ICE

The tragic events that happened on 7th January 2026* in Minneapolis, Minnesota I feel will be a moment where the spectre of right-wing fundamentalism moved from heightened conservative nationalism to authoritarianism and into what will be seen as 21st century fascism with an act of violence so appalling it lead to the death of a member of the public. Worst still, the political fallout and blame that followed laying culpability immediately solely at the feet of the victim…regardless of any video evidence showing the contrary.

Yes, we have witness it all before. It is easy to refer the events as ‘authoritarian’ and ‘fascist’ because the horrors of WWII were so egregious, comparison becomes inevitable. I have always argued that if people do not like being compared to 1940’s fascists, stop behaving akin to 1930’s authoritarians. The difference within this juxtaposition is not a direct comparison ‘like for like’ to ‘Nazis’, it is more a critical commentary that historical patterns leading to 20th Century authoritarianism and fascism seems to be repeating here in the 21st…political ghosts from the past resurrected to wreak havoc.

Of course we have to be careful using that other ‘N’ word - Nazi. Even though it could be seen as an easy comparison (even appropriate) to equate ICE with say ‘Gastapo (Geheime Staatspolizei)’, any evocation may dilute the argument in so those who support (or even revel within) any recent atrocities, could say those opposed are hyperbolic in their views to form any rational debate about current events. (See ‘Godwin’s Law’.)

However, artists should not need to curtail their ‘language’ and can critically invoke by whatever means content that focuses on the undercurrent of whatever ‘ails’ society today. We can take heart in a infamous story about Picasso in Paris in World War 2 that involves a Nazi officer inspecting Pablo’s studio. The officer noticed a photograph of the painting Guernica (1937) on the wall. The painting depicts the bombing of Guernica, a city in Spain attacked by the German and Italian fascists at the direction of Franco and the Spanish nationalists during the Spanish Civil War. The officer intrigued asked “Master Picasso, did you make this?”. Picasso replied “No sir, you did”.

ICE. (2026)

Did I say ‘political ghosts’? No, I meant ‘authoritarian zombies’…the living dead wandering the Earth searching for power, wealth, and like every other zombie, desperately in search for brains.

*Update: 25th January 2026. Another person, Alex Pretti, was shot and killed in the street by ICE Officers in Minneapolis while trying to defend an elderly woman.