >> 2

The origin of using such terms to depict those wanting to do good as weak & sanctimonious is to be found in the way the Italian fascist régime described those defending Jews, when Italy's "racial laws" were introduced in 1938, as "pietisti" (a rough equivalent to do-gooders) >> 3

The article from "La Stampa" appeared on 10 September 1938, just before the approval of the "racial laws" by the Grand Council of Fascism (6-7 October). These laws, which stripped Jews of their civil rights, were under discussion >> 4

If we look at the text, we see just how similar it is to the speeches & articles about migrants by right-wing politicians & commentators that we hear & read today. Let's start with the first paragraph >> 5

Just update it by substituting "migrants" for "Jews", "hard working families" for "working people", "metropolitan élites" for "middle class intellectuals" & "multiculturalism" for "cosmopolitan Jewish culture" and it could come from the mouth or pen of today's conservatives >> 6

In the second paragraph, we have an appeal to the "national interest", which is higher than anything , including "Christian compassion". So, we have Christian values, indeed we are kind (e.g. we have a long tradition of welcoming refugees) but we mustn't become gullible >> 7

I've left out the third paragraph as it adds little. The fourth paragraph contains the classic "foreigners coming here to steal our jobs & take advantage of our benefits" and ends with the obligatory "we're not racist but let's help our own people first" >> 8

So, if you still think of fascism as something that happened long ago in other countries, think again. Groundwork is well under way to create the conditions in which it can prosper in modern day Britain. It is up to us to make sure it doesn't rear its ugly head again // 9 ends