The Rise of Fascism was on the agenda at SXSW London on Monday afternoon.
In a session titled “Authoritarian Creep: To What Extent Right-Wing Discourse Influences Culture,” Deborah Frances-White, the British author and podcaster best known for her podcast Feminist culpritHe spoke with a group of experts about Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the rising tide of the far right.
She was joined by José Fernandez Marelli, CEO and co-founder of refugee NGO Choose Love; Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International; and Misan Harriman, a photographer and activist who received an Academy Award nomination in 2024 for his directorial debut, a live-action short film titled after.
“I think we have to really take this moment seriously,” Fernandez Marelli began. When asked for her opinion on how things got to this point – with the US sliding toward authoritarianism and the UK heading in a similar direction – she said: “Economic insecurity, collapsing trust in institutions, social media rewarding anger over nuance, and I think a democratic society has become complacent, you know? Growing up, I know I took the rights I had for granted.”
Callamard added: “The first thing we have to realize is that the rise of tyranny has become global. It is not something that happens in a particular region or in a particular country; rather, it is a global phenomenon, according to organizations that have monitored the health of so-called democracy for several decades.”
She went on to name those she believes are supporters of this political and human rights crisis, saying that political figures are using misinformation as a weapon; Freedom of expression is under attack; Solidarity and dissent are being criminalized; Certain communities are used as scapegoats. “The world has turned fear and division into instruments of governance. This is the essence of tyranny, and yes, of course, Donald Trump has accelerated this process. This genocide in Gaza is being broadcast around the world,” she said, drawing applause from the SXSW audience. “[It has] “It has created a predatory global order that mocks racial justice, mocks gender justice, declares cyber justice a fraud, treats civil society as an enemy, and rejects international solidarity… They are the seeds we need to act against.”
Harriman was recently the subject of headlines in the UK after an alleged smear campaign against him as head of the Southbank Centre. The country’s press regulator, IPSO, is looking into complaints after four right-leaning publications, including… The times and TelegraphHe called for his dismissal due to accusations of anti-Semitism.
Frances White asked him how he was doing. “Thank you for asking,” he replied. “The first thing I will say is that I am a child of empire. I was born in Nigeria, a country that was occupied – even though they like to use the word ‘protectorate’ or ‘colony’ – it was occupied, and to talk about tyranny in this room as a black man, I have to say that we have to associate it with racial superiority. When I say racial superiority, I think about my experiences over the last few weeks and people are asking me how I’m doing.”
He evoked the horrific deaths of George Stinney and Emmett Till before addressing the audience directly. He said: “I say all this because when you ask me how I am, I think about this legacy and how we need to use the privilege of being in this room, with all our different life experiences. I see a black man there, and an Arab man there.” “Our stories matter, our children matter, and those of you, whether it’s unconscious bias or privilege of where you were born, need to look and see the humanity in all of our eyes, so we can swim toward the horizon.”
The conversation moved to the criminalization and ostracization of refugees and asylum seekers around the world, especially in the United Kingdom with the rise of far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who organizes marches and riots fueled by racist rhetoric. “People are terrified, and many of our partners are having to increase the amount of funding they spend on mental health support,” Fernandez Marelli said. “Attacks happen, and their consequences are too numerous to count.”
Callamard chimed in to say that the reach of unregulated social media doesn’t help either. “Platforms and big tech are not regulated to propagate deep divisions,” she said. “We really need to fight the algorithm being used… We are involved in a number of court cases, including in Kenya, about racial crimes being committed.” [were] Through social media.” She added: “We are in the midst of a cultural war, and we must win it.”
Harriman agreed with this opinion, saying: “We are told that the algorithm fuels anger and division,” explaining that he often quotes the mystic Rumi, who lived in the thirteenth century before expressing himself on the Internet: “Raise your words, not your voice, for it is the rain that grows the flowers.” Many of us are forced to believe that we should remain in the echo chambers of confirmation bias online.
It even adapted the second season of Andorin which Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) discusses the idea that truth dies: “When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is snatched from our grasp, we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest.”
About what the trio would do if they had a magic wand, there was a strong agreement between them all – a matriarchy, causing the audience hall to explode in raucous applause. “We have to fight back,” Callamard added. “Our history is full of people who have resisted from time immemorial, people who have come together to repel and fight colonialism.” [or people] Who fought for civil rights in the United States. …If we organize ourselves, we have courage.”
Harriman said he has one piece of advice for the public. “Whoever you are told to be afraid of, go towards getting to know that community. If you are told to be afraid of the Muslim community, go towards them and see that they have more in common with you.” [than you thought]. If you are told to fear or hate the Jewish community, listen to their stories, and look into their eyes. If you are told to be afraid of black men and women […] Listen to their stories and get involved.
SXSW London 2026 takes place from June 1-6.
