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This is a summary I have written of part of the (German) podcast episode “What if there is fascism tomorrow?“ by Marina Weisband, Podcast “Wind und Wurzeln“ (“Wind and Roots“). There are several quotes of Marina (in italics). With kind permission from Marina Weisband, I have translated this summary from German into English.
Stay Human.
Always think about the human rights; they apply to all humans.
“Keep your love deep inside your heart, for your family, for the world, for the animals, for nature, for whatever ignites love and joy inside of you.“
Check whether what you are being told (including in the news, on social media, etc.) is consistent with your values or whether it violates human dignity. Reflect on yourselves; view the world with a critical eye.
Create Beautiful Things.
Create poems, art, literature, music, or stories. Go pick some flowers. Invite your friends to a meal. Think of the children’s book “Frederick“ by Leo Lionni.
“It is the beautiful things that help us through dark times, often small things (…) Dance. Laugh.“
Organize.
“If there is one antidote against fascism, it is solidarity.“
Show solidarity to other people, also and especially to marginalized folks.
“Solidarity is not only one of the best antidotes against fascism, but also against neoliberal ideologies, which like to have us as individualistic lone fighters. Everywhere where people support each other in solidarity, they show already now that there is a better future for everyone. Every form of solidarity, be it small or big, improves life immediately.“
Community spirit and trust in each other play a big part in this, whereas fascism thrives when everyone mistrusts everyone else.
Form “non-movements“, who act in unsuspicious places, exchanging goods and ideas – in associations, congregations, synagogues, mosques, while playing music together or other activities. Using small codes, other anti-fascists might recognize each other, for instance a rainbow-colored bracelet, a hairstyle, or something else.
“You do in private what you can’t do publicly anymore, sharing banned books, music, art, and, essential, also humor.“ For this, you need “places that the fascist regime cannot control or enter. Where it cannot monitor what the people are doing there.“ This is why protest against mass surveillance (like of Palantir) is so important.
Create alternative channels of information.
“The internet as we know it today won’t be like that in fascism. It will be censored. Whole platforms will be shut down. Just look at China, if you want to get an idea.“
An obvious method is word-of-mouth information sharing, or stickers and flyers with hidden messages. There are various technical possibilities for alternative channels of information.
That is why Marina Weisband suggests that you contact your local hacker spaces (“Embrace the hackers whom you trust.“) Another method is “decentralized ad-hoc networks where information is transported from one mobile end device to the next and so on.“
Sabotage.
“You could call it hacking fascism.“
The hacker collective Anonymous launched a cyberwar against the Kremlin following the invasion of Ukraine. But also in your everyday life, you can do small things without much time and effort and without putting yourself at risk.
You could, for instance take your time looking for your ticket when the conductors on public transportation try to find fare dodgers. You could feign comprehension difficulties or clumsiness at authorities or stay longer at the restroom than necessary. Small things that disturb agencies, bureaucratic processes, police officers, or other representatives of the regime in their work. Also take a look at the appendix, at “The Simple Sabotage Field Manual“.
A conclusion by Marina that gives me hope: “Fascism always destroys itself, it is not a stable political system.“
About Marina Weisband
(translated from her website)
Marina Weisband is a certified psychologist and participatory educator. She runs the [German] “Aula Project“ on student participation and speaks at events and in public media about her work and topics such as political participation, digital society, media, and crises.
Appendix
The podcast episode in German, “Was, wenn morgen Faschismus ist?“
https://wind-und-wurzeln.podigee.io/2-new-episode
Marina Weisband’s Website (also in German): https://marinaweisband.de/
“The Simple Sabotage Field Manual“
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Sabotage_Field_Manual
A quote from the wikipedia page: „The “Simple Sabotage Field Manual“ is a document written by the Office of Strategic Services in 1944. The manual was declassified by the Central Intelligence Agency in 2008. The manual was distributed to OSS officers in foreign countries in order to help them train “citizen-saboteurs” in German-occupied Europe.“
At the time I am writing this in late October 2025, you can read and download the manual here:
https://www.cia.gov/static/5c875f3ec660e092cf893f60b4a288df/SimpleSabotage.pdf