Film Screening and Panel Discussion
THAT BOY: a conversation about hate and healing
Event Overview
The film THAT BOY: A Conversation About Hate and Healing documents a conversation between two Polish migrants now living in the UK. Toby, a Polish Roma, fled to Britain in the 1990s as an asylum seeker escaping anti-Roma violence from neo-Nazi skinheads. Mirek, a former neo-Nazi, moved to the UK after the EU enlargement and has since undergone a radical transformation, now sharing testimonies about his past as a born-again Christian. The idea of the encounter and the film stems from an Economic and Social Research Council research project on transnational far-right, led by Prof. Michał P. Garapich at the London Metropolitan University.
This film serves both educational and restorative justice purposes, addressing the long-unhealed wounds of hate and violence in the context of anti-Roma racism and far-right radicalisation. The film creates a unique space for an otherwise unthinkable dialogue, where a former oppressor and his victim discuss the roots of hatred, childhood traumas, and broken relations to find a common thread of humanity.
Panel Discussion
Following the screening, a panel of Roma scholars, activists, researchers, and policymakers will discuss antigypsyism and the impact of far-right ideologies. The debate will explore the deep-seated legacy of anti-Roma violence and its present-day consequences.
Why This Discussion Matters
The anti-Roma violence that erupted in Central and Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall remains an underexplored and unrecognized chapter in Europe’s history of racism. From the 1990s onward, waves of violent attacks against Roma communities swept through Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, Romania, and Poland, perpetrated by both local rioters and organized neo-Nazi and far-right groups. In some cases, political actors actively supported or turned a blind eye to this violence.
These events significantly shaped the far-right movements that persist today, with some former perpetrators now holding prominent local positions. The rise of exclusionary politics, the mainstreaming of far-right ideologies, and the increasing diversity of European societies due to migration make it crucial to revisit these historical patterns to offer solutions for the contemporary rise of the far-right.
The story of Toby and Mirek offers a powerful lesson on the long-lasting effects of hate and the potential for transformation, reconciliation, and justice. This discussion is essential in understanding how Europe’s past informs its present and future challenges in combating far-right extremism and antigypsyism.
Time and Venue
Date: 9 April 2025
Time: 16:00 – 17:30
Venue: Renaissance Brussels Hotel, Rue du Parnasse 19, 1050 Ixelles
Register for physical participation HERE
Agenda
🔹 16:00 – 16:05 | Introduction
- Dr Elżbieta Mirga-Wójtowicz, Fundacja Jaw Dikh, Poland (ERGO Network member)
🔹 16:05 – 16:10 | Opening Speech
- MEP Krzysztof Śmiszek, S&D, Poland
🔹 16:10 – 16:50 | Film Screening
- THAT BOY: a conversation about hate and healing.
🔹 16:50 – 17:30 | Panel Discussion
- Moderator: Isabela Mihalache, ERGO Network
- Panellists:
- Toby Górniak, MBE
- Izabela Tiberiade, Partida Rolmilor Pro-Europa
- Prof. Michał P. Garapich, Centre for Global Diversities and Inequalities, London Metropolitan University
- Jacek Purski, Institute of Social Safety, Radicalization, Counter Extremism Project, Auschwitz Research Centre on Hate, Extremism and Radicalization (ARCHER) at House 88
