Hitler, Mugabe or Brexit hysteria: We asked Leicester students what they thought

To escape a bleak future we must revive the bleak past


If you’re out of the loop enough to have missed the Union Jack printed across the entire cover of the Daily Express then I envy you. The lead paragraph in it is literally “Today we the country faces a crisis as grave as anything since the dark days when Churchill vowed we would fight them on the beaches.”

I mean, come the fuck on.

If you’re wondering what on earth is going on here then I don’t blame you. In short: the British tabloids have been thrown in to a bit of a frenzy since the High Court decision that Parliament must vote on triggering Article 50. All this has done is make Brexit a slightly longer process than it already was.

From quotes such as “EU do you think you are” and “Enemies of the People”, referring to the Judges who basically just upheld the law, the Brexit panic coming from this is too much to deal with.

Not even worth 10p

It’s not even just too much to deal with: the Brexit hysteria is actually pretty disturbing. As Nick Baines pointed out to BBC Radio 4:  “The press don’t just reflect the public discourse, they also shape it.

“The last time we saw things like the photographs of judges on the front page of a newspaper described as enemies of the people is in places like Nazi Germany, in Zimbabwe and places like that.”

To undermine the law in such a way is a very dangerous thing and that is what’s happening here. So, in a way to prove good old Nick’s point we read students quotes written by Nazis during the Weimar Republic, spoken by Robert Mugabe, and some headlines from the Brexit panic. All the students had to do was fit the quote with its source.

Estelle, Spanish & Politics, Fourth Year

Adolf Hitler

“If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.” Mein Kampf, 1925.

Jacob – Mugabe
Abi – Hitler
Estelle – Brexit
Cameron – Brexit

“Think  a thousand times before taking a decision, but after taking decision, never turn back even if you get thousand difficulties” Mein Kampf, 1925.

Abi – Brexit
Jacob – Brexit
Estelle – Mugabe
Cameron – Brexit

Jacob, History, Fourth Year

Robert Mugabe

“The Commonwealth is a mere club, but it has become like an ‘Animal Farm’ where some members are more equal than others.” Press Release, 2003

Abi – Brexit
Jacob – Brexit
Estelle – Brexit
Cameron – Mugabe

“Stay with us, please remain in this country and constitute a nation based on national unity.” ZANU-PF Rally, 1980

Abi – Mugabe
Jacob – Brexit
Estelle – Hitler
Cameron – Hitler

Abi, History and American Studies, Fourth Year

Brexit hysteria

“But it is not in this country’s nature to take injustice lying down – more than ever your country needs you to fight for its freedom” Daily Express, November 4, 2016

Abi – Hitler
Jacob – Hitler
Estelle – Hitler
Cameron – Mugabe

Cameron Bonser, American Studies, Fourth Year

“Voters aren’t going to let this incredible arrogance lie” Nigel Farage, The Daily Telegraph, November 4, 2016

Abi – Brexit
Jacob – Hitler
Estelle – Hitler
Cameron – Brexit