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Timothy Snyder

@timothysnyder.bsky.social
485K followers 101 following 1.8K posts

Temerty Professor of Modern European History, Munk School, University of Toronto; Permanent Fellow, IWM Vienna; Emeritus Levin Professor, Yale. Author of "On Freedom," "On Tyranny," "Our Malady," "Road to Unfreedom," "Black Earth," and "Bloodlands"

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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
A portrait of Nicole Fleetwood and me drawn during our last public conversation by the artist Djuna Tewksbury. Watch our latest conversation below, and read Nicole Fleetwood's new book! nicolerfleetwood.substack.com/p/our-two-oh...
Pencil sketch of Timothy Snyder and Nicole Fleetwood. They are sitting in chairs, engaged in in conversation. They are in front of an audience that is not shown.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Publiczna rozmowa z Sławkiem Sierakowskim o Ukrainie i Polsce, 17’ego września, 18:00, Plac Konstitucji 6, Warszawa.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Trump and the people around him have no sense of patriotism or sovereignty. To them, politics is another grift—another way to the top. But as we are seeing, Canada doesn’t share their view. Canada has a plan and they are acting—and America will now lose the most, thanks to Trump and his people (2/2)
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
A word about Trump’s reckless trade war with Canada. This is happening because Trump’s entire career is based on fraud and grift, which means he simply does not know anything about economics, trade, markets. He never has. (1/2)
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Bardzo dumni razem z Marci z honoru Człowiek Pogranicza / Very proud as is Marci to have been named Borderlanders / foto tegoż dnia w Krasnogrudzie. @marcishore.bsky.social
A photo of a full rainbow across a sky that is cloudy but illuminated by sunlight.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
з нагоди дня незалежності…
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
"Why Was Communism Appealing?" The sixth lecture in my new online course "Hitler and Stalin Today." Guest lecture by @marcishore.bsky.social Read more and watch the full lecture here: snyder.substack.com/p/why-was-co...
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
"What is Ukraine?" The fifth lecture in my new online course, "Hitler and Stalin Today." Ukraine has to be at the center of a class on Hitler and Stalin, because it was at the center of both men’s mental worlds. Read more and watch the full lecture: snyder.substack.com/p/what-is-uk...
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Join me tomorrow, August 11th, for a conversation with Susan Rice about where we are now with Trump's war in Iran and domestic policy. Tuesday, August 11th, 12:00pm ET On: snyder.substack.com
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Title: Substack Live with Susan Rice

Headshots of Timothy Snyder and Susan Rice, with their respective names underneath.

Text: Substack Live with Susan Rice about Trump's war in Iran, slide toward authoritarianism, and domestic policy.

12:00pm (ET), August 11th on snyder.substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Last week, the third lecture in my new online course, "Hitler and Stalin Today," asked "What is Fascism?" The fourth lecture asks "What is Communism?" Hosted by the Munk School @utoronto.ca Read more about the lecture and watch the full recording here: snyder.substack.com/p/what-is-co...
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
"What is Fascism?" The third lecture in my new online course, "Hitler and Stalin today" A guest lecture by @marcishore.bsky.social re.bsky.social Hosted by the Munk School @utoronto.ca Full lecture here: snyder.substack.com/p/what-is-fa...
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Ukraine, July 2026
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Lecture 2: "A World of Empire" Totalitarianism did not emerge from nowhere. It was a response particularly to empires that Europeans had created. Free online course: "Hitler and Stalin Today" Hosted by the Munk School @utoronto.ca Full lecture: youtu.be/PDOGV5Gl6SE?...
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
In collaboration with the Munk School, I am sharing a ten-lecture course I taught at @utoronto.ca this past year. The course is called “Hitler and Stalin Today.” Watch the first lecture here: snyder.substack.com/p/new-lectur...
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Lviv, July 2026
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
The war in Iran began with a dream of violence. The question now is whether that tyrannical emotional state, the utopia of violence, that brought us the war will be applied inside the United States. snyder.substack.com/p/utopias-of...
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Title: Utopias of Violence

Text:
The war in Iran began with a dream of violence. The question now is whether the nightmare that followed returns to the United States.

The most important lesson to be learned from the American defeat is that the use of force does not magically lead to the outcome you want. This is not a point that is likely to be taken in the White House. And so the rest of us have to be ready to talk about, and thereby prevent, Trump's obvious wish: the use of military force inside the United States to preserve his power.

From: "Thinking about..."
snyder.substack.com

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Title: Utopias of Violence

Text: Will the tyrannical emotional state that brought us the war now be applied inside the United States? The emotional state, the utopia of violence, is not closely tethered to reality, and has to be considered in its own right. It has causal force, as we have just seen in Iran. The war began not with a plan, or a strategy, or for that matter any sense of the national interest. The attack on Iran began with a longing -- a subjective sense that violence is pleasurable and can bring a utopia in which desires become reality. In the statements of President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth, such a utopia of violence is palpable. By "utopia of violence" I mean the belief that the use of force is somehow transcendental, removing the irritating constraints of daily life, and making everything possible.

From: Thinking about...
snyder.substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Join me on Monday for a conversation with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer about Iran and the U.S. position on the global stage. June 22nd, 3:00pm ET, on thelonggame.substack.com
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Title: Substack Live with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer
Headshots of Timothy Snyder, Jake Sullivan, and Jon Finer, with their respective names.
Text: Substack Live with Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer on Iran and the U.S. position on the global stage.
3:00pm ET, June 22nd, on thelonggame.substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Join me on Monday for a conversation with @joycewhitevance.bsky.social about the state of politics in the US. June 22, 4:30pm ET, on joycevance.substack.com
Text card
Title: "Substack Live with Joyce Vance"
Headshots of Timothy Snyder and Joyce Vance with their respective names.
Text: Substack Live with Joyce Vance about the state of the U.S., democracy, and the slide to authoritarianism.
4:30pm ET, June 22nd on 
joycevance.substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
To win a war means changing the politics of the enemy such that they must surrender. That is what Iran just did to the United States. See my latest essay: "Capitulation Day: The dimensions of defeat, and the chance for recovery." snyder.substack.com/p/capitulati...
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Title: "Capitulation Day"
Text:
"This war was a parade of Trump’s incompetence at every possible level from the beginning. To win a war requires understanding the politics of the other side and how it might be changed. Trump, Hegseth and the others treated the Iranian leadership as cartoon characters who would immediately do what Americans wanted as soon as the bombs fell. The Americans had no strategy -- no sense of how violence could change politics -- and it did not occur to them that the Iranians would have one. Once the Iranians did the obvious, which was to respond to American long-range strikes with their own, and close the Straits of Hormuz, the war was over, and they had won. The Americans had no second move, except to claim that they had won when they had lost (which they are, laughably, still doing)."
From "Thinking about..."
Full essay via link in profile
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Thoughts on Capitulation Day. This level of defeat in Iran is only possible at the hands of a super loser like Trump. To win a war means changing the politics of the enemy such that they must surrender. That is what Iran just did to the United States. Read more: snyder.substack.com/p/capitulati...
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
In countries that have successfully reversed democratic backsliding in recent years—from Poland in 2023 to Hungary in 2026—opposition movements made prosecuting those who have broken laws a central campaign issue.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Join me in conversation with @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social on "Thinking Live" for a conversation about the state of democracy at home and abroad. Today, June 15th, 3pm ET snyder.substack.com
Event announcement card.
Top reads "Substack Live with Ruth Ben-Ghiat"
Headshots of Timothy Snyder and Ruth Ben-Ghiat with their respective names
Text: "Thinking Live with Ruth Ben-Ghiat about the state of democracy at home and abroad"
3:00PM (ET) June 15th
on
snyder.substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Join me for a conversation with Rep. Jake Auchincloss on Thinking Live. We'll be discussing Iran, Ukraine, and the future. Monday, June 8th, at 3:15pm ET. On snyder.substack.com. @repauchincloss.bsky.social
Text card
Heading: Substack Live with Rep. Jake Auchincloss
Headshots of Timothy Snyder and Rep. Jake Auchincloss, with their respective names.
Text: "Thinking Live" with Rep. Jake Auchincloss on Iran, Ukraine, and big ideas for the future
03:15PM (ET) June 8th
On
snyder.substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Pay attention to who is willing to break the law for Donald Trump as we head into the midterm elections—because his end goal is to create a system where others will break the law for him. It's about building up a custom where it's normal to break the law for a person. The big case is the military.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Kyiv, Ukraine May 2026
A child's drawing with letters spelling out "Freedom"
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Kyiv, Ukraine, 51 months into the war
A public engagement art installation. Text at the top reads "#HappyWall." Beneath are squares on hinges that open to reveal messages and pictures that people have left there.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Keep telling the truth. Thank you to Stephen Colbert and everyone at The Late Show.
Text card:
Getting rid of Stephen Colbert is a sign of weakness, not of strength.
Why be afraid of the truth? Why be afraid of comedians?
Keep telling the truth.
Find media who tell the truth.
Stay with it
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Solidarity today and every day with Ukrainian friends. #VyshyvankaDay
Selfie of Timothy Snyder wearing a Vyshyvanka.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Слава захисницям, любов читачкам.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Join me today on Thinking Live for a conversation with Lawrence Lessig on Super PACs and dark money in politics. April 30th, at 3:15 ET, snyder.substack.com, with @lessig.bsky.social
Announcement card
Top reads: Substack Live with Lawrence Lessig
Headshots of Timothy Snyder and Lawrence Lessig, with their respective names
Text: Thinking Live with Lawrence Lessig on Super PACs and dark money in politics.
3:15PM ET, April 30
On snyder.substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Some thoughts about the President of the United States speaking about ending a civilization. The president speaks genocide. Anyone who has been involved in that conversation or associated actions would be complicit. And so we too must speak. Not only about crimes, but about their legal punishment.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
#NoKings Cincinnati, Ohio Protest matters. This will help to get us through.
A picture taken from among people marching down a street as part of the Cincinnati #NoKings event. There is a person in an inflatable frog costume, and people are carrying signs. One sign says "No Kings" and another says "All Children Are Our Children. ICE Out"
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
#NoKings Cincinnati, Ohio. Protest matters. This will help to get us through.
A selfie of Timothy Snyder in the crowd at the Cincinnati, Ohio No Kings event. There is a large crowd behind him, many people carrying signs. A sign directly behind him says "Orange Lies Matter."
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Today's the day. America has no king. Come out and stand together in solidarity for freedom. #NoKings Find your event: www.nokings.org
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Where will you be tomorrow? #NoKings Find your event for this Saturday, March 28th. www.nokings.org
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
No Kings. Find your event for this Saturday, March 28th. www.nokings.org #NoKings
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Join me on Wednesday, March 25th, for a conversation with @hcrichardson.bsky.social. We'll be talking about history, politics, and resistance strategies. 1pm ET on "Thinking Live," snyder.substack.com.
Substack Live annoucement
Top reads: "Substack Live with Heather Cox Richardson"
Image has headshots of Timothy Snyder and Heather Cox Richardson with their names.
Text: Timothy Snyder in conversation with Boston College historian Heather Cox Richardson on the state of politics in America, history, and effective resistance strategies.
1:00pm ET
March 25
On snyder.substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
No Kings. Find your event location for Saturday, March 28th. #NoKings www.nokings.org (Image credit Elizabeth Van Dusen)
An image of Trump in a toddler's high chair, dressed as a king in ermine and velvet robes and a jeweled crown on his head. He has a golden pacifier in his mouth. On the high chair's tray he is holding a Diet Coke and there is a container of Macdonald's french fries.
The words "No Kings" are written across the image.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Today, March 4th, I'll be speaking with @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social about masculinity in politics, the war in Iran, and the means of resistance. Join us at 12:30pm ET. snyder.substack.com
Graphics card promoting an online live conversation.
Top reads: "Lucid Substack Live with Ruth Ben-Ghiat"
Headshots of Timothy Snyder and Ruth Ben-Ghiat with their respective names.
"Timothy Snyder in conversation with NYU historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat on the state of contemporary politics and applicable tools of resistance."
12:30pm ET today, March 4th, on snyder.substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Join my conversation about Iran with Janice Stein this afternoon at 3:30pm ET on Thinking Live. snyder.substack.com
Graphics card.
Title: "Thinking live: Conversation"
March 3rd, 3:30pm ET
Headshots of Tim Snyder and Janice Stein with their names.
snyder.substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
Join my conversation with @phillipspobrien.bsky.social about Iran on Thinking Live at 12:00pm ET: snyder.substack.com Read his primer on the bombing of Iran: phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/the-usa-an... And my thoughts on the reasons behind attacking Iran: snyder.substack.com/p/why-attack...
Graphics card.
Reads at the top: Thinking Live Conversation, February 28th, 12:00pm ET.
Headshots of Tim Snyder and Phillips O'Brien with their respective names.
snyder.substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
The facts suggest two interpretive frameworks for Iran: a foreign war as a mechanism to destroy democracy at home; and a foreign war as an element of personal corruption by the president of the U.S. Join my live conversation with @phillipspobrien.bsky.social, 12:00pm ET, snyder.substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
It has been four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Walking in Uzhhorod, I found myself counting to two hundred and sixteen. Two hundred and sixteen plaques with photographs of men and women from Uzhhorod who have been killed in the war.
Text card:
Thinking About
"Four Years"
"Exactly four years of war, as of today. The cemeteries in Ukraine are larger than they should be. Fresh graves change the landscapes, as seen from a car or a train; the short spans of life, seen inscribed in stone, alter the reaction of the heart.
The number four did not come to us. We brought it with us. Like 216, or like 100,000, the number four arrived because of what we failed to do. Do we count? Or are we just counting?"
Read more at https://snyder.substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Today marks four years since Russia invaded Ukraine. These are some thoughts (recorded yesterday) on what Ukrainians have done for all of us and what we can learn from them.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
I will be joining @jimacosta.bsky.social for a conversation on Monday, February 23rd, at 4:00pm ET.
Graphics card. Text at the top says Substack, February 23rd, 4:00pm. Below are headshots of Tim Snyder and Jim Acosta with their names. 
JimAcosta.Substack.Com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Join me for a live conversation with Paul Krugman. Monday, February 23rd, 1:00pm ET, on Thinking Live.
Graphics card. Text at the top: Thinking Live, February 23rd, 1:00pm. Below are headshots of Timothy Snyder and Paul Krugman with their names.
Snyder.substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Join me live in conversation with @davidpepperoh.bsky.social, who is running for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio. Monday, February 23rd, at 12:00pm on Thinking Live. snyder.substack.com
Graphics card. Reads at the top: "Thinking Live, February 23rd, 12:00pm." There are headshots of Timothy Snyder and David Pepper, each labeled with their name.
Snyder.substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
“Freedom of memory,” wrote the skiier Kateryna Kotsar on her glove. It also works the other way around: we need memory for freedom.
Text card:
Thinking About...
"Watching the Olympics from Ukraine"
"We cannot be free without the memory of others who suffer, without recalling the people who are suffering now; in this night, in this place, during this air raid alert, I think of Ukraine, where I am: but it could be Sudan, or Gaza, or Iran, or concentration camps in Russia, or China, or America, and all of the history that we choose to forget, and how that forgetfulness helped bring us our present predicament. Do Americans remember, for example, how much hatred greeted Tommie Smith and John Carlos when they wore black gloves and raised their fists on the podium after winning sprinting medals at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City?"
Read more at Snyder.Substack.com
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
A good thing happened today: Haitians in Springfield, Ohio and elsewhere are (for now) safe from the planned ethnic cleansing operation. This happened because people came together — organizers, reporters, and those who care — and made it happen. Let’s take the win and continue the work.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
In Springfield, Ohio, people are preparing in advance of a “large deportation” promised by the president. To all appearances, the city is 2 or 3 days from a federal ethnic cleansing, grounded in a hate campaign organized by the vice-president and American Nazis. snyder.substack.com/p/ethnic-cle...
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