♪ >> hello and welcome to "focus on europe." thanks for joining us. i'm damien mcguinness. and today we're looking at some of the big issues affecting many europeans including populism. and sexism. in some spanish cooking clubs the traditional rule is no women in the kitchen. but not everyone agrees. this woman says it's sexist and misogynistic. but more about that later. nesrin escaped the conflict in syria and is now safely in turkey, where she recently got married. but this was far from a fairy-tale happy ending. she's only a teenager and her family is destitute. so when she arrived in turkey,

to support her family, she was married off to an older abusive man in return for money. in other words she was sold. our reporter in turkey has been to meet nesrin, and has found out that she is just one of many young syrian refugee women in this terrible position. >> 16-year-old nesrin had to flee from her violent turkish husband. now the young woman and her baby are back in safety, in emergency housing with her parents and siblings. nesrin's family comes from syria. a family friend, imam abdurrahim celik is present. otherwise the shy, frightened girl wouldn't speak with us. >> my husband threw me and the baby out on the street. my father-in-law beat me and the child. one time he even held a pistol to my head.

>> nesrin's parents married her off for the bride price, for money to survive. but the "husband" just wanted a temporary fling. this is not an isolated case. more and more turkish men are paying for a second wife from syria. most don't want it publicized. >> most of these men don't want a civil ceremony, just a religious one. that makes it easier for them to get rid of the women again. and many say they want a syrian as a second wife, but only secretly. i always ask them: aren't syrian women worth just as much as turkish women? don't they have the same rights? >> gaziantep, a city of a million and a half, is just a hundred kilometers from the syrian border. it has taken in more than 250 thousand refugees from the fighting in syria, three

quarters of them women and children. most of the women are widows; their husbands died in the civil war. in their despair, they are easy prey. >> turkish men think these women can be had cheap -- as a wife or second wife. some of them couldn't get to know a woman in a normal way. they're too ill or too old. >> a syrian wife costs half as much as a turkish one: about 15 hundred euros. for a refugee family with nothing, that's a lot of money. word has spread that they are being exploited. >> i still wouldn't give up my daughter. they are merely abused for two or three months and then sent back again. >> polygamy is illegal in turkey, but in conservative, patriarchal anatolia, many men don't care about that law.

the trade in women is now a flourishing business along the syrian border. just outside the refugee camps, "marriage" brokers display photos of women and girls. they make a commission if a deal is made. we drive to one of the last still-open border crossing points between turkey and syria. beside it is a refugee camp with several thousand people. we're not permitted to film inside it. but street vendors in front of the camp confirm that trafficking in women is routine here. >> interested men are constantly coming and asking around. people from the camp help them find a girl or women. middlemen come on other days. >> it's estimated that thousands of syrian women have already been sold as wives. the turkish authorities feel no responsibility. only a few imams object to the practice in their sermons.

imam celik reproaches his colleagues. he says that when they perform these dubious marriages, they become accomplices. >> marriages performed by an imam have no legal standing if no civil ceremony is carried out. no imam should give his blessing to such temporary marriages that last only a few months. >> imam celik provides former bought wives like nesrin, and their families, with the absolute necessities. after expulsion or flight from their home country, now these women face rape and discrimination in an unfamiliar land. nesrin says she feels like an inferior being. >> a few days ago, my husband called up and said now he'll marry a proper woman... a turkish woman. >> men are constantly

approaching me, but i won't be giving up any of my girls again. >> but nesrin isn't so sure of that. she wants to watch out for her 13-year-old sister. men have already offered a bride price for her, too. >> awful situation. but sadly forced marriage is also a problem here in western europe. and it's something which we'll be investigating in more detail very soon here on the programme. now for many of us who have reported in russia over the past few years, one of the most striking developments is how major anti-government protests have dwindled away. i can remember five years ago being in moscow and seeing mass demonstrations of tens of thousands of people who accused vladimir putin's government of lies and corruption. today those protests have fizzled out. but on a local level there are still examples where ordinary people take to the streets to express their dissatisfaction with the authorities.

>> it's a sunday ritual almost as regular as a church service. >> citizens, your activities have not been approved by the authorities. >> can't i walk through the park to go shopping any more? do i have to get authorization even for that?" >> we live here. our homes are here. why do we have to put up with this? >> a disgrace! the bone of contention is a wooden cross the russian-orthodox church set up to mark the spot where a church is soon to be built -- and as a symbol of its power. about a dozen of the new church's future congregation have been lobbying for it for some time. just a few meters away, some local residents strike a note of protest and try to drown out the hymns.

>> i pray for these non-believers, i pray and confess. this is a dispute between mother russia and those who would destroy the state. >> those people over there aren't true christians. true christians don't act like that. but we live here. we take walks here, sing our songs, and in the summer, our children play in the park. where else can they do that? >> the residents point out there are many other new churches in the area. the one planned for here would cost them a large piece of their park. and in moscow, parks are few and far between, while there are more than enough churches. they also criticize the church in general, saying it's gaining ever more power in russia. its power comes from the state, bolstered by the police and the media.

pro-kremlin broadcaster ntv described the residents as dangerous sectarians, editorializing that the state is right to act against them. security forces arrested about forty people out of their homes, alleging suspicion of terrorist activities. sergej makarkin brushes off the allegation as ridiculous. his apartment and his mother's were both searched - with no warrant or witnesses, he says. it was entirely illegal. >> i don't sleep well; i have a bad heart. that morning, i had just managed to fall asleep, when the doorbell rang. it was the police, at six a.m. they came in. i counted one, two, three, four, five, six, seven men! >> the aim of these acts was to intimidate the people opposing this church.

>> the church itself inisists that the cross in the park is a symbol of christianity, and that anyone who opposes it opposes the state religion. in fact, russia has no state religion. the church leaders say they are looking for a solution. but more is at stake. >> in our world, it is very important to find and secure the very pillar of christian civilization. russian society has gone through the period where old, traditional values have been suppressed, during the soviet period. and now, we are trying to restore our understanding of tradition. the values of traditional family is something that is very traditional here in russia. >> the protesters against the new church say it's not about traditional family values; it's about civil liberties. they have to stay vigilant, even at night. they keep watch in a van by the park, just in case the bulldozers move in to start construction.

>> what are you accused of? >> they also have to defend a fellow protester. he was arrested during the day. the torfyanka activists are stunned. they're learning that a high price must be paid for civil disobedience in russia. >> now since filming that report our correspondent in moscow has told us that the russian orthodox church has now said it's prepared to look for an alternative building site. if true, that would mean these protests have been very successful indeed. juergen kasek is, like many young germans, worried about a rise in populism in europe. but unlike many people his age, he's decided to actively fight against what he believes is a dangerous movement. many europeans see a link between the election of donald trump, britain's decision to

leave the european union and anti-migrant groups in germany, such as pegida, which stages anti-islam, anti-migrant marches every week in eastern germany. critics accuse pegida of racism and intolerance. and juergen has decided he can't just stand by and watch. >> a "monday demonstration" in dresden: hundreds of followers of the right-wing populist movement pegida stage a protest, -- protest. like trump, they want to sweep the governing parties out of office and overturn the "system". they chant "resistance" and "merkel must go. jurgen kasek is on the street with 200 counter-demonstrators in dresden this evening. they want to oppose the rightwing populists. >> stop!

>> in principle, they're just against everything. trump was elected president because he said he is against the 'establishment'; it doesn't matter what his arguments are. and i think we have to do some hard thinking. >> the two groups will confront each other this evening. kasek has been on his feet all day. long an activist against the right, the leipzig attorney and green party politician has barely rested since the rise of pegida. >> what pegida and all these movements have done is shift the framework of discussion to the point where there's no criterion for exclusion anymore. where people from the npd, a neo-nazi party, stand onstage, people with a long record of assault and battery, where the former german empire's war flag waves, where speeches sound like goebbels, and where people stand beside that and say, 'we're concerned citizens.'"

>> kasek sees trump's election as a bitter setback. he's from a leftist family and has long worked against rightwing extremists -- who are numerous and active in his home state of saxony. >> our fear, of course, is that what we already have to a degree in europe will now intensify. in britain after the brexit and in america after trump's election, there has been a wave of racist violence. it's like they're saying: 'we've won and now we're going to show you!' >> and he sees what they're showing every day in the hate-filled comments on his facebook page. >> this comment is about america: 'viva trump!' that's not so bad. but this one is pretty extreme: 'when people like me take power, you'll be on trial the next day and then you'll hang!' >> as an attorney, jurgen kasek takes on hundreds of cases each year, often accepting no money from his clients.

this young leftist faces charges after a demonstration against pegida and will soon be tried. he wants to remain anonymous in our report. >> why were you out and about that day? >> to demonstrate against pegida. they immediately said, 'that's the guy!' >> what's actually in the file are photos where you can't be identified. i'd also like to ask you to dress up a bit when you come to court. >> because i have a certain idea about society, some of the people i defend are punks, people who have come into conflict with the state. i consider my freedom extremely important. >> and he sees his freedom in danger. kasek was attacked on a local train.

hooligans recognized him, threatened him verbally, then threw a bottle at him. the police came just in time to prevent anything worse from happening. >> in that moment, you wonder what would happen if they pulled the emergency brake. or if they're waiting for us on the train platform in leipzig? it's a horrible feeling. only later do you ask yourself: what am i doing here? >> kasek refuses to be intimidated. in the evening, the two demonstrations in dresden cross paths. it's now or never, thinks kasek. he intentionally confronts the pegida marchers. >> geh weiter! hau ab. hau ab, hau ab.

>> you can't stop it alone. especially after what's happened in america, we don't want to wake up one day and realize this is not the society we want to live in. we need to defend our standpoint with confidence. >> jurgen kasek is determined to make things difficult for the populists in dresden and throughout germany. >> the other big surge of populism we're seeing right now is in britain, where last year people voted to leave the eu. when you talk to poorer leave voters, they saw it as a way of rebelling against the wealthy british establishment. to find out more we've been to meet people in one of those pro-brexit areas, dagenham on the outskirts of london. >> even as a child, tracey lee stood on this bridge and watched the trains bound for london's city centre. all her life, she's lived on london's outskirts, in the borough of dagenham.

it used to be much nicer, cleaner and safer here, she says. >> they always looked after bridges. i can not fault them for that. but its been the last five, six years, that ive seen this bridge deteriorate. and the rubbish thats been here for weeks. >> like many regions, dagenham's been hit by the government's austerity cuts. for many decades, car manufacturer ford employed many in area. tracey's family worked in the industry too. then, ten years ago, production almost came to a complete halt. now, many in dagenham feel left behind. >> i think the government only has themselves to blame why people voted out. because if they had been fair, making all these changes, treated others better than others, they would have voted in. that's how i feel, as a citizen of britain.

>> tracey likes taking her grandson to the local museum which tells the area's history. dagenham's always been a working class area. and its people have always been progressive. early on, women here stood up for equal pay. the borough has undergone a radical change in recent years. it has seen one of britain's largest influxes of immigrants. there are numerous eastern european food shops near tracey's home. many of the sales staff still feel at home in dagenham. but others speak of a changed atmosphere. >> there is always somewhere behind, that feeling that we are immigrants. but now some people express that more freely. >> giving up is no option. the people of dagenham have audacious plans for revitalising the area: they want to build a large film studio.

dagenham council leader and labour member darren rodwell is pushing the initiative. he grew up here. he, too, is from a working-class home. >> what i want to do is keep those people thinking outside the box, but keep them in the borough. that's why we are now talking about films not fords. >> things a looking up in dagenham. london's mayor sadiq khan has come to see for himself. darren rodwell is showing him around. tracey would like to tell sadiq khan what dagenham needs most urgently. but he's got no time to talk. >> see you guys, cheers...thank you very much... >> a disappointment for tracey and the others. but she's pleased the local council is stimulating the area's cultural sector. >> its nice to bring it here. it is lovely to bring it in this borough. >> but even so, it'll be years before these new projects yield proper jobs.

tracey, though, is happy that a start's been made. who knows, her grandson jimmy may grow up to be a famous film director - from dagenham. >> for people who accuse donald trump of sexism, the issue of equal rights between men and women today is as topical as ever. in spain, one of the battlegrounds between the sexes is the kitchen. but not in the way you might think. since the 19th century traditional cooking clubs have been cross between cooking school and social club: but only if you're a man. >> san sebastian is known for its culinary specialties, for its gastronomic societies, and its strong women. but some here don't think those things make for a good mix....which is why many cooking clubs only allow men to become members.

the renowned club aitzaki is one of them. cod cheeks, baked hake and mussels with tomato. >> aitzaki has 120 members -- and a long waiting list to join. people cook in groups, on different days. members can bring friends along and they split the cost of the foods they prepare. women are allowed everywhere -- except in the kitchen. that's a no-go area! at aitzaki, all the chefs are men. women can eat meals here, but not prepare them. are women too distracting? >> pretty much. >> so it's strictly men only. >> in our statutes we clearly decided that women can't be members -- at least not in this club. >> that's sexism. it's gender discrimination.

>> but things don't have to be this way. at the berabera cooking club men and women cook side by side. who's the boss here? >> here and everywhere. >> at mixed clubs, men and women have no problems working in the same kitchen. >> though teasing and wise cracks are often par for the course. >> this mania for distancing yourself from others is troubling. men here, women there. why do there need to be exclusively male domains? >> they have their own language, their own cameraderie and want to be among their own kind. they don't want to be disturbed by having a woman around when they're discussing certain topics.

>> the old cooking clubs were founded by fishermen. back then, men sailed the high seas and women cared for the children. these days there are few fishermen left. and the worlds men and women inhabit aren't so separate anymore. club members no longer catch the fish they cook. but some still long for the days in which men were the breadwinners and women stayed home. so, once a week, these men get to have things their way. >> i spend time with friends and get out of the house. >> we drink, talk and no one's controlling us. we're amongst ourselves. >> i'm sitting next to a banker and a labourer. >> the fellowship. >> equality of the sexes has no place at this table. >> we're different. we behave differently. not better and not worse.

that's the way we are. if that sounds macho then we're machos! >> that kind of attitude worries carmen diez. >> it's bad. it replicates a society based on masculine power, which makes it harder for women to achieve equality. >> aitzaki is keen to sweep such concerns under the rug. maybe that's little wonder as 'aitzaki' means 'excuse' or 'pretext'. >> well, they do seem to let women in to sweep the floors. that's it for this week. thanks very much for watching, and do join us next week for more personal stories from all over europe. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]