damien: hello, happy new year and welcome to "focus on europe," with some of the best personal stories behind the major headlines from all over europe. i'm damien mcguinness. great you could join us. on today's show -- he's the hero of france, but he's from mali. the italian villagers who do not need protection. and in turkey, refugee children running away to the circus. but first to france, where many people are no doubt hoping that this year will be much better than last. in november, 130 people were killed in a series of islamist terror attacks. paris was left reeling.

but that wasn't the first atrocity that the french capital suffered last year. exactly 12 months ago, gunmen attacked the headquarters of the satirical newspaper "charlie hebdo," killing 12 people. two days later islamists attacked a kosher supermarket -- five people were killed. the carnage horrified people across the world. but the atrocities were also marked by moving acts of bravery, including the actions of one young refugee from mali. reporter: it had almost seemed like a lost cause, but lassana bathily is now a french citizen. he'd spent nine years in france, most of it as an illegal immigrant, hoping his status would be legalized one day. >> ever since i was a child i've dreamed of getting french citizenship. now my dream has come true. i'm really happy. reporter: bathily doesn't like

to draw attention to himself, but he's now renowned across france. he's received a medal and a letter from french president francois hollande, and had a place of honour at memorial services for victims of the paris attacks of one year ago. two days after the assault on the offices of satirical magazine "charlie hebdo," islamic terrorists attacked a kosher supermarket in paris. bathily was working there. panic broke out while he was in the basement, unpacking boxes >> at first i thought the noise was from a tire bursting on the expressway. but then customers started rushing down stairs and shouting, a terrorist is here. i led them to the cold storage room, where they could hide. i offered to let them use the service elevator that would get them out of the building, but they didn't want to. that's because you could hear the elevator moving and the terrorists could have been

waiting upstairs in front of the elevator door. reporter: so bathily made the trip up in the service elevator alone. once outside, he drew a detailed layout of the building for the police, which proved invaluable when they stormed the supermarket a short while later. many of the staff are still traumatized by the attack, in which 5 people died. but they think bathily is a hero. >> i lost a friend here, yohan cohan, who was just in his early 20's. lassana just gave me a hug. i cried, that's normal. i'm so thankful to lassana for the courage he demonstrated and for saving the lives of so many people, both employees and customers. >> i miss you.

you did a great job, really fabulous! and you were always so friendly. i often asked you, where's the oil? where's the sugar? and you were always nice. you're an angel. let me give you a hug. reporter: bathily is a devout muslim. he says it's because of his faith that he knew he must help save people's lives. but not all muslims see things the same way. >> people ask, why did you save jews? i don't know how to answer that question. i wasn't thinking about religion. we were all humans, and in danger. i just wanted all of us to get out of the store alive. reporter: bathily grew up in mali, where he had a happy childhood. ironically, the family of amedy coulibaly, the terrorist who attacked the supermarket, came from a neighbouring village. but coulibaly grew up in the suburbs of paris, surrounded by

violent youths and influenced by islamic extremists. >> in our village all the children were raised to respect others. there are christians in mali, too, but there's no difference between muslims and christians. we dress alike, respect each other and even celebrate religious holidays together. reporter: for bathily, the problems started when he came to france. for six years he shared a small room with three other illegal immigrants. but those days are behind him and he's looking to the future. >> it's my dream to help the people here. i was lucky and now i have my papers. but others have been waiting for their residency permits for ten or fifteen years, while their families sit in africa. reporter: lassana bathily now

lives the life of an average frenchman. he has a small apartment and works for the city of paris. but last january he demonstrated extraordinary courage, even risking his own life to help others. today he's one of thousands who are showing their solidarity with the victims of the terror attacks on paris and their families. on november 13th, islamic terrorists once again attacked the french capital. bathily was just metres away from the bataclan theatre at the time. >> a year ago millions of french people took to the streets to protest against terror. yet, in november there were more attacks with over 130 deaths. something must be done to put an end to this hatred. the massacre of innocent people for nothing must stop.

reporter: lassana bathily's experiences are now documented in a book called "i'm not a hero". it's his contribution to the battle against terror. damien: the last time i was in naples in southern italy, the main thing that struck me was how beautiful everything is. but underneath that beauty is something very ugly. that's where the mafia-style group the camorra comes from, italy's oldest and largest crime syndicate, with huge influence still today in the region. but now local businesses are fighting back. and one small town has even managed to declare itself mafia-free. reporter: today ercolano's 60,000 residents are proud and united in saying no to the mafia. but it wasn't always that way in the town, which lies at the foot of mount vesuvius. it took the courage of a few individuals -- and one in particular, businesswoman raffaella ottaviano. she was the first here to stand up to the camorra.

>> two young men. one kept watch while the other demanded protection money. don't you want to know how much, they said, you have three stores. i replied, i might have five or six, but i'm still not interested in what you're selling. and in that moment they left. reporter: that was in 2004. ottaviano reported them to the police and then she founded an association against mafia extortion. at first she received more assistance from the authorities than from local people. ercolano's former state prosecutor rosario cantelmo was a big supporter. he'd tried to ensure justice and security for ercolano's residents, but they'd refused to help. >> the police would record discussions between business people and the extortionists, which also provided evidence as to how the extortion schemes worked.

but when we approached business owners about these discussions they'd dismiss them, saying, that's not my voice, i don't know anything about it. fear silenced many. ercolano didn't just have one problem with the camorra -- it had two problems. two clans were at war with each other and both were demanding protection money -- from people like matteo cutolo. he runs a family-owned bakery and pastry shop. the business is now in its third generation. >> i would have to pay one clan around 400 to 500 euros at christmas, easter and on assumption day. the other clan wanted to be paid monthly, but all told it came to pretty much the same amount.

reporter: that explosive situation meant the pastry shop often had to shut its doors. the clans waged gun battles directly outside. corpses littered the street. cutolo estimates he used to pay 3000 euros a year to the mafia. finally he got fed up and went to the police. one person at time, and over a number of years, everyone the mafia was extorting informed the authorities. thanks to their cooperation with the carabinieri, the anti-extortion association and state prosecutors, several hundred mafiosi have been put behind bars. like the people who, up until 2009, ran a radio station from here called "radio prison" -- the camorra's very own station. now the studio is used for "radio siani," young broadcasters provide information about the mafia.

>> there are lots of innocent victims of the camorra, who had nothing to do with any sort of action against the organization. children and young people hit by a bullet when coming home from school and stumbling into a gunfight on their way to a football match. or people who were mistaken for gangsters and shot to death. reporter: to ensure things like that remain scenes from the past, police officer gianluca candura patrols the streets. he regularly organizes anti-mafia activist walks. they try to win the trust of ordinary businesspeople. they want people to know they're not alone, if the camorra ever returns. >> of course i'm scared but it's part of the job. reporter: activists want to keep ercolano free of the camorra, but one problem is that the mafia left the city impoverished. mayor ciro buonajuto is trying

to rally young people. they're the future of the city. >> we have great poverty in ercolano which can provide the camorra with a niche. we need to pay attention to poor people and treat them well. if they're pushed to the social margins, it can create fertile soil for criminality. reporter: it won't be easy to keep organized crime out of ercolano. but the city residents say that people in other places in italy could also do what they have done. the key is commitment. damien: in the 1990's i lived in poland and was always struck by how pro-western young people were. everyone seemed to want to learn english. and a lot of my polish friends were keen to study or work in western europe. you could really feel how the whole society seemed to be becoming less conservative and more pro-european. and for the past eight years that has also included the government, which has been a modernising force in society.

but that all changed in october's parliamentary elections when the conservative law and justice party swept into power. their supporters say this is a return to traditional polish values. but their critics accuse the new government of trying to control the courts and stamp out critical voices in the media. and other european governments are nervous about a new nationalist tone coming out of warsaw. so why has poland swung to the right? our correspondent has been talking to some of the new government's core supporters to find out. reporter: kulesze koscielne is a small rural community east of warsaw, not far from the european union's external border. it's nearer to belarus than it is to western europe.

town of this size. a small tractor stands in front of a stylish new villa. the fall of communism really shook things up here. many people felt insecure and began to long for a strong national identity. these senior citizens are taking a computer course. they get certificates and a kiss. young journalist karol bancerz is documenting these older people's forays into the modern world. they accept his questions because he's from here and is one of them. >> why did everyone here vote for law and justice? >> we like the party. it's catholic. that's important. yes, and justice is a main issue. >> and they're religious! >> the liberals don't treat the church fairly. it played a key role in polish independence. and in general it's unjust to protray us as homophobic and

hostile to foreigners. that's not the case. it hurts. >> but law and justice is accused of being anti-democratic. does that make you afraid? >> no. reporter: almost everyone in the region has children or grandchildren who've gone abroad. there aren't enough jobs to go around here. that's led to disappointment in the european union. membership in the eu hasn't brought prosperity, and many people feel left behind. in places like this, law and justice is more than a political party. it's a way of life. a political demonstration on the outskirts of warsaw. for kacper kociszewski, law and justice isn't right-wing enough. he's a member of an extremist organization called all-polish youth. >> we don't want poland to accept a single refugee. we don't want immigrants.

poland isn't islamic. poland can only be catholic. reporter: kociszewski visits his former school. the law student is here to tell the kids about life at university. one girl asks why we're filming. >> they're making a report about why the right wing is becoming increasingly popular among young people, and i'm their example. >> the extreme right in poland profits from perceptions that it's trendy. >> for me as a young person it's just the coolest way to protest the establishment. the extreme left is uncool.

>> the young generation is very disappointed. we were sold out after the fall of communism. we're not satisfied with the way things are today. we look to polish history for our role models. reporter: when kociszewski isn't studying law, he reads about the past, learning about polish national heroes. it makes him feel good about himself. this new memorial site is dedicated to people who fought against communism after world war ii and were killed. this chapter of history was suppressed for a long time. for young polish nationalists, this is an important place. kociszewski lights a candle for the dead. >> i feel proud to belong to a nation with so many heroes in its history. people who fought to live in

dignity in a free poland. we don't want this national identity to get lost in a gigantic european super-state. reporter: back in the countryside, we meet with law and justice regional leader bogdan zielinski. he's still celebrating the october elections. but he and his fellow party members complain about the resistance they face from the west. >> the press is owned by foreign capital, in particular germans. whatever side they're on, it's not ours. reporter: local people sing a patriotic song especially for us. it's from the 19th century and is about the polish cavalry. the nationalist sentiments are still appealing. for some people the law and

justice party is more important than the rule of law itself. kociszewski puts up posters for an anti-eu demonstration. the mistrust many poles once felt toward moscow is now directed at brussels. damien: it's interesting that in many european countries, there seems to be a resurgence of nationalist and anti-european sentiment. from the front national in france. to ukip in britain. and it's something that's baffling pro-european elites. why do you think that's happening? i'd love to hear your opinions on that. or on any of the stories on today's show. you know how to get in touch. email, twitter or facebook, whatever you fancy. drop me a line, or tweet me, and i'll tweet you right back. but now to the inescapable topic facing europe today, the refugee crisis. during 2015 almost 1.1 million migrants and refugees arrived here in grmany alone. i've talked to some germans who say the numbers are just too great to cope with.

but at the same time i know a lot of other people here in germany who are doing their best to help, by volunteering at refugee homes, or even letting asylum seekers live in their spare rooms. some germans are even going a step further by heading to the countries worst-hit by the refugee crisis, such as turkey. more than 2 million refugees have fled to turkey to escape the war in neighbouring syria -- many of them children. surviving is a tough balancing act. but thanks to a very different sort of balancing act, some refugee children are now dealing with their trauma. reporter: 12-year-old hale still needs help putting on her stilts. they need to be fastened tightly to her lower legs. but then, together with her friends, she can walk around on them as if they were her own legs. hale and the other children here are refugees from syria and iraq. here in the turkish border town of mardin, a group of german circus performers is getting them ready to give a show in istanbul.

hale's life hasn't been the same since they came. >> the circus people came to our refugee school and put on a little performance. they left us their address. the next day my brother and i came straight here. i was really excited. now i want to become so good that i can teach other kids later on. reporter: hale is the only girl in the group. her teachers say she's a natural and can take part in the performance in istanbul. but here the children are supposed to learn more than just how to juggle and walk on stilts.

>> the aid we offer isn't the big solution, but a small one. for today, for five minutes, an hour or a day to work together with others, and give something to others. that gives people an incredible boost, a lot of fun and energy. reporter: hale could certainly use a boost. mardin lies around 40 kilometers from the syrian border. hale witnessed terrible things as she fled from her home city of aleppo with her parents and siblings three years ago. >> all along the route there were burned out cars. and there was an explosion. my brother suffered minor shrapnel wounds. in aleppo we couldn't sleep at night because of the air raids. that's why we fled. reporter: if hale hadn't joined the children's circus, she would have had to work at the market in mardin -- like hundreds of other refugee children, to supplement her family's income. now the circus pays her parents enough to cover the lost wages.

because hale's parents are embarassed by their poverty, they don't want us to visit their home. >> my parents aren't doing so well. they have no work and no money, and they don't feel at home in turkey. that's why they'd like us to move on to another country. reporter: in the evening, hale packs her bag for the trip to istanbul. there, the children will attend a circus and hip hop workshop. the boys are already warming up. the volunteer who supervises them says art and culture are just as important for poor children as financial support. >> here they get a bit of the self-confidence they will need to create the life they want for themselves later on. culture should help children understand the world around them, that ultimately people need more than just food and work. reporter: it's finally time to leave. for hale and many of the other

children, it'll be their first flight on an airplane. it's also the first time she's been away from her parents for two whole days. she's really excited. two days later in istanbul, the city on the bosphorus. hale's been busy with the workshop. germany's goethe institut has brought the syrian circus performers together with underprivileged young people from istanbul. this is their final rehearsal with the turkish-german rap group. take your fate in your own hands, the young people sing. >> when i'm hip hopping and rapping, i just feel good. now, along with the circus, i've discovered the music i like. reorter: then it's showtime! the audience is captivated. on stage, hale raps in arabic

about peace, courage and justice. for their encore, all the young people appear on stilts. for hale, this night was a big step towards a better life. damien: well, that's it for today. thanks very much indeed for watching. remember do let me know what you think about any of the stories on today's show. always great to hear from you. i can be reached on twitter, email or facebook. but in the meantime, it's goodbye from the whole team here and we 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] washington's fears,