damien: hello, and welcome to "focus on europe." i'm damien mcguinness. thanks very much for joining us. on today's program -- in scotland, a nuclear fleet may need a new home. in italy, migrant children looking for a better life. and in denmark, the mink that's breaking free. this month, ceremonies at various former nazi concentration camps are commemorating the 70th anniversary of liberation by allied forces. the murder of millions of european jews is arguably the

most shameful episode in europe's history, particularly because it's a crime which wasn't committed only by german nazis, but also by europeans from all over the continent. the experience of france is particularly complicated. jews were not only persecuted in the part of france occupied by the nazis, but also in the unoccupied regions run by the french vichy government. but one small village quietly disobeyed. practically all the local people there hid jews, and so saved their lives. >> for pascaline magnard, the past still lives in the present. her memories of this village in france are good, even though they take her back to the era of the third reich. after more than 70 years, the 86-year-old takes us back to dieulefit, where she and her jewish parisian family fled from the nazis. in paris, the family lived in constant fear of being betrayed and caught.

but in dieulefit, they experienced tremendous solidarity and moral courage. pascaline: there was a young woman of 22 at the town hall. she asked me, "what name should i write on your id?" i said, "colomb, first name, pascaline." i didn't mention my middle name, sarah. she filled out a blank identification card, stamped it, and gave it to me. she forged the id card to save my life. >> the town hall clerk, jeanne barnier, forged about a thousand sets of papers for jews and other people who were persecuted by the nazis. they all swiftly received a new identity. later, jeanne barnier is supposed to have said simply, "we did what we could."

catherine: she was opposed to every form of racism. she helped people who needed help without asking too many questions. she was gutsy. she once told me, "i was young. maybe that helped me avoid dwelling on the dangers too much." >> villagers who helped the jews thereby risked their own lives. the nazis had already put some of them, including jeanne barnier, on a death list that was found after the end of the war in the nazi headquarters in lyon. and yet, the people in tiny dieulefit were able to rescue, house, and provide work for 15 hundred people who were under threat. >> i think about your father often. he was my math teacher! >> there! you see! >> jean morin's father, a

factory owner, also took part in the rescue measures. he took in the jewish boy isaac, whose parents were murdered in a concentration camp. jean: isaac accustomed himself well. he lived in a room between my parents' room and our room. he used our bathroom and ate meals with us. he lived here as if he were another child in the family. >> today, isaac has a big family in israel. but he maintains contact with his dieulefit host family. thousands of people persecuted by the nazis survived here at the foot of the mountains, thanks to close-knit village communities that operated like secret societies. historians confirm dieulefit's tradition of resistance. bernard: this is a community

with a protestant culture. people don't like to brag about everything they've done, especially when they regard it as perfectly normal. it wasn't until israel began awarding the title "righteous among the nations" that they realized how unbelievable their actions were. >> pascaline magnard's journey into the past takes her to her old school, beauvalon boarding school. she proudly relates how progressive and free the school was. by the end of the war, the boarding school was overcrowded with frightened children from endangered families. pascaline: i was so happy in this school. >> when pascaline tells the children about the village's solidarity, she wins their hearts. >> how old were you when you came here?

pascaline: i was 15 years old. none of us were afraid here. at the end, we worried about the circumcised boys. the school director sent them into the forest during the day. if she hung a white sheet over the balcony, they could come back. but if the red sheet hung there, they had to wait in a grotto. >> pascaline's family survived world war two. because, while fleeing paris, they had heard about dieulefit, the little village located away from the major transportation routes, where courageous residents were resisting the nazis. pascaline: to this day, i feel tremendous gratitude. i feel very close to the protestants here. after the war, i wanted to remain a jew, but if i would have converted to another religion, i would have become a protestant.

>> and although terrible memories of her persecution still sometimes haunt her dreams, pascaline magnard tells us that her years in dieulefit were among the best in her life. damien: on may 7th voters in britain will be going to the polls to choose a new government, and unusually no one has the faintest idea who will win. what's making it particularly hard to predict, is that scotland's pro-independence party, the snp, looks set to do so well, despite losing last year's independence referendum, this new political force could become kingmakers in a uk-wide governing coalition. but one issue could make forming a government with the snp difficult -- what to do with the uk's fleet of nuclear submarines, which at the moment is based in scotland. the snp wants the fleet moved to england, and ideally scrapped altogether. something which other parties say is not an option.

>> it's an impressive sight, even for someone who spent his career on submarines. tony: and there she is. eight of her sixteen missile hatches clearly visible. >> about three times a year, one of britain's four nuclear submarines of the vanguard class returns, fully armed, to the naval base in faslane-on-clyde, near glasgow, scotland. >> there is an extremely fast, rigid inflatable boat, and that's manned by marines, armed and dangerous. >> tony dance says that entering a harbor is especially dangerous for a nuclear submarine, because that's when it could be attacked. dance, an englishman, was posted to scotland in 1970 to serve as a navigator on a nuclear sub of the previous generation of polaris-class vessels. but today, he takes a critical view of the naval base. he and his wife vivian think the fleet should move down to

england. tony: straight ahead from here on the treeline is a watchtower. underneath those hills are all of britain's nuclear weapons. if a nuclear weapon dropped on this area, a significant part of the west of scottland would be inaccessible for 500 years. >> ever since the referendum on scottish independence failed, many scots are of the same opinion. they're worried about a nuclear attack, and about accidents with the nuclear fleet. there have already been minor incidents during maintenance. and these two anti-nuclear activists were able to gain access to the base and even one of the submarines. jamie: it highlights the problem

of hosting these weapons, that they are vulnerable and that they could present a target for those with malign intentions. >> heather stuart and jamie watson live in the peace camp that activists set up next to the naval base decades ago. they observe every movement of the vessels, and mount roadblocks as protests, especially against the planned modernization of the fleet. the government in london wants to spend billions of euros on upgraded submarines and missiles. jamie: it's about maintaining some form of imperial status in the world and a seat at the top table, but this is potentially a missed political opportunity because britain could instead be the first permanent member of the security council to engage in unilateral disarmament.

>> but not everyone in scotland opposes the naval base, or the modernization plans. those whose income is dependent on the sailors welcome a new nuclear fleet. the mowat family often has naval personnel as their guests. gordon: it employs well over 6,000 people and it is growing and as a result of that there is a lot of spinoff in terms of accommodation, bed and breakfasting, hotels, local businesses have picked up very well from it and that's been an important factor. >> and the british military is happy to spend money in the small towns nearby. maurice corry is a member of the council in helensburgh, and himself a military veteran. he says this block of flats plus sportsclub was rebuilt at a cost of several mmillion euros. maurice: this helps us attract families not only to come and serve in the navy up here as part of their job but also to

actually attract them to stay after they leave the service or -- >> maurice corry is a committed supporter of the nuclear fleet. he says that without a nuclear deterrent, no one would be safe anywhere in scotland. if britain were to be attacked and destroyed, a nuclear submarine could still strike back, with more than 200 nuclear warheads. but tony dance says that sort of scenario is out of date. he's relieved that the cold war is over. tony: the soviet bloc's gone. it's just russia, and also the majority of russia is now a capitalist country. it's wealthy, its citizens live a good life. why would they want to destroy that? >> the scots are also unwilling to destroy what they have. so many here don't want a new nuclear fleet stationed in

faslane-on-clyde. they say it's southern england's turn to be in the line of fire. damien: this week, we at dw are devoting a whole range of special programs to the issue of refugees. and of course, the big crisis right now is the numbers dying as they try to cross the mediterranean. many are trying to flee to europe to escape some of the world's bloodiest conflicts, in africa and the middle east. but every year thousands die in rickety, overcrowded boats. and tragically eu leaders seem incapable of agreeing on restarting a search and rescue mission to save their lives. and most shocking of all, aid workers say, whereas until recently it was mostly young men in the boats, now they are seeing growing numbers of families with children and babies, and increasingly even

children on their own. >> when itoya cooks, it reminds him of home. dinner at the refugee home today is chicken with rice and tomato sauce. itoya fled here from nigeria. his father was a politician who was murdered by an opponent. as the eldest son, itoya was also in danger. he made the crossing from libya. he arrived at the refugee home for unaccompanied minors about a year ago. itoya: look at this one. it's from libya. i got all these injuries from libya. when you get to libya, they will ask you to give them money. and if you don't have, they will take knife, even shooting you with gun. i'm trying to survive. >> in a few months, itoya will be an adult. he's safe here, but he's ready to move foward in his life. itoya: we are here for a year now. there is no hope of commission.

there are no [indiscernible] commission or not. >> underage refugees like itoya can't be deported. once they turn 18, a decision is made about whether they qualify for asylum. if that happens, they receive a residence permit. until then, they learn italian and go to school. if they stay that long, that is. luciana: the ones who stay, stay about nine to twelve months on average. that's how long it takes to get their papers. but many already know they want to continue onwards, to family or friends. for most of them, italy is just a waystation, a transit country. >> abdurahman also wants to continue onward to relatives in northern europe. he arrived at the home in mid-april, with the last wave of refugees. abdurahman is just 14. he left mogadishu when he was eleven, fleeing the war and the

al-shabaab terrorist group. in libya, he saw other children brutally murdered because they had no money. abdurahman also has next to nothing. but he has a bed, food and can brush his teeth every day. the social workers say many of the young refugees are still traumatized by the dangerous boat crossing. this past year, almost 19 hundred unaccompanied minors vanished in sicily -- about 40% of the total. some set out on their own -- but not all of them. amalia: when they disappear shortly after arrival, they may have ended up the victim of some criminal gang. those gangs are often involved from the beginning. some of the minors who are accompanied by people claiming to be a parent or relative are actually in the hands of human traffickers. >> when the social welfare

office gives the ok, amalia setterini can also send unaccompanied minors to foster families. she wishes she could do that more often. amalia: the social workers can't give me enough suitable foster families. so something isn't working with the assessment of these families. >> the bureaucracy is slow and cumbersome. veronica policardi works with a refugee organization and says it's a familiar problem. here on lampedusa, she works with young refugees and helps prospective foster families navigate the bureaucratic jungle. maria: we have about 1500 families who would take in a refugee. but we've only been able to place 8 refugees this past year.

>> seydou is one of the fortunate few. he was just 16 when he arrived in italy from senegal. he's been living with a foster family for more than a year now. without veronica's help, foster father bartholomeo maggiore might have given up in the face of the many bureacratic hurdles. seydou is headed for soccer training. meanwhile, he's an important member of the team. seydou will turn 18 in august. but he hopes he'll be able to stay on lampedusa, with his new family. bartolomeo: we have two children, and he's like our third. we love him and learn from him, and he learns from us. >> virginia giugno has also worked with young refugees. until last year, she was responsible for finding homes for underage refugees who arrived unaccompanied in pozzallo. there were nearly a thousand last year. sometimes a hundred would arrive all at once. virginia: it was hard to sleep at night. i felt responsible for the young

refugees, but also for their families, who let them leave. they trusted their children to me, in a way. >> many called her "mamma." one gave her a bracelet as a gift. virginia is still in regular contact with many of them, and they're still part of her life. virginia: this wave of refugees will continue, so we need to coordinate our efforts, otherwise it's all in vain. one thing is certain, they're all traumatized. >> itoya and the other young refugees share a difficult past. but itoya still has great hopes for the future. he wants to be a professional football player, like his role model, mario balotelli. damien: as anyone who keeps an eye on fashion knows, over the last few seasons fur has been appearing back on the catwalks. animal welfare groups still say the industry is cruel.

and even many europeans who eat meat or wear leather, often dislike the idea of fur. but not in denmark, europe's biggest producer of fur, hich traditionally focuses on the high-end fur market of mink. but the size of the industry, and the number of minks in farms, has led to one rather unexpected result. just to warn you some viewers might find some of the images in this report disturbing. >> this simple wooden box is a deathtrap. and that's how it should be, according to uffe strandby. uffe: it has been hit directly in the head. that's perfect! >> instant death for this american mink, an invasive species and pest in denmark. strandby and his colleagues do their best to trap and kill them. they've caught five-hundred over the past two years. >> congratulations, one more! this is a success, it's great! >> the danish nature agency hopes to protect animals, the native species. uffe: we have removed one

non-resident predator from the danish nature, that's excellent. it's obvious that the population that we do have in the danish nature comes from releases or escapes from the mink farms. we don't know the extent today. we don't know how many minks ecape from the farms, or being released by activists. >> the reason for strandby's problem is that american mink provide the raw materials for the fur industry, which is booming in denmark. knud vest owns one of denmark's 1500 mink farms. he keeps 25000 animals in his cages, and he says he hasn't had any escape. knud: we protect the mink by having them inside. >> that has little to do with the animals' natural

environment. it's about business. denmark is one of the world's largest mink producers, and fur is trendy again. there are still people with strong moral objections, but the danes have never been that strict about it. even queen margrethe likes to wear luxurious furs. vest once had the opportunity to thank her for her support. but what's good business for the mink farmers is horrifying to animal rights activists. they've been protesting against the mink far some activists even break into the farms and set the mink free. vest says the case is clear. knud: there is wild mink. but the major part of them come from those activists, who released mink in areas. we have tried to catch them very quickly as much as possible. >> strandby doesn't like to hear that. he has to try to capture the escaped mink, and he'd prefer to do less of that. he has to cover several hundred

kilometers, and he and his colleagues monitor about a -- about 150 traps. some are in places the mink can access better than people can. uffe: the mink was lucky today. >> but the mink has left its tracks. uffe: what you see here on this map, is that all the red crosses are places, where we have put up traps, kill traps. this is an area where there is a high chance of finding wild mink population. >> the american mink are aggressive carnivores that raid nests and kill far more prey than they can ever eat. the invasive species upsets the ecological balance. releasing it into its non-native territory is bad for local fauna. the danish animal welfare society doesn't have any clear solutions. brigitte damm says it isn't the group's policy to condone the release of mink from farms by

activists. but the society has 75000 members, and there's no way of knowing how individuals react to the terrible images from the farms. brigitte: there has to our knowledge only been very few of these actions. it seems like there is a lot of talk about these releasing , freeing actions, but very little is taking place. >> strandby knows that the wild mink population can be traced back to the mink farms, going back generations. many animals apparently manage to escape through holes in their cages. this time, though, he's only caught a rat. uffe: most mink farmers are of course interested in minimizing the escapes, that are released to the nature, i mean they have an economical interest. >> the men bag their american mink, the only one they've caught today.

uffe strandby says it won't be possible to completely wipe out the invasive species, but the hopes to minimize the problem and the damage caused by the mink. damien: the perils of mink farming in denmark. are you fascinated or frustrated by fur? let me know what you think about that or any of our stories, by getting in touch on twitter, e-mail or facebook, where you can also see a video of what happens behind the scenes here at "focus on europe." but in the meantime, that's all from me and the rest of the team here. thanks very much for watching. i look forward to seeing you next time. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

♪ underwriting for autoline this week provided by... ♪ from the autoline studio, here is your host, john mcelroy. i want to thank you all for joining us on autoline this week, where the discussion today is going to be all about climate change as it impacts the automotive industry. is the industry doing enough? can it even do more? we've got a very interesting author joining us today. the author of the book driving the futu,e written by margo oge. and margo, in case you don't know her, as got