. The F-Word
The video refers to the current protests in Belarus, political struggle, police and state violence through the discourse of fascism. In both the Western and post-Socialist contexts, this concept is a space of symbolic struggle. The topic of fascism and victory over it has for a long time been instrumentalized by the Belarusian government in its official narrative and is central to the modern state ideology of Belarus. Since the start of the protests, the ideological state apparatus has been trying to paint those who take to the streets as nationalists and fascists, particularly by pointing to the use of the white-red-white flag (a symbol of the protests) by Belarusian collaborators in WWII. Meanwhile, the protesters also call the authorities and law enforcement “fascists”, pointing to the repressive apparatus, which ignores the law and applies all forms of violence against “others”. Both of these positions, in turn, are criticized by the academic community for historical untruths. The artists trace the context of the use of the concept of fascism and show the political, social, affective and symbolic effects they produce.
The video is part of the “Armed and Dangerous” project and platform initated by Mykola Ridnyi and dedicated to the militarization of society in contemporary Ukraine.
