A Dark and Deadly Valley - The Liberal by Tom Watson

Back in the summer of 1942, when the young Parisian cop Theophile Larue chose bravery over cowardice and saved his neighbors, the orders from the Nazi occupiers to round up the Jews came with what they (rightly) perceived as a sweetener to the French police: only the Jews from elsewhere, the refugees, the stateless were to be targeted in the sweep. There’s a direct connection from that order to the precipice this country stands on the edge. Auschwitz only truly looks like Auschwitz in the rearview mirror of history - the designation of a national scapegoat, a vast series of roundups, a network of internment camps, and neighbors informing on neighbors all preceded the gas chambers and ovens. Sound familiar?

In the coming days, some of the greatest heroes of our time may well be law enforcement officers Theo Larue who refuse to take part in mass round-ups, who warn families and communities about coming raids, and who quietly use the administrative powers in their departments to stymie the creation of internment camps or a network of informants. Let’s hope so.

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