Stories about Western Europe from October, 2020
The importance of ‘unlearning’ the past: Interview with Balkans expert Keith Brown
"Critical thinking [...] liberates us from the illusion that figures in the past imagined their own identity in terms of the nationalisms of their future."
Under Amsterdam’s grey skies, Bolivians cheer Luis Arce’s presidential win
“All of us Latin Americans have to come together to fight imperialism."
Thailand's democracy protests reflect rising dissatisfaction over the monarchy
Criticizing the monarchy is a crime in Thailand yet protesters, especially young activists, continue to organize rallies calling for monarchy reforms.
In the Ural regions of Russia, Finland's linguistic roots live on
Russia's linguistic diversity is as expansive as the country itself. The Finnish writer Ville Ropponen shares his reflections on the past, present and uncertain future of the Uralic languages.
Facebook to include Holocaust denial in its definition of banned hate speech
Human rights organizations and academic institutions praised Facebook's decision to address Holocaust denial and related conspiracy theories through enhanced self-regulation.
Uzbek DJ with a mission to popularize vintage Soviet music
The musicians of the time, like war partisans, overcame a great number of obstacles standing in their way to perform the kind of music they wanted to play.
Ignored by the Pope, Hong Kong cardinal leaves Rome vowing to protest appointment of Beijing-blessed bishop
As the Holy See normalizes relationships with Beijing, a battle over the appointment of a new Hong Kong bishop ensues.
Fearing the national security law, Hongkongers say farewell to their home city
"In Hong Kong, it is a crime to be young. My daughter, after a few years, would be in high school. I don’t want to see her getting arrested."
Holocaust denial should be considered hate speech, survivors demand of Facebook
Hate speech is a criminal offense in most European countries that experienced the horrors of World War II, but the US does not have such laws at the national level.