For as violent and horrific as the Libyan campaign was, the entire 10 years coincidentally occurred in the first decade of Fascist rule. Historians have noted that there is a difference between the first and second decades of Fascist control, with the second decade signifying a turning point to where the régime embraces all of its violent characteristics.

R.J. Bosworth agrees with this assessment in his book Mussolini and the Eclipse of Fascism and indicates that by 1932 there was no universal meaning for Fascism and that Mussolini still had not yet demonstrated that totalitarianism was synonymous with evil.²⁹

Yet, in 1932 when Mussolini published the definition of Fascism he opened the definition by writing Fascism “believes neither in the possibility nor the utility of perpetual peace. It thus repudiates the doctrine of Pacifism — born of a renunciation of the struggle and an act of cowardice in the face of sacrifice. War alone brings up to its highest tension all human energy and puts the stamp of nobility upon the peoples who have courage to meet it.”³⁰

Here it becomes clear that Fascism looks to embrace war as central to its dogma and thus indicates a turning point where Fascism would utilize war to carry out its ideas.

[…]

In Rome on October 2nd of 1935, Mussolini would declare war on Ethiopia. In this declaration of war Mussolini would go on to say “Never before, as at this historical hour, have the people of Italy revealed the quality of its spirit and such force of character, and it is against this people to which mankind owes its greatest conquests, this people of heroes, of poets, of saints, of navigators, of colonizers, that the world dares threaten sanctions.”³⁴

This excerpt, though mostly aimed at dispelling the possibilities of sanctions from Britain and France, also shows Mussolini praising Italy’s past and complementing his people for being united in wanting war with Ethiopia. After seven months of fighting, [the Regio Esercito] would enter Addis Ababa and claim victory.

On May 5th of 1936, Mussolini would give a speech about the end of the war saying “it is our peace, Roman peace, which is expressed in this simple, irrevocable, definite phrase: Ethiopia is Italian! It is Italian in fact because it is occupied by our victorious armies. It is Italian in law because of the law of Rome and civilization which triumphs over barbarities.”³⁵

The reference to Rome here in the case of Ethiopia is new but not surprising, as Mussolini seemingly evokes Rome whenever he gets a victory reaffirming how vital Romanità is to his Fascism. Four days after this speech, Mussolini would give another speech proclaiming the Italian Empire.

In the speech Mussolini goes on to say “Italy has at last got her Empire, the Fascist Empire, which bears the indestructible signs of the determination and the power of the Roman Littorio, because this is the goal towards which, for fourteen years, the overflowing and disciplined energies of the young, sturdy generations of Italy were encouraged. It is an Empire of peace, because Italy wants peace for herself and for all, and decides upon warfare only when compelled to do so by imperious, uncontrollable necessities of life.”³⁶

This speech does a lot in that Mussolini claims [that] Italy only wants peace even though he defined Fascism as strictly opposing peace.

‘I have never met anyone who wasn’t against war. Even Hitler and Mussolini were, according to themselves.’ — David Low, 1946

Protesters […] yesterday stormed the headquarters of the ruling Likud Party in Tel Aviv in protest against the delay in agreeing a captive release deal.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, dozens of […] demonstrators broke into Metzudat Ze’ev, which houses the headquarters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party, and chained themselves outside his office in protest, to mark 600 days since Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza.

Videos shared by activists on X (formerly known as Twitter) showed Israeli police trying to remove protesters by force, while some were seen tying their hands to the staircase inside the building.

Outside, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in protest, blocking nearby streets. Some wore masks resembling Netanyahu and his ministers, and dressed in orange jumpsuits resembling those worn by death row inmates.

The Israeli government had rejected numerous deals that would have involved the release of all Israeli captives held in Gaza in return for ending the war, Israel’s withdrawal from the Strip, and the release of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

The families of […] captives claim [that] Netanyahu has continued the bombing campaign in Gaza in an effort to save his political career as far-right members of his coalition have threatened to quit if the war is brought to an end. The continuation of the bombing has also meant that court cases in which Netanyahu faces charges of corruption have been temporarily suspended.

GEO Group is a publicly traded company that makes money for its shareholders by owning and operating prisons and detention facilities. Put more simply, it's a company that profits off of human misery. They have appeared in this newsletter from time to time, always in stories involving humans being subjected to inhumane conditions and horrific treatment.

Martin Vargas Arellano was being held in a GEO-run prison in California. Under this for-profit prison company's oversight, he contracted COVID-19 and died after a series of resulting complications. A recent lawsuit has been filed holding GEO responsible for this death due to gross negligence (that is, they didn't care that a human whose well-being they were responsible for might die on their watch).

This is a major case and potentially a major step in holding private prison contractors responsible when they harm people through profit-driven negligence. And, apparently, the plaintiffs keep needing to officially amend their complaint because the process of discovery has been uncovering so much material to use against GEO.

(Taken from an email sent to me by Never Again Action.)

The Trump Administration judicial crisis continues, this week involving immigrants deported to Djibouti who had not been given enough time to contest their deportations. This is the latest written order from Judge Brian Murphy of the district court of Massachusetts, who is considering holding administration officials in contempt of court.

Judge Murphy cited UN Human Rights law as well as a lack of due process as the main reasons for his ruling. The President has asked the supreme court to weigh in on this matter, as he wants to make it legally easier to deport immigrants to countries that are not their country of origin. We'll be following this story as it develops.

(Taken from an email sent to me by Never Again Action.)

As the current administration doubles down on its pursuit of authoritarian control, it has brought its first charges against a sitting member of congress by alleging that Democratic representative Lauren McIver “assaulted” law enforcement agents during the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka outside of the Delaney Hall ICE facility May 9. As part of a delegation that were prevented from performing a routine check of the facilities, McIver took part in surrounding Baraka, attempting to prevent his arrest.

While charges against Mayor Baraka have been dropped, the federal government is pursuing assault charges against McIver, accusing her of “elbowing” officers. Representative Dan Goldman (D-NY), a former federal prosecutor, characterized the charges as “embarrassing,” saying: “It is so clear that there’s no intent to inflict any physical harm or do anything with the necessary criminal intent. She’s in a scrum and is just trying to protect herself. And even if she did use her forearm to push an agent as part of a scrum, it would never, ever be charged against an average bystander, and certainly not against an elected official who has a constitutional right to be there.”

Cosecha and Pax Christi USA are both great organizations to support who are involved in this struggle in an ongoing way.

(Taken from an email sent to me by Never Again Action. Emphasis original.)

A new terror tactic ICE has deployed recently has agents targeting immigrants for deportation during routine court hearings. This is what happened to Dylan, a Bronx high school student who fled Venezuela, survived a kidnapping by a cartel, and applied for asylum. Dylan obtained a work permit and driver's permit, began working as a delivery cyclist, enrolled in a school catering to new arrivals, and was helping to raise his younger siblings as his mom worked multiple jobs.

Dylan's family, peers, and the staff at his school are reeling from his abduction. His mother, Raiza, fears for his well being. Dylan was undergoing testing for chronic stomach issues at the time of his abduction and has not received any medical care since being detained. Over the course of one week, Dylan has been transferred between four states, effectively preventing his lawyers from getting in touch with him.

This newest, widespread ICE tactic works like this: when individuals show up for routine, required immigration hearings, government lawyers request that the judge drop deportation proceedings. Individuals are not informed that their asylum claims will be dropped as well in the process, leaving them without any protection when the government then immediately turns around to initiate "expedited removal" processes and arrest the person on the spot. It's a cruel, malicious attack against the immigration system as a whole. While local courts are made into ICE danger zones, deportation orders also result from failing to show up for these scheduled court dates.

Action item: search "court accompaniment for immigrants" in your area. There may be a group who can train you to be active in solidarity with your neighbors and provide protection and allyship as they navigate a hostile court system.

(Taken from an email sent to me by Never Again Action. Emphasis original.)

Consistency, logic, and morality have never been hallmarks of Trump’s administration. So it should surprise no one that as part of his promised [neo]fascist immigration crackdown, ICE has continued to send immigrants to the very shelters that received threatening letters from FEMA (an agency housed under the Department of Homeland Security, along with ICE) accusing them of potential ‘illegal activity’ conducted at said shelters along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Two things are true at once: the same slapdash approach that defines the Trump Administration writ large crops up in their core project, the detention and deportation machine. And, the evil machine is causing harm on a massive scale.

(Taken from an email sent to me by Never Again Action.)

Kingsley Wilson […] was appointed in January as deputy press secretary at the Pentagon and faced backlash from the Anti-Defamation League as well as several senators for a history of promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories. Last year, Wilson tweeted a neo-Nazi talking point about Jewish lynching victim Leo Frank, whose murder spurred the ADL’s creation.

The American Jewish Committee called for her removal in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) in March.

“Anyone who posts antisemitic conspiracy theories lifted right out of the neo-Nazi playbook should not be in public office,” the post read. “Kingsley Wilson, newly appointed @DepPressSecDOD, is clearly unfit for her role.”

She has also tweeted several times in support of the “Great Replacement” theory, whose original version contends that Jews are orchestrating the replacement of majority-white nations with immigrants of color.

The Jewish Democratic Council of America also condemned the appointment in a post on Bluesky, writing, “Antisemitism has no place in government. This administration is infested with antisemitism.”

The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Here is the Department of Defense’s comment:

Dear customers,

We at the Department of Defense have a long and proud history of serving the Uniting States of America and securing the existence of its freedoms and a future for its children. We unequivocally condemn bigotry in all its forms and assure you that we do not support it in any way, shape or form.

As an organization with a commitment to its customers, we take your complaints very seriously. We have taken action by commissioning a team of 14 experts to investigate this matter thoroughly. After 88 hours of deliberation, our experts have determined that there is absolutely nothing wrong.

Thank you and have a wonderful day!

Signed,
The Department of Defense

(Mirror.)

“At this time (1931 at the earliest) I learned of the existence of friendly relations between Privy Councillor Dr. Emil Kirdorf, a leading man in the coal industry in the Ruhr, and the Führer. […] Through Kirdorf and later through Fritz Thyssen, the Führer was introduced to the circles of Rhenish-Westphalian industry, which supported him and the party financially.”⁸⁷

These words come from a statement made by Walter Funk to the Allied investigating authorities after the Second World War. Even before 1933, Funk was an intermediary between the NSDAP leadership and German major industry. Professionally, he was editor-in-chief of the Berliner Börsenzeitung and later also worked as Reich Economics Minister and Reichsbank President.⁸⁸ So these are the words of an insider.

The rôle of the major industrialists Emil Kirdorf and Fritz Thyssen has been greatly downplayed in historiography in order to deny the links between German major industry and Hitler.⁸⁹ The reasons for th[ese] apologetics are beside the point here. In any case, in later works on this subject, Kirdorf was in principle no longer dealt with at all and Thyssen was often assigned the rôle of a loner.⁹⁰

Fundamentally, it should be noted that these positions and accounts of Kirdorf and Thyssen have already been debunked in detail by the author of this essay, both in his dissertation (2012) and in later publications on the subject.⁹¹

As chairman of the supervisory board and major shareholder of Vereinigte Stahlwerke — the largest steel group in Europe at the time — and as a member of the board of the Bergbauverein, Thyssen was without question one of the 19 leading major industrialists of the Weimar Republic and was therefore certainly one of the absolute leaders of major industry in Germany at the time.⁹²

In the case of Emil Kirdorf, it was argued that he was over eighty-years old and in “retirement” when he met Hitler, and despite his fifty years as a leading industrialist and multiple association chairman, he suddenly had no political contacts and of course no political influence whatsoever, as well as no access to the money pots of big industry or the industrial associations. At most he was an old man who could at best be described as a kind of “ghost driver” or loner.⁹³

As already mentioned, the reality was quite different and the only grain of truth in this apologetic is that Kirdorf gave up his position as Chairman of the Board of GBAG — the largest German mining company — in 1926. However, this was not because he wanted to “retire”, but because his old company was suddenly to become the main shareholder of Vereinigte Stahlwerke.

Although Vereinigte Stahlwerke was the largest steel group in Europe, it was impossible for GBAG to become the main owner of this completely indebted group in the midst of the arms crisis. With this new rôle, the banks risked GBAG’s existence in the poker game for Vereinigte Stahlwerke.⁹⁴ This was the company that Kirdorf had built up since 1873 and he was understandably unwilling to accept this new situation. Kirdorf therefore resigned from the board.⁹⁵

In 1927, when Kirdorf met Hitler a year later, he was still deputy chairman of the supervisory board of “Discontogesellschaft” — one of the most important major German banks — and after the merger of this bank with Deutsche Bank in 1929, he moved first to the supervisory board and from 1932 to the main committee of Deutsche Bank.⁹⁶

In addition to Kirdorf, the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Bank alone included 13 corporate leaders from the coal and steel and heavy industry sectors, many representatives of other branches of industry, such as board members of IG Farben, Siemens-Werke and eight bankers from other banks.⁹⁷

Kirdorf was also a member of the Rhenish-Westphalian Committee of Deutsche Bank, where a “who’s who” of Rhenish entrepreneurship was also to be found. In addition to Kirdorf, the Rhenish-Westphalian committee included group leaders from Klöckner-Eisen-AG, Rheinische Braunkohlen AG, Rheinisches Braunkohlesyndikat, Deutz AG, Hoesch AG and others.⁹⁸

The coal industrialist Karl Wilke, a mine director at GBAG, reported on the extent of Kirdorf’s influence among German industrialists. He wrote in his memoirs that Kirdorf’s villa became a “place of pilgrimage” at the end of the 1920s, where the “Nestor of German heavy industry” — as Kirdorf was called — was revered as a “patriarch”.⁹⁹

That was no exaggeration. On Kirdorf’s birthday alone in 1927 — when he first met Hitler — over 300 industrialists undertook a torchlight procession to Kirdorf’s villa in pouring rain. The list of participants in this torchlight procession included Gustav Knepper, Ernst Tengelmann, Albert Hoppstetter, Karl Ruschen, Hermann Kellermann, Erich Fickler, Ernst Büskül and Gerd Haarmann — in short, the who’s who of leading coal industrialists who sat on the board of the mining association.¹⁰⁰

Arriving at Kirdorf’s villa, Alfred Hugenberg, who was also on the board of the mining association,¹⁰¹ gave a speech where he said the following about Kirdorf:

“Today the torches speak [...] As students, we honored our teachers and leaders with torches. Today, the managers and directors of the Ruhr coal mines honor their teacher and leader Emil Kirdorf.”¹⁰²

Little more needs to be said about Kirdorf’s influence in the economy and his political rôle — except that he had direct access to the Bergbauverein’s funds, as he was a member of the Bergbauverein’s executive committee until the early 1930s, and it was there that decisions were made about the use of the organization’s funds.¹⁰³ On a side note, the association’s correspondence also demonstrates clearly that Kirdorf was involved in the decisions on the use of these funds.¹⁰⁴

Finally, it must be said that the coal industrialists Emil Kirdorf, Fritz Thyssen and Albert Vögler were close friends.¹⁰⁵ All three were among the 19 leading major capitalists of the Weimar Republic.¹⁰⁶ It was precisely because of their close personal relationship that they played a major rôle in opening doors for Hitler and other [Fascist] leaders in the business world, giving them access to the political influence and money of German heavy industry.¹⁰⁷

This week, we've asked for your support so [that] we can keep exposing the truth about the horrific reality on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank. In order to keep that work going, I wanted to share an urgent update about proposed legislation that threatens to shut down Breaking the Silence and our partners.

Right now, the Israeli government is pushing through legislation that would impose a devastating 80% tax on all donations from foreign governmental entities to nonprofits like ourselves. This isn't just a financial hit — it's a direct attack on critical support for human rights, education, and aid, exactly when it's needed most.

SUPPORT OUR WORK

We're no strangers to pushback: dissent is built into our organizational DNA. But with most of our budget at stake, the "NGO bill" is an existential threat. Just today, there was another Knesset hearing on the bill, which could become law in a matter of weeks. And the timing is no accident: it seeks to silence us precisely when the state is carrying out some of the most egregious abuses of power in its history.

It's no secret why we're being targeted. We're obstacles on our government's path to wage endless war and apartheid. From Netanyahu to Trump, leaders around the world are working to destroy civil society by cutting off our sources of funding. And with [neo]fa[s]cism on the rise, it's clear that we cannot rely on shifting political agendas to sustain our work.

Their attempt to silence dissent will only succeed if we don't have the resources to fight back. That's why your donation today matters. Supporters like you have already helped us raise 70% towards our goal of one million shekels.

Will you help us close the gap, so we can keep exposing the truth of occupation through soldier testimony?

DONATE NOW

In solidarity,

Nadav Weiman,
Executive Director,
Breaking the Silence

(Taken from an email sent to me by Breaking the Silence. Emphasis original.)

Some 1,300 academics from universities and colleges across Israel sent a letter on Tuesday to the heads of the academic system in Israel, urging them "to mobilize the full weight of Israeli academia to stop the Israeli war in Gaza."

The academics, organizing under the name Black Flag, criticized institutions of higher education for playing a central role in opposing the government-led judicial overhaul, yet remaining silent in the face of the current events in Gaza.

"This is a horrifying litany of war crimes and even crimes against humanity, all of our own doing," the letter reads, adding, "We cannot claim that we did not know. We have been silent for too long."

Prof. Ido Shahar of the University of Haifa told Haaretz that the initiative began with meetings between students and lecturers, during which "a cry emerged — saying this can't go on."

"At a certain point, the realization sinks in that we can't go on normalizing the current situation and behaving as if a horrifying war of deception isn't happening — one that leads to mass killing, sacrifices the hostages and whose sole purpose is transfer and settlement," he added.

Among the letter’s signatories is also Prof. On Barak of Tel Aviv University. According to him, the name Black Flag was chosen as “an attempt to speak to Israeli society in its own terms.”

According to Barak, the term Black Flag is familiar to every Israeli who served in the military. "It carries historical weight," he said, "as it was coined by [then Jerusalem Magistrate Court] Judge Benjamin Halevy following the 1956 Kafr Qasim massacre, in which 48 innocent Palestinians were killed by the Israeli Border Police."

The use of the term, he added, “is a reference to a [legal and moral] protocol — one that marks the moment when Israelis from across the political spectrum recognize the need to hit the brakes.”

Barak adds that Israeli academia has a vital role to play in the re-humanization of Gaza's population. "The widespread indifference [toward Gazans] among many Israelis is the result of an intensive dehumanization campaign that must be actively resisted," he said.

“Historical research shows that the devastating effects of famine endure for generations. The tragedy unfolding before us now will leave its mark for years to come, even if it were to end today.”

According to Prof. Yael Hashiloni-Dolev of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, there is a direct connection between opposing Israel's actions in Gaza and concern for the hostages held by Hamas.

“One can’t deny that the violence directed outward — toward the population of Gaza, the vast majority of whom are uninvolved civilians — also turns inward, toward the hostages and their families,” she said.

"Anyone who kills mothers and starves babies in Gaza is also harming the mothers of the hostages."

“That’s why there’s only one solution: end the killing in Gaza and release the hostages. This war knowingly and deliberately puts the hostages at risk, and anyone who refuses to acknowledge that is simply denying reality,” she added.

“Anyone with even a shred of responsibility or humanity can no longer buy into the propaganda. We must recognize that war crimes and crimes against humanity are openly being committed in Gaza. We’re in the midst of a moral collapse.”

According to Hashiloni-Dolev, “it’s the Israeli government — not its critics — that is endangering the soldiers. It’s the government that has entangled them with international courts, not the human rights organizations; and it’s the government that sends them to kill and be killed, without rescuing them if they're taken hostage.”

"The shame and blame must be redirected to where they truly belong," she added.

“I hope all of us will stop cooperating, because as long as we normalize the situation and go on with our lives, the war won’t end, and the sadism toward Gaza’s population and the hostages will continue,” she said.

"A black flag flies over these crimes. I call on people to refuse such illegal orders."

"Black Tuesday" was declared yesterday by the group across Israeli academia, marking a coordinated day of protest at numerous universities and colleges. Students and lecturers, dressed in black, stood silently on campuses, while black flags were hung on bulletin boards.

"This is the first action against the ongoing denial and the silent support for crimes being committed in our name," the organizers said.

At Tel Aviv University, dozens of faculty members and students gathered in the central square near the library, holding black flags. They read poems and held discussions.

Tensions flared when the campus security chief demanded that protesters leave the premises and remove the signs and black flags they had displayed, claiming the demonstrations violated university regulations.

Witnesses told Haaretz that the security chief attempted to snatch a sign from one of the participants. According to those present, he also shoved a protester who was filming the scene, as well as a female student who confronted him.

The security chief called the police, but officers arrived only after the protesters had dispersed. Later, according to video recording and testimonies from participants, a student draped in an [apartheid] flag appeared and shouted racist slurs at one of the Arab students. He was joined by a faculty member opposed to the protest, who was seen pushing one of the students.

One of the lecturers who helped organize the protest, speaking to Haaretz on condition of anonymity, said she believed the demonstration had made an impact.

“There’s a sense of a breakthrough, that from now on, it won’t be possible to hold back,” she said. “There’s a whole community living under a kind of censorship, feeling stifled, with a scream lodged in their throats. The message we got from the students is clear: they need us to stop staying silent.”

(Source.)