On Saturday, I attended the screening of the new film, “Fires and Fascism,” at the Common Ground Community Centre in Nether Edge. Producer Dr Peter Knapp left academia researching air quality, determined to find a way of reaching out to the public through storytelling. Without any qualifications in film production, Peter crowdfunded £3000 in second-hand equipment and set off to southern Europe to discover how communities responded to wildfires. What he produced was a remarkable 57-minute documentary exposing the links between wildfires, corporations, organised crime and fascism. It showcases how communities are engaging in direct action, protest, rewilding, and combating the uncontrollable fires and the far right.
The film portrays the experiences and actions of 25 people across Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, ranging from scientists, teachers, artists, gardeners, engineers, winemakers, NGOs, and authors.
In the Evros region of Greece, the wall dividing Greece and Turkey cuts through the countryside like a knife. A wildfire devastated the region in 2023, burning down almost 1,000 square kilometres of the Dadia Forest. It was the largest wildfire ever recorded in Europe and took 2 weeks to extinguish. The government laid the blame on refugees who were cooking while transiting throughthe forest – they mentioned nothing of the fact that official firefighting services have been cut to the bone by the far-right Government. Or that climate change has led to higher temperatures and humidity, leading to longer and deadlier wildfires. Refugees are blamed while the Government shirks responsibility.
In Sicily, we see how a wildfire devastated the countryside. People in the film said that some of these fires were started deliberately by organised crime, which the filmmaker later backed up with academic sources. They burn farmland belonging to local, independent owners. Once their land is ruined, the farmers are coerced into selling it to the wind farm companies, which are controlled by the mafia.
In Portugal, the industrial planting of eucalyptus trees, which burn easily, causes wildfires to start more often and grow much larger. Portugal is Europe’s biggest eucalyptus pulp and paper producer; it has the largest percentage area of eucalyptus plantations of any country in the world. The revolving door between executive positions in eucalyptus companies and government ensures that politicians turn a blind eye to the wildfires, once again avoiding blame.
Inspiring
The most inspiring parts of the film are where Dr Knapp talks to the local people defending their communities. In Portugal, people have uprooted the eucalyptus plantations; in Sicily, a landscape gardener explains how wearing hi-vis jackets at locations where the mafia might start a fire has prevented fires from breaking out in those regions. Public assemblies have encouraged people to make their voices heard. Native trees, such as walnut and Almond, have been planted, which are much less susceptible to forest fires. Rewilding projects, including reintroducing wild boars, have been successful in reducing fires and increasing biodiversity.
Links to Yorkshire
The conversation that followed was about how we can tackle fascism and promote community and resilience here in Sheffield. It inspired people that a better future is possible, and that there are ways to feel a sense of hope. Examples included the work of Walkly Anti-Fascists, removing unwelcome flags on their main road, and the newly energised Green Party working hard in wards in the city where Reform is threatening to do well. Hope comes from being active and creating a greater sense of community.
Many parallels were found with our situation here in Yorkshire. The power station Drax continues to burn trees imported from pristine forests around the world, while claiming renewable subsidies to the tune of nearly £2 million every day. Grouse moors are drained to create the perfect habitat for Grouse, so that rich people can pay eye-watering fees to shoot them. In doing so, the peat is degraded, and downstream flooding becomes likely. The burning of the grouse moors to maintain this habitat creates significant air quality problems for places like Sheffield.
Reform
The possibility of a fascist Government here is more likely, with our out of date first past the post voting system. Reform is funded by extremely rich businessmen like Christopher Harbourne, from Sherif Global, which deals in minerals and coal. Most people are aware of Reform’s cruel policies on immigration, but what about their environmental policies?
They plan to
*Scrap Net Zero, abandoning efforts to reduce carbon emissions and prevent us from reaching tipping points, which could kill billions of people.
*Frack the countryside, threatening our water supplies.
*Abolish the “Precautionary Principle” and over 6,000 EU-derived nature laws, including the Habitats and Birds Directives.
*Strip Natural England of its ability to block developments on conservation grounds.
*Remove the Water Framework Directive and “Nutrient Neutrality” rules, increasing sewage and agricultural runoff (slurry/fertiliser) in rivers.
*End Rewilding and Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes that currently incentivise farmers to restore peatlands and biodiversity.
Reflecting on this excellent film, Ci Davis said, “ When people become so marginalised, and they are pushed onto the most fragile of environments, both suffer. We need to care for both people, migrants, and nature if we are to prevent the harms, both of which will be so much more difficult if the fascists have more institutional power.”
Watch the film
There is a further chance to see Fires and Fascism on Tuesday 31st March at the Diamond Lecture Theatre followed by a Q&A with Dr Peter Knapp.
You can also donate to watch online here, although the in-person screenings are recommended if you can attend them: https://www.zeffy.com/en-GB/donation-form/watch-fires-and-fascism
Links
This video from Get Wild explains how Reform will go to war with the Environment.
Here is Greenpeace’s analysis of Reform’s manifesto
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