The large influx of fugitive Nazis and collaborators in post-WWII Argentina created an environment that normalized the presence of such heinous criminals in society and by doing so facilitated the crimes of Argentina's own genocidal dictatorship in 1976-83.

During the research for his book 'The Real Odessa' on the escape of Nazi war criminals, author Uki Goñi was surprised to discover that some escaped first to Ireland from where they made their way to Argentina.

"If you're a neighbour to Adolf Eichmann or Josef Mengele or just a random German that you knew did bad things during the war, what does this do to you? It means that once these things start happening in your own country, society has acquired the habit of coexisting with evil," says Goñi. A witness to the erasure of truth as a measurable reference, of the moral decay and the normalization of violence that preceded Argentina's 1976 military coup, Goñi sees alarming parallels with the extreme views and abusive behaviour in current political discourse. The author believes the dictatorship survival skills he acquired under Argentina's military junta could prove useful in such an environment.

Event details: Doors open at 18.00. Event starts at 18.15. Books will be on sale and the author will be signing books afterwards.

Uki Goñi is best known for his book 'The Real Odessa: How Nazi War Criminals Escaped Europe', augmented edition, Granta Books, London, 2022, resulting in numerous appearances by the author in documentaries on the topic by the BBC, Discovery, NatGeo and PBS. As a journalist he has written a series of stories on human rights and the environment for the Guardian, op-eds for the New York Times and essays on authoritarianism and racism for the New York Review of Books. Born in the US to an Argentine family, he was raised in Dublin where he lived until the age of 21. He resides in Buenos Aires.

Dublin Festival of History is an annual free festival, brought to you by Dublin City Council, and organised by Dublin City Libraries, in partnership with the Dublin City Council Culture Company. Now in its eleventh year, the festival has built a reputation for shining a fresh perspective on history and its importance in our everyday lives, attracting best-selling Irish and international historians to Dublin for a high-profile programme of history talks and debate each Autumn. The 2023 festival will run from Monday 25 September to Sunday 15 October, with our Big Weekend at Printworks from September 29 to October 1. Programme details will be announced in August. In the meantime, sign up to the festival newsletter, check out the Dublin Festival of History Podcast, or follow the festival on instagram for news and updates.