♪ damien mcguinness: hello, and a very warm welcome to "focus on europe" -- with some of the very best personal stories behind the headlines from all over europe. thanks very much for joining us. and we've got some really cracking stories lined up for you today. in latvia, facing up to a painful past in poland, facing up to an uncertain future and in sweden, moving house -- literally. the ukraine crisis has left many of russia's neighbors feeling

nervous, particularly latvia. until 1991 it was a part of the former soviet union - so latvians have painful memories of soviet oppression. but now, as the country celebrates 25 years of independence from moscow, latvians are also having to face up to some of the darker memories of their past, including what the kgb did to ordinary people such as knuts skujenieks, who was held by the kgb for six months before being sent to a soviet labor camp near the ural mountains for six years. to find out more, i met up with knuts last week in the capital riga, and he showed me round the prison where he'd been held. the pain of being imprisoned here is as raw as ever, even though it's more than five decades since latvian writer knuts skujenieks was arrested by the kgb. his crime? writing poetry. he remembers how he was kept here in almost complete isolation, to break his will.

knuts skujenieks: for most of the time it was deadly silent. especially when you were taken out into the corridor. the floor was muffled with carpet. guards wouldn't talk to you. they just said the bare minimum to give orders. i had to keep my hands behind my back, and if you were in the corridor and another prisoners came, you had to turn around, with your face to the floor so you didn't see who was coming towards you. damien: the prison was called the house on the corner. it was the kgb's headquarters. in the 1940's, prisoners were tortured and even killed here. in soviet times, it was arguably the most feared building in latvia, although it was right in the center of the capital riga. i want to find out more about what happened to knuts, so i've come here to this former radio factory on the outskirts of the city where tens of thousands of

files record the details of all the prisoners held by the kgb in latvia. we find knuts' files, and there are an awful lot of them. there are 16 files connected to knuts' case, and here you can see one of them. it says here in russian kgb, and here criminal case number 9. and here you can see a list of the names of the all the people connected to knuts at the time, and if you look inside, you can even see a photograph of him from 1962 from when he was arrested. and as part of the criminal case , the kgb even confiscated some of his poetry. what these files don't show is who did the spying. the names of the victims are public, but not the names of more than 4000 kgb agents and informers. historian karlis kangeris accuses politicians here of blocking the publication of

those secret files, because he says some of latvia's current political leaders are trying to hide their own past collaboration with the kgb, and this is preventing latvia from properly being able to deal with its past. karlis kangeris: in my opinion, the former agents of the kgb have to admit their identity, they have to stand to their past if you want reconciliation. people in a society can't forgive if they don't know what they should forgive. damien: until 1991, around 30,000 kgb agents worked in latvia -- many of them latvian. their aim was to keep people here loyal to moscow. and anyone with western ideas or who wanted latvian independence

was spied upon -- and sometimes imprisoned or deported to russia. in the eyes of many latvians, this was the man responsible for some of that repression -- the last boss of the kgb in latvia. he says that opening up the files would tear the country apart, because some of those former agents are influential figures in latvian society today . edmunds johansons: we will just antagonize people. we should aim for consensus and harmony in society. we have to build a future for an independent latvia. and not do the opposite, and look backwards. we'll just end up having to deal with who was who, and who did what, and who reported on whom, and so on. it is a very dangerous situation.

damien: but for knuts what is dangerous is that latvia has never really dealt properly with its kgb past. today, he is one of latvia's most famous poets. thanks to poems like this one which he wrote in prison. but in 1962 when he was arrested he was newly married and not yet , a big name. he was accused of writing anti-soviet propaganda. but he tells me that in fact his prison sentence was a warning, from moscow, to other more influential dissident latvian writers. i ask knuts whether he wants to all the files opened. knuts: to be completely honest with you, i don't know what the correct thing to do is, because if we are not able to identify the agents and informers properly, then we are just going to have major problems. damien: knuts fears that false information could spark a witchhunt because key data from

the files was taken back to moscow when the russians left. from reading his own files though, knuts can guess the identity of some of those who spied on him -- some had even been guests in his home. but even if the files won't reveal the whole truth, many victims of the kgb now hope that they will at least help shed some light onto one of the darkest periods of latvia's painful history. a brave man. but it's not just in the baltics that people are increasingly wary of russia -- poland is also feeling jittery. and it's no wonder many poles are worried -- throughout its history, poland has completely disappeared from the map numerous times because of invasions from foreign powers, including russia. but poland also has a tradition of brave resistance -- during the nazi occupation many poles opted to fight to the death

rather than surrender, and it's that fighting spirit which is now mobilising increasing numbers of young polish civilians to learn military skills, just in case they need to defend their homeland once again. wehrübung burgermiliz: an enemy vehicle is trying to break through the roadblock at the checkpoint. they overpower the attacker, and the situation is brought under control. it's just an exercise, but the citzens' militia in the eastern polish city of lublin train twice a month. many are barely 20 years old. they're shooting with blanks but their motivation is real. mateusz chec: we want to protect what we love -- our family, friends, school. that goes without saying. >> poland is safe right now, but that could change very quickly. ukraine is the best example. we have peace now but there are no guarantees.

reporter: since the conflict broke out in ukraine, the militia has tripled in size. now it includes 300 men and a few women, everyone from students to professionals. it calls itself the "territorial self-defense unit of the administrative district of lublin." it's headed by damian duda, a professor f strategy and security at the university of lublin. for him, these training exercises are a serious business. damian duda: poland still remembers 1939. back then, we also had allies, but we still ended up stranded, on our own. not to mention most polish army units are stationed in the west. the old doctrine that our enemy is in the west is still in force. after all these years, those units really should be transferred to eastern poland. reporter: we continue 80 kilometers to the east, where poland borders ukraine at the bug river. it's also the external border of

the eu. apart from a single patrol unit and the border posts, it looks like an ordinary stretch of land. since the start of the ukraine crisis, nato has increased its maneuvers in poland, including in the east. but one of the conditions for nato's eastward expansion was that no permanent nato forces were stationed here. people in lublin are very much aware of that and are glad that the militia exists. >> yes, i've heard of it. it's a good idea. with the geopolitical situation today and what's happening in ukraine, it's not a bad thing. >> if you know your history, it's clear that russia was never friendly. no one can predict what they'll do. but we shouldn't panic, but keep a close eye on the situation. we can't rule anything out. >> we need them because compulsory military service was abolished.

our army is only 70,000 strong. then there's the reserve units but they aren't very well equipped or trained. reporter: to get a sense of what war is like, militia leader damian duda visited ukraine. 10 days ago, he was in donetzk, with a group of ukrainian volunteers who are fighting the pro-russian separatists. for duda, the ukrainian volunteers are the role model of a citizen's militia. damian duda: it sends a signal to every country. you can't underestimate the power of individuals or forbid them to protect their country. if they want to, they'll find a way. reporter: the citizen's militia isn't banned in lublin, but they have to provide their own financing, in part through donations. they've had some meetings with the polish defense ministry, but for the time being it doesn't want to work with them.

the city of lublin says it would use the militia in a natural disaster, but not as a combat unit. damian duda is undeterred. damian duda: if you love peace, you need to prepare for war. i don't want to start a war, but i want to be ready. reporter: lublin's militia members say this is a good solution. they don't want to join the polish army. this way, they can continue their lives as civilians here in eastern poland -- and be prepared. damien: at the moment france's political scene has all the drama of a shakespearean tragedy -- the daughter

usurps power from her father the king -- and then banishes him from the kingdom -- or in this case the political party. of course we're not talking about king lear -- but rather jean-marie le pen -- who has been thrown out of the front national, the party he founded, by his daughter marine, for allegedly making anti-semitic comments. it's all part of her drive to clean up the party's image, but the bitter family feud has also had a big impact on some of the front national's grass root supporters. reporter: today thierry portheault is feeling good, but the past two years of his life have been dominated by a legal battle that left him feeling way out of his depth. thierry portheault: gardening is like therapy. it's calming and it does me good to be outdoors. the trial really took its toll on me. i suffered from depression. we're simple people who aren't used to being involved in big politics. the pressure almost led us to divorce. reporter: thierry porteault has gone up against a powerful force in french politics -- the right-wing front national. yet he had high hopes when he

joined the party back in 2011. the portheaults were most impressed by marine le pen, the leader of the front national and the daughter of the party's founder, jean-marie le pen. they felt that marine was taking the party in a new direction, away from the right-wing course pursued by her father. she made a name for herself by "de-demonizing" the party. thierry portheault: it might sound laughable to some, but marine le pen reminded me a bit of nelson mandela. in her speeches she said that she wanted to unite french citizens, regardless of their background. i think that our society is very divided, and that bothers me. reporter: thierry and his wife nadia joined the party. and not only that, they also offered to be candidates for the front national in their village of saint-alban, near toulouse.

supporters of the party's new direction, they quickly distanced themselves from the politics of jean-marie le pen, who had been repeatedly found guilty of holocaust denial. jean-marie le pen: vive la france. damian: jean-marie le pen became infamous for claiming that the gas chambers in nazi concentration camps were "a detail of history." but after a year and a half in the front national, the portheaults realized that marine le pen's views weren't so different from her father's. marine le pen: i've been answering this question for 30 years, and i've always been very clear on this subject. for me, the gas chambers aren't a detail of history, they're a symbol. reporter: political scientist nonna mayer says marine le pen won't break completely with her father's views for fear of putting off right-wing supporters. nonna mayer: marine was always jean-marie's favourite, the daughter who never betrayed him. he systematically helped her get

where she is today -- against the wishes of the old guard. many of them were against her because they felt she was too left-wing and didn't embody the right-wing nationalism they defend. reporter: the portheaults soon felt the ire of the right-wing nationalists during the local election campaign two years ago. thierry portheault: one day, one of the local heads of the party told me when the front national come to power, we'll set up a guillotine on capitol square. then we'll guillotine all the arabs, the gays, our political opponents, the socialists, and the ump. that shocked me. nadia portheault: it was even worse for me and my children to be told that we were ready for the ovens -- because my family comes from algeria. damian: that was too much for the portheaults. they left the front national and went public. they refused to let the party

silence them and even fought for their rights in court. yet constant threats and harassment from fanatical party members forced them to leave their home. the front national has many other disgruntled members. they're disappointed with the party's direction under marine le pen. they've seen her hang on to the party's anti-european, anti-islamic, and anti-semitic views, just couching them in different terms. the insights and experiences of these members could prove dangerous for the party. jean-luc montiel: her father is stopping her from coming to power, so she must do something. either he must toe her line or she'll finish him off, he's got no choice. but he always wants to be in charge. thierry portheault: they're one and the same to me. the front national is and remains a right-wing party -- and marine le pen knew that when she joined years ago. she won't change now.

reporter: marine has now suspended her father from the party lts are enjoying watching the le pens' public tiff. marine le pen: i have the feeling he just can't stand the front national continuing to exist when he's no longer its leader. that's it. i'm sorry. jean-marie le pen: to those who want me dead and buried, i say: the corpse is still alive and well. reporter: political experts view the le pen family feud and the father's temporary expulsion from the party as a calculated move. nonna mayer: they're fighting because two important electoral events are looming -- regional elections in the fall and presidential elections in 2017. marine le pen doesn't want her father to harm the softer, de-demonized image she's created for the party. so she's trying to emancipate herself from her father, and that's where the problems start.

he feels that his creation is escaping his clutches. reporter: thierry portheault has won his legal battle with the front national and can speak openly about his experiences. he gets a certain satisfaction from watching the le pens harm the party with their infighting. but he has no plans to get involved in politics again any time soon. damien: what is interesting is it is not just in france that populist parties are having leadership problems -- there is a tussle for power in germany's anti euro alternative for germany party, and in britain the eurosceptic ukip party is struggling after poor election results. it seems that insurgents anti-establishments parties are particularly difficult to hold together. let me know what you think about that or any of today's stories. but now to sweden where it seems moving house can require even more effort than usual. in kiruna, the most northerly town in sweden, it's not so much that people are moving house -- but the houses themselves are being moved. our reporter in scandinavia has been to meet local residents,

who are packing their boxes with rather mixed feelings. reporter: the winters are long in kiruna, in sweden's high north. but the workers can't wait till the snow melts. they're already tearing down buildings in the ullspiran quarter, where mainly families with children once lived. at the fence, eva and carl johan mäki watch the demolition machines with mixed feelings. the neighborhood that was their home for decades will soon cease to be. carl johan mäki: it's a bit sad. building something is one thing, but tearing it down is something else again. it feels terrible. reporter: eva and carl johan came here almost 40 years ago. with temperatures outside

reaching below -40 degrees celsius in winter, their apartment often took on the character of a refuge. carl johan mäki: for 35 years, it was our castle, our fortress. our two children grew up here. reporter: the ore mine's operator, the state-owned lkab, has found a new apartment for the couple. the mining town of kiruna, once the world's largest municipality, has a population of over 23,000. the first houses were built here over a century ago, right on top of some of the world's biggest known iron ore deposits. people here say the mine is kiruna. trains kilometers long carry the ore over to narvik, the nearest ice-free port on the norwegean sea. what danger the ore mining poses for the town became apparent about 10 years ago when giant cracks appeared in the ground. the decision was made to move the entire town.

urban planner göran cars helped to design the new kiruna. he's well aware that he and his team are effectively throwing people out of their homes. but, he says, there was no alternative. göran cars: we have chosen to move the city two and a half kilometers eastwards and build the new one here because the new districts will be able to incorporate the outlying areas not endangered by the cracks. and we believe this area is safe, so the city won't have to move again. reporter: kiruna's old wooden church will also have to move. göran cars explains that it's always been the heart of the town, part of the lives of many of its residents. göran cars: this church is our most valued structure. it'll have to be dismantled piece by piece and rebuilt. every single part has to be marked very carefully. that's absolutely vital.

reporter: not far away is another of the town's institutions, but it's doomed to disappear. the svarta björn -- the black bear restaurant. miners and other townspeople have gotten together here after work for years. eva mäki enjoys the hearty cuisine and generous helpings. eva mäki: this restaurant was here when i first came to kiruna in 1974. it didn't look exactly like this back then, but i remember we always came here for lunch or got sandwiches for breakfast here. so the black bear is a part of kiruna. reporter: but this is one tradition that may soon come to an end. märta pettersson: this is a working man's diner. i don't know if this kind of place will fit into the planned new city center. besides, the rents will be a lot higher there.

reporter: märta pettersson doesn't know what she'll do once the restaurant's gone. and the wrecking ball won't be long in coming. the colossal project is scheduled for completion in 2033 at a total cost of 320 million euros. this might sound expensive, but it's worth it, because the iron ore still in the ground promises enormous returns for decades to come. municipal representative gunnar selberg of the centre party doesn't agree with the plans to move kiruna. he says much of the ground set aside for the new town might be contaminated. gunnar selberg: there used to be a few factories where they want to build the town, and also a mine with a slurry basin to catch the drainage water pumped out. it might contain heavy metals like arsenic, cobalt, nickel and

other hazardous substances. reporter: gunnar selberg is among the very few who've criticized plans for the move. most of the residents stand behind it -- more or less. eva and carl johan mäki have already moved into their new place in a development on the edge of town. it's bigger and not that much more expensive, they say. eva mäki: we got to say how big an apartment we wanted and where, and the mining company tried to take our wishes into account. it depended on how long you've worked in the mine. reporter: they say it will take awhile to settle into their new home and their new town. it will help when their neighbors start to move in from the old kiruna. damien: well, that is it for today. 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] the eiffel tower was built in 1889 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the french revolution and to show off at a world's fair. it was a muscular symbol of the industrial age. to a generation hooked on technology, it was the marvel of its day, trumpeting progress and man's ingenuity. this 900-foot-tall tower has three observation levels. the higher you go, the more you pay.

for me, the middle level is plenty high. thousands of iron bars and millions of rivets, all assembled in just over two years. today, it stands tall, an exclamation point, symbolizing the proud, independent spirit of the french. the trocadéro square across the river is the place to view the tower and to check out a colorful scene. parisians own their city. in fact, twice a week, streets are closed and thousands turn out to roll through their city in an exuberant celebration of life. paris was born centuries before christ right here on the ile de la cité, an island in the middle of the seine river. the romans conquered the local fishing tribe and set up camp. today, the notre dame cathedral marks the place

where a roman temple once stood. the city's first bishop, st. denis, holds his head in his hands. when christianity began making converts here, the pagan romans beheaded him. but according to legend, denis just picked up his head and kept on going. inspired by this miracle, christianity flourished, and the temple was replaced by a church. imagine the faith of the people who built this, breaking ground in 1163 on a building which wouldn't be finished for 200 years. gothic architects incorporated the latest technology, flying buttresses, to support the heavy rooftop. its ghoulish gargoyles multitask. they serve as fancy rain spouts and scare away the evil spirits. the church is dedicated to "our lady," or notre dame. mary cradles the baby jesus. the rose window provides a majestic halo. the virgin mary was highly revered throughout the middle ages. the faithful petitioned her in times of trouble

for both comfort and, through her intervention, god's mercy. as worshippers headed for mass, they'd walk under a relief of judgment day. christ sits on his throne, the trumpet sounds, all are judged -- peasants, knights, nobles, royals, even bishops. an angel weighs cute, little souls while cheating demons yank on the scales. the saved stand happily at christ's right hand. the damned, a sorry chain gang, are on his left. carvings like that, and like this scene of eve tempting adam with an apple, remind us that this art was more than decoration. these images reinforced the stories people learned in church.

♪ underwriting for autoline this week provided by: ♪ from the autoline studios, here's your host, john mcelroy. i want to thank you all for joining us on autoline. this week where the discussion's going to be all about automotive design and that's because we've got one of the best in the business. ralph gilles, the head of all design at fiat-chrysler automobiles, fca. great to have you on the show here, ralph. good to be here. also joining us today, eddie alterman, the editor at car and driver magazine and scott burgess with motor trend magazine. great having the both of you here, too. thanks for having us.