♪ >> hello, good to be with you and welcome to another edition of "european journal." let's take a quick look at what's coming up in this week's program. reliving the death march from ah switch. ukraine's oligarches leaving their place of power. and shark infested waters after a french island. imagine the picture, almost 70 years ago, the nazi's ordered the evacuation of the concentration camp in poland.

it was january, 1945. the soviet red army was advancing and 56,000 inmates already weak and emaciated were forced to walk nearly 50 miles to a railway station near the czech border. there they were to be transported to prisoner camps in germany. as a tribute to all those people who lost their lives, a small group decided to walk the same group as the notorious death march. we went along to meet them. >> in the beginning there were 14 in the group. setting out to retrace walked by 40,000 emaciated and exhausted prisoners 69 years ago. they hoped to commemorate the many victims who died on the death march and experience some small fraction of their ordeal. their march begins at the entrance to the former concentration and death camp, at the infamous gate, where the inscription -- work will set you

free. >> i want the younger generation to understand what people did to others back then. i don't feel any hate towards the germans, but i want to experience what it means to walk this extreme distance. i'm walking it for the third time, it's something i have to do. next year, on the 70th anniversary, i'll be back. >> in 1945, it was evacuated. tens of thousands of men and women and children were ordered to walk to a railway station 63 kilometers away on what later became known as the death march. from there, they were to be transported by rails to concentration camps within germany. prisoners who were too weak to continue were shot.

18 of the victims are buried here. some of the victims were never identified the group stops to reflect, meditate, pray, and place candles on the graves. >> i try to imagine what they went through back then. they had nothing to eat, and they were forced to keep marching until the s.s. men were tired and wanted to rest. i'm paying my respects to the victims, then we'll move on. >> it started to get dark earlier in the afternoon, but the group continues its walk alongside the road. it's still a few kilometers. tonight they'll sleep in a school. the mayor has invited them, after 42 kilometers, it's a welcome rest. they already have blisters on their feet.

>> after 20 kilometers, i noticed my feet were getting tender, my socks are too thick. that was a mistake, but i'm not going to cry over it. >> in 1945, the prisoners had a much harder time. they didn't have hiking boots or warm clothes. what we're experiencing now is nothing compared to what they went through. >> they have dinner at the school, the hikers are tired and go to sleep early. everything went smoothly today. for the group, the hike is a very special commemoration. >> just laying a wreath isn't enough. that's too easy, it's not 100%. we can't feel what the prisoners did back then, we're healthy and we're not starving, but our hike brings us as close to the experience as is possible today.

>> two days later they reach their goal. they leave the railway station. this is where the survivors of the death march were shipped westward. some local residents are here to greet the marchers. there are some critical voices, but most people admire what they're doing. >> they're sincere about what they're doing and the victims who died such a terrible death deserve to be remembered. >> it's a good reminder for young people about the genocide and its history. >> i disagree, we're reopening up old wounds. we shouldn't be conjuring this terrible past. >> for their part, the hikers are glad they managed the entire route. >> i hope the weather is colder and more severe next year, like a winter of 1945. that's what i want to experience.

it was both a labor of love and a physical challenge. i wanted to make it to the end. it was hard, but my heart is satisfied. >> i am very content. we made it and we'll do it again! more people have already said they're taking part next year. >> for the hikers, it was three days spent in intense reflection, paying tribute to the prisoners of auschwitz. they want to keep that memory alive. now, and in the future. ukraine has been swept by a violent protest over the past two months. it happened when the country's president abandoned integration plans to move closer to russia instead. still, it won't be the protesters who have the greatest influence in the situation on tend, but rather the country's oligarches, a handful of

industrial barons who wield so much power behind the scenes. the richest is rinat akhmetov and is known to be particularly close to the president. >> the rage boiled over, hope for real change turned into desperation. it's a struggle of the grassroots against the old boys network. >> unfortunately the movement has no sympathizers at the highest of power. those that could stand up are too cowardly. they have too much to lose. >> they are the oligarches, ukraines billionaires. rinat akhmetov among them. he owns one of europe's top

soccer clubs, thanks to its annual 90 million euro budget. it seems rinat akhmetov owns almost everything, a city of about one million in eastern ukraine. this hotel for example, one of the most expensive. he came from a mining family and supposedly made his first money as a shell game huckster and boxing. it's hard to say how he made his first million euros. now, age 47, rinat akhmetov controls ukraine's coal and steel production and runs banks and television stations. in his hometown, rinat akhmetov is especially popular among soccer fans. >> he made our city more beautiful. he built the stadium the way he envisioned it. paid to make his dreams come true and that's good for all of us. >> they can buy real players,

real stars. millions are spent on those players. >> rinat akhmetov also spends millions on politics. on president yanukovych's election campaign, for example. >> the oligarches are, to a very high degree, dependent on the state. they finance certain persons in the state apparatus when they're in need of funds. and in return, the oligarches get the state's protection and the backing they need for certain aspects of the economy. >> the state allows the oligarches their monopolies and keeps potential competitors down, in return for the oligarches support. one hand washes the other. so most oligarches want nothing to do with the protesters, at least not openly. they tend to be pro west, so observers believe they would try to reign in the president and hope things don't get any worse.

>> the oligarches don't want to see a violent solution to the crisis. they have many of their assets in the west, their accounts and villas. and they don't want to see their names on any black lists. they don't want to end up with blood on their hands. in the classic scenario, this would be handled with machine guns or tanks. >> nobody's interested in a civil war. yanukovych's strongest backers so far are the so-called donetsk clan, with rinat akhmetov as the godfather. with the fortune estimated at more than 10 billion euros, rinat akhmetov is ukraine's richest man. he's said to have as many as 50

of the parliament's members in his pocket. as the protests escalated, he stated through his corporation that he opposes any use of violence. he advocates european values and political compromise. so is rinat akhmetov letting go of yanukovych? >> he's got his own interests as well. he has to show his strength and try to keep yanukovych in check, so he doesn't get to be totally dependent on him. >> as long as yanukovych stays in power, he can count on the support of the donetsk clan. but can they count on him staying in power? if not, they will have made their provisions and bat ton down the hatches. shark attacks are truly terrifying, and of course wherever they happen they also have a big impact on local

tourism. one answer is to carry out a shark cull, but it's hugely controversial and something that not something conservists like. it's an issue which is dividing people on the eye french island of la reunion. it was a beautiful place until they began to be attacked by sharks. there have been five deadly attacks in the past two years. so now here too the authorities are proposed a shark cull, saying that human life must take press dense. >> the water waves and surfing were once anthony's life. but now this is the place where he comes to think. can you hate an animal for following its natural instincts? a question he's asked himself ever since he heard about a shark attack on a radio. >> i went to the beach, saw the

police and his things. he was no longer there. they had taken him away by ambulance. that's how i learned of my brother's death. >> his brother was the first of five people killed by sharks here since 2011. >> it hurts me to know that he was alone in the water. that he screamed and was afraid. there's so many things i'd like to have told him. >> the risk of being attacked by a shark in la reunion is statistically speaking, 1,000 times higher than in the u.s., or australia. but no one knows precisely why sharks have attacked humans along la reunion. some say it's a coincidence, while others point to the marine reserve off the island's coast.

the man at the helm of this boat wants to find out for sure. a legend among the fishermen of the indian ocean for catching so many tiger sharks and bull sharks. today, he's going to try to do it again. he thinks simply killing the sharks is an overreaction. >> it's a delicate issue. we don't want la reunion to get an image of being an island of shark killers because around the world, the shark has become an icon of environment protection. we need to find a coherent means of protection that works for both man and animal. >> but this means catching the shark first. gasol uses squid and mackerel as bait, his line is two kilometers long. working for a government research product, the sharks he catches aren't killed, but rather fitted with a

transmitter. this much research has tracked where the sharks go and when they approach the shore. they can also determine whether the fish are native to la reunion or move around the indian ocean. this data should allow them to better predict the danger to swimmers. is there danger of a shark attack? it will take time to find the answer. but more studies and more waiting could mean more deaths. here's an oorget for decisive action. >> here you have a bull shark and a tiger shark. >> he has founded a citizens initiative which is pressuring politicians to kill the sharks. he knows he'll face a storm of protest from internet users, and from activists like these who equate visiting la reunion to swimming in blood. >> it's a real taboo, when an old lady gets robbed somewhere, no one cares.

but as soon as you kill anaerobic mall, the whole world is outraged. people think, man has destroyed enough nature. >> what angers him is that the people who are demanding these animal species be protected live far away. the sharks pose no danger to them, unlike the residents of the island. the locals are confronted with these signs on all beaches, except for one. no one goes more than a few steps into the water. it's too dangerous to swim here. a surf instructor, or rather was a surf instructor. the shark attacks have destroyed his business. >> our clients are traumatized. no one can go in the water. i've lost everything. it's as simple as that. all i have is some worthless surfboards lying around. >> what angers him most is that

this problem is man made. he tells the few remaining surfers that sharks have always been around. the problems began when the coastline became a protected area. he says by banning fishing and jet skiing here and allowing just the occasional motor boat, la reunion has practically invited sharks to congregate here. >> used to have a marine reserve, but we're a sea side resort. would you open a lion reserve in the heart of jo hansburg? it's completely illogical. >> but now, the sharks are here. and la reunion's residents can do nothing else. should they just live with the danger? or should they strike back and kill the sharks? a short while ago, local authorities decided to cull 90 sharks. but officials were unwilling to give interviews on the subject.

finally, after six hours of waiting, a silver colored patch is spotted in the water. it's a tiger shark. our underwater camera shows he's close to four meters long and weighs around 300 kilos. on his dor sell fin is a little yellow transmitter. the shark has already been tagged. >> it's tiger shark number 22. we've caught him already, so we'll let him go again. it's vital that he continues to deliver data as part of our scientific program. >> but before he lets the shark go, he jumps in the water. it's a terrifying site, but gasol says he does it each time.

he doesn't know if the shark is watching, but he wants to show the animal that humans too have a place in the ocean. >> it's my way of demystifying the shark. people see sharks as maneaters that should be killed or creatures that need saving. we need to find a middle ground in the way we deal with sharks. >> and then he lets tiger shark number 22 go free again. gasol returns to shore without having gleened any new scientific data. he culled the sharks as the state commission to. as a fisherman, he said that's his job. >> but the government will do this discreetly or secretly. i'm sure you won't be allowed to film it. that would be really difficult. >> what's worse for reunion? being a shark infested island or

a haven for barbaric animal killers? they know making the decision will be tough. he's not seeking revenge for the death of his brother, but he says people can go back in the water, the island would have lost part of its soul. >> many children decide to follow in their parents footsteps when it comes to choosing a career. fine if you're father's a doctor or a lawyer, not so good if he's a member of the mafia. the sad fact is that teenagers who come from mafia families in italy rarely manage to avoid a criminal career. now a juvenile court in calabria is trying to change that. that's known as the ndrangheta. when teenagers run into trouble there and end up in the courts, calabria sends them to foster homes no an attempt to break that criminal cycle. >> 19-year-old won't appear on camera in his hometown. it would be too risky. he has quit the mafia and

slipped off to the capitol reggio calabria. the road seemed mapped out for him and he had already taken his first steps on it. his family is ndrangheta, the calabrian version of the mafia. his father is in jail for life and he has done time himself. >> i was always facing the temptation of going down the wrong path, often out of fear. but i'm not a bad person. >> he wants to graduate from high school in june. it's extremely rare for someone from a mafia family to leave a life of crime. reggio calabria is the base of operations for the ndrangheta, europe's most powerful crime syndicate. the members of its clans have little chance of going legit, especially if they've already got a criminal record. judge robert griffin iii is determined to change that.

he's headed reggio east juvenile court for years now. >> the defendants appearing before me are often the sons or brothers of people i convicted 20 years ago. we're dealing with actual dynasties here, where criminal careers are passed from father to son. >> his approach is to order a deleent or at risk teenager to be removed from their mafia families and sent to host families. italian law prohibits taking pictures of these youngsters. they have already posted a number of young people from ndrangheta backgrounds from judge di 5 bella. it's not at all easy to put them on the right path when they've grown up knowing only violence. >> the state has to take another approach to these young people. they experience violence in

their mafia families. and the state peers mainly in the form of armed officers. violence is all they know, legal or illegal. >> every year, on average, two murders are committed in calabria by youngsters from ndrangheta clans. he never killed anyone, but he says it would only have been a matter of time. he's hardly ever seen his father out of jail. as a child, he visited him once a week. he may have renounced his criminal career, but not his father. >> because of his problems, papa was never at home. what little time i had with him, i'll never forget. as every little gesture. i still visit him. sure, i miss him. >> in reggio calabria's juvenile prison, social educators work with young e phoneders in trying to guide them out of the world of drug dealing, family feuds, and vendettas.

>> it's very hard, because we have to challenge the father figure. everyone identifies with their father, mother or grandfather a little. to these youngsters, say no to the ndrangheta means breaking their emotional ties to their family. but judge calabria says this is necessary. often he is sees 12 or 13-year-olds who have assaulted people with knives. and mothers are little help, not even with the youngest defenders. >> oddly enough, there are women who are against us, even though they know that our actions are the only way to keep their kids out of prison, or even keep them from getting killed. >> currently, on judge di bella's orders are living with host families far away from their criminal families. he served time for armed robby. like so many kids his age, he

said he was dreaming of getting rich. after his final exams he's planning on studying law and become an attorney. >> i decided on law because of my father. in some cases, he was wrongly convicted, and that hurts. i'm hoping i'll be able to overturn these miscarriages of justice someday. >> judge di bella weems his challenges. through legal channels, he says with his experience, he could even imagine him as a fellow judge one day. >> why not? anyone who works in the justice system is checked out. anything's possible. >> judge di bella stands by the practice of taking children from mafia families, and he's not alone. another judge in reggio calabria's juvenile court as well. that's it for "european journal." thanks for watching, you can talk to us vie our facebook page. but for all the team in

brussels, i hope you can join us next time. good-bye. a7guceñeñ

democracynow.org 02/06/14 02/06/14 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] >> from pacifica, this is democracy now! we begin with a fox news alert, there's a bombshell report that finds obamacare will be much worse for the economy improves the predicted. >> obamacare is a job killer. that was the message across the media this week after the release of a new congressional budget office report. but what does the report really say? we will speak with politico's nn