At this year’s Nicosia International Festival, the Municipal Theatre hosted a Portuguese production titled “Catarina And the Beauty Of Killing Fascists.” The playwright and director, Tiago Rodrigues, based his work on the story of a woman murdered in 1954 during a protest demanding equal pay for women and men working in the fields. Using this historical event as a foundation, he crafted a fictional narrative to pose two questions: Is there a place for violence in the struggle for a better world? Can we violate the laws of democracy in our efforts to defend it?
These questions unfold through the story of a family whose members, following Catarina’s murder, kill a fascist every year. They continue this practice for 70 years until 2028, when a totalitarian regime has once again seized power. It’s now the turn of the family’s youngest member (also named Catarina) to kill her first fascist, who has been kidnapped specifically for this purpose. “It’s a day of celebration, a day of beauty and death,” her family declares. However, young Catarina refuses to execute the hostage. At this point, we’re confronted with the question of whether we can justify killing in the name of any cause, no matter how righteous.
In a parallel universe of sorts, recent events in America saw a young man, Luigi Mangione, described as the scion of a wealthy family with an excellent education, kill the CEO of a major health insurance company. He penned a manifesto claiming that the murder of Brian Thompson was a legitimate response to corporate greed. “The US has the most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet ranks 42nd in life expectancy. UnitedHealthcare is the largest company in the US by market capitalisation, second only to Apple, Google, and Walmart. It has grown and continues to grow, but our life expectancy hasn’t. These companies exploit the country for enormous profits because the American public allows them to get away with it.”
The result? Luigi Mangione became a folk hero. Posters appeared in New York featuring photos of corporate executives with the caption “wanted,” while thousands in donations poured in for his legal defence. “Denying people healthcare coverage is murder, but no one faces charges for that,” wrote one donor, whilst many call for his release. A more level-headed observer asks: “What did he achieve? Not only did he kill someone, but he’s going from one hell – the healthcare system – to rot in another – the prison system.”