The Book Club: The Once and Future Riot

In this episode of The Spectator's Book Club, literary editor Sam Leith interviews cartoonist Joe Sacco about his latest work, *The Once and Future Riot*, a graphic narrative exploring a 2019 communal riot in Western Uttar Pradesh, India, between Hindu Jat and Muslim communities. Sacco, known for his immersive, fact-based comics journalism, recounts how he was drawn to the story not for the violence itself, but for the competing narratives people constructed about it years after the fact. He emphasizes the power of comics to immerse readers in place and time, convey history beyond the camera’s reach, and reveal the subjectivity of reporting by including himself in the panels. The episode delves into the political machinations behind the riot—how a suspended police investigation favoring Muslim voters inflamed Hindu Jat communities—and how such events reflect broader patterns of using fear and 'the enemy' to mobilize electoral support, echoing Carl Schmitt’s theory of politics needing an enemy. Sacco also discusses the book’s suppression in India, where official complaints led to blocked distribution, despite its factual rigor and verbatim quotes. He reflects on the challenges of slow, meticulous journalism in a fast-news world and teases his upcoming collaborative work with Chris Hedges on Gaza’s recent history. Key takeaways include: 1) Narratives shape reality as much as facts, especially in post-violence contexts; 2) Comics offer a unique blend of visual immersion and narrative depth that traditional reporting can’t replicate; 3) Electoral politics often exploit fear of 'the other' to consolidate power; 4) Journalistic integrity demands verbatim quotes and factual accuracy, even when uncomfortable; 5) Artistic form (like comics) can be a powerful vehicle for complex, underreported global stories. The tone is reflective, incisive, and deeply committed to truth-telling, with a quiet urgency about the fragility of democracy.