Italian fascists from Millennium ally with pro-Russian right-wing extremists

German version of this post can be found here: "Italienische Faschisten von Millennium verbünden sich mit pro-russischen Rechtsextremisten"

Following the visit of Polish fascists to Eastern Ukraine, in support of pro-Russian right-wing extremists of the "Donetsk People's Republic", now Italian fascists from the Millennium organisation pledge allegiance to anti-Ukrainian terrorists.

According to Pavel Gubarev, one of the leaders of pro-Russian extremists and former member of the neo-Nazi Russian National Unity, "anti-fascists" from the Italian Millennium organisation have come to Donetsk and will join the "military forces" of the "Donetsk People's Republic" under the leadership of Igor Strelkov.

Orazio Maria Gnerre (far left) and Pavel Gubarev (far right), Donetsk, June 2014

Moscow to become the world's capital of religious fundamentalism (updated)

On 10-12 September 2014, Moscow will turn into the world's capital of religious fundamentalism and obscurantism as it will host World Congress of Families VIII.

Its official theme is "Every Child A Gift: Large Families – The Future of Humanity", but in fact this congress will feature notorious top anti-LGBT activists, some of whom have contributed to the adoption of anti-LGBT laws in Russia (and, consequently, the surge in anti-gay hate crimes) and Uganda where the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act punishes gay people with a life imprisonment.

To stress the significance of religious fundamentalism and ultra-conservatism for contemporary Russia, the venues of the World Congress of Families will include the Congress Hall of the Kremlin, the Christ the Savior Cathedral, and the Russian Parliament (Duma).

Polish fascists are joining with pro-Russian right-wing extremists

German version of this post: "Polnische Faschisten verbünden sich mit pro-russischen rechtsradikalen Extremisten"
French version of this post: "Falanga rejoint l’internationale fasciste de Poutine et Assad"

The pro-Russian right-wing extremist movement in the Donetsk oblast is now supported by a Polish fascist group called "Falanga". It is not the first Polish extreme right organisation that is trying to undermine democracy in Ukraine - in the beginning of February, Hungarian Jobbik and Polish Ruch Narodowy (National Movement) tried to promote pro-Hungarian and pro-Polish separatism in Western parts of Ukraine.

With Falanga, the situation is a little bit different, although there is little doubt that Falanga would support the demise of Ukraine and Galicia consequently joining Poland.

Under the leadership of Bartosz Bekier, Falanga is a part of the broad, partially coordinated pan-European extreme right movement that is, in particular, openly supportive of the Kremlin's anti-Western policies and ideas.

Falanga on the march; Bartosz Bekier is featured on the left. Warsaw, 2011

Bartosz Bekier in Donetsk, May 2014

The Kremlin’s marriage of convenience with the European far right (in English and Russian)

The Kremlin’s marriage of convenience with the European far right

Putin’s strong-arm tactics in Eastern Ukraine and ‘moral, family-based’ policies have won him ardent support from far-right European groups. But they should not be under any illusions...

Брак по расчёту: Кремль и европейские ультраправые

Тактика применения силы в Восточной Украине и политика, ориентированная на «мораль и семейные ценности» обеспечили Путину ревностную поддержку европейских крайних правых. Но им не стоит обольщаться...

Marine Le Pen, Front National's leader, and Aleksey Pushkov, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian Parliament, Moscow, 2013. Pushkov is now under sanctions by the US and Canada

Pro-Russian "National-Bolshevik" alliance in the European Parliament

On 17 April 2014, the European Parliament adopted the resolution "On Russian pressure on Eastern Partnership countries and in particular destabilisation of eastern Ukraine". 437 MEPs voted for, 49 - against, and 85 abstained. The analysis of the vote against the resolution (see below) reveals the formation of the far right/far left alliance in the European Parliament, and this "National Bolshevik" alliance is likely to grow stronger after the European elections in May 2014. The progressive forces of Europe should be worried about the rise of the far left as much as they are worried about the rise of the far right.

Recent articles, interviews and comments

Українською:

• «Правий сектор»: Між політичними технологіями та (вуличною) політикою

• Чого ще чекати від «Правого сектора»

Розбійні напади Сашка Білого на представників влади, захоплення автомобілів з автопарку Віктора Януковича,  стрілянина активіста «Правого сектора» в представників «Самооборони Майдану» – неповний перелік вчинків, якими для багатьох запам’яталася діяльність «Правого сектора». «Слово і Діло» спробувало з'ясувати, чи слід вбачати в діях організації «руку Кремля» й чого чекати від представників «Правого сектора» далі.

• Шеховцов: У Росії, не в Україні, є ознаки фашизму

Фашисти – клеймо, яке кремлівська пропаганда чіпляла спочатку на учасників протестів проти Віктора Януковича, а тепер – на новий український уряд та мало не на весь український народ. Таким чином росіяни збурюються проти своїх сусідів та підтримують агресивну політику Володимира Путіна. Утім, говорить дослідник європейських праворадикальних партій та рухів Лондонського Університету-коледжу  Антон Шеховцов, в самій Росії ознак фашизму присутньо набагато більше, ніж в Україні.

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По-русски:

• Шеховцов: В России, а не в Украине, есть признаки фашизма

Фашисты – клеймо, которое кремлевская пропаганда цепляла сначала на участников протестов против Виктора Януковича, а теперь – на новое украинское правительство и чуть ли не на весь украинский народ. Таким образом, россияне возмущаются против своих соседей и поддерживают агрессивную политику Владимира Путина. Впрочем, говорит исследователь европейских праворадикальных партий и движений Лондонского Университета-колледжа Антон Шеховцов, в самой России признаков фашизма присутствует гораздо больше, чем в Украине.

• Эксперт: "Правый сектор" распадется

Чего хотят правые радикалы на Украине, в чем секрет "Правого сектора", какова роль России - об этом интервью DW с украинским исследователем праворадикальных партий Шеховцовым.

• Украинские радикалы: реальная угроза или маргинальная сила?

Корреспондент DW Никита Жолквер беседовал в Берлине с экспертами, изучающими проблемы правого радикализма, национализма и ксенофобии на Украине и в других европейских странах.

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Auf Deutsch:

• Experte: Der Rechte Sektor zerfällt

Was wollen die Rechtsradikalen in der Ukraine? Was ist das Geheimnis des Prawyj Sektor (Rechter Sektor)? Welche Rolle spielt Russland? – Der ukrainische Rechtsextremismus-Forscher Schechowzow im Interview mit der Deutschen Welle.

• Jüdische Experten entlarven Putins Propaganda

Nach Ansicht namhafter Forscher aus der Ukraine nimmt die Judenfeindlichkeit in ihrem Land ab – ganz im Gegensatz zu den Behauptungen Moskaus. Ein Problem seien vielmehr russische Provokateure.

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Po polsku:

• Kto tryzubem wojuje, od tryzuba ginie

Ukraińska prawica obwąchiwała się z Frontem Narodowym, z Jobbikiem, z polskimi narodowcami. Przestała, gdy zorientowała się, że europejscy radykałowie są prorosyjscy. Za to dziś nikt nie powie złego słowa o Polakach. Z politologiem Antonem Szechowcowem rozmawia Ludwika Włodek.

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В български:

• Залезът на десните екстремисти в Украйна

Те бяха в първите редици на революцията в Украйна и допринесоха в значителна степен за свалянето на режима. Но влиянието на националистическите партии и на дясноекстремистките групировки постепенно чезне.

Moscow's friendship with the European far right testifies to the Kremlin's slave mentality

Why did the Kremlin invited European far right "monitors" to "observe" the Crimean "referendum" via its puppet Eurasian Observatory for Democracy & Elections (EODE) led by neo-Nazi Luc Michel?

Obviously, European right-wing extremists are natural allies of Russia's current president Vladimir Putin who is increasingly - and rightfully - perceived as a far right politician. But why did Moscow invite European rather than South American or Asian or African "monitors"? After all, the majority of the countries that voted against the UN resolution, which declared the Crimean "referendum" invalid, - Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Nicaragua, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Zimbabwe - are coming from the non-European parts of the world. The overwhelming majority of the countries which abstained from or did not take part in the vote are also non-European.

The truth is that the Kremlin needed to legitimise its invasion in the Crimea, but, in Putin's infinitely racist, far right view, South American, Asian or African "observers" cannot provide legitimacy to the Kremlin's actions. Putin needs white, European people to say "Yes" to his criminal, fascistoid gamble. South American, Asian or African pro-Russian voices are fine for the Kremlin in the virtual world of the UN, but Putin despises them in the real world - they mean nothing to him.

Yet this is not only about Putin's racist worldview as such. By hating the "White West" and at the same time relying on it for the justification of its own actions, the Kremlin reveals its slave mentality. Putin is behaving like a slave who loathes his "racial masters", but is unable to do anything without their consent.

Italian fascists love Putin

Italian fascists simply love Russian president Vladimir Putin:

Six Italian far right groups have sponsored the posters saying "Rome is with Putin" and "Obama is an unwelcome guest": Roma Nord, Movimento Sociale Europeo, Contro Tempo, XX Flotta, Comunità Militante Formello, Ostia.

Perhaps with the exception of Roberto Fiore and his Forza Nuova, Italian fascists are strong supporters of Russian imperialism.

Front National's Aymeric Chauprade denies his links to Belgian neo-Nazis

I have been informed that Aymeric Chauprade, one of the top members of the French radical right-wing populist National Front and Marine Le Pen's advisor on international issues, now denies that he was invited to "observe" the illegal Crimean "referendum" by the Eurasian Observatory for Democracy & Elections (EODE) headed by a Belgian neo-Nazi Luc Michel.

Why would Chauprade deny this? The answer is obvious: the French National Front tries to distance itself from the extreme right and neo-Nazism, while Marine Le Pen has long been trying to present her party as non-extremist. Chauprade's visit to the illegitimate Crimean "referendum" on the invitation from the EODE undermines the National Front's "moderated, respectable image" in the run-up to the elections to the European Parliament.

Dieter Böhmdorfer, Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash's right-wing lawyer

As the readers who are interested in contemporary Ukrainian politics perfectly know, the Austrian police arrested a Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash who was and possibly still is a backer of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. At the moment, Firtash, who was arrested on 12 March on the basis of a US arrest warrant, remains in custody. Austrian authorities set bail for Firtash, at 125 million euros. The payment was transferred on 18 March, but the bank handling the account reported the funds to federal money-laundering investigators, who would check where the money came from. For this reason, Firtash has not been released from custody. The US government is asking Austria to extradite Firtash to the US.

Since the organised economic crime is not the focus of this blog, my interest in the Firtash case is his lawyer, rather than the oligarch himself.* His lawyer's name is Dieter Böhmdorfer (1943) and he is former Minister of Justice of Austria (29.02.2000 - 25.06.2004).

Dieter Böhmdorfer

ВО "Свобода" vs. Австрийская партия свободы

Крайне правая партия "Свобода" продолжает писать жалобные письма своим бывшим европейским "побратимам". Сначала они написали французскому "Национальному фронту" - партии, которая из всех европейских крайне правых была наиболее близка к "Свободе", начиная с конца 1990-х гг. Именно "имидж-мейкеры" "Национального фронта" помогали "Свободе" реформировать Социал-национальную партию Украины (СНПУ) в 2003-2004 гг.

Недавно "свободовцы" написали письмо праворадикальной Австрийской партии свободы (FPÖ). Именно из ее названия СНПУ взяла слово "свобода". Само письмо приводится ниже (нажмите на изображения чтобы увеличить).





Проблема не только в том, что почти все европейские крайне правые стали все в большей мере ориентироваться на путинский режим, а "Свобода" фактически жалуется тем, кто является коллаборационистами Кремля (как минимум два члена FPÖ были "наблюдателями" на крымском "референдуме"). Проблема в самой идеологии - и европейских крайне правых, и Кремля - анти-либеральной, анти-демократической, социал-консервативной и ультранационалистической. Если сам правый радикализм является проблемой, то ответом на него не может быть подобная же идеология. Ответом на правый радикализм является его полная противоположность: либерализм, демократия, социальная свобода и мультикультурализм.

В ответ на теракты Андреса Брейвика, премьер-министр Норвегии Йенс Столтенберг сказал:

Вы нас не разрушите. Вы не разрушите нашу демократию и идеалы. Нашим ответом на насилие будет еще большая открытость нашего общества, еще большая его демократичность.

Таким же должен быть и наш европейский и демократический ответ на любые проявления радикализма в нашей новой Украине.

Pro-Russian extremists observe the illegitimate Crimean "referendum"

As I wrote in this blog many times, Putin's increasingly fascistizing Russia has long been cooperating with the European extreme right that see in Russia an example to follow.

The illegitimate "referendum" in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which was held in this Ukrainian region at the gunpoint of Russian invaders on Sunday, has proven my point again. Supported by the pariah states such as North Korea and Assad's Syria, yet strongly defied by the civilised world that is beginning to understand the terrifying nature of Putin's Russia, the Crimean "referendum" has, however, been hailed as "fair" and "legitimate" by a number of European "election monitors" who have been hired by dubious European structures and who have clear links to the extreme right, extreme left, and pro-Russian organisations/companies.

The main organisation which invited right-wing and left-wing extremists to monitor the Crimean "referendum" is the Eurasian Observatory For Democracy & Elections (EODE). It is headed by Luc Michel (1958) and Jean-Pierre Vandersmissen (???). Both are followers of the major Belgian collaborationist and neo-Nazi Jean-François Thiriart and members of the extreme right Parti Communautaire National-Européen (PCN-NCP).

Растущая изоляция праворадикальной "Свободы" со стороны европейских соратников

1 марта 2014 года французский праворадикальный "Национальный фронт" разместил на своем сайте коммюнике по ситуации в Украине, где в частности, утверждается, что:

В Киеве нет легитимного правительства; что власть находится под влиянием радикальных вооруженных формирований, которые упразднили демократию; что были отменены права языковые права русскоязычного населения; что были ограничены оппозиционные телепрограммы; что укранских православных верующих собираются оторввать от Московского Патриархата; что существует угроза ликвидации законодетально подтвержденной автономии Крыма.
[Мой перевод с французского может содержать ошибки, буду благодарен за коррективы.]

В ответ на это коммюнике праворадикальное Всеукраинское объединение "Свобода" - скорее всего, уже бывший украинский партнер французских крайне правых - отправил "Национальному фронту" официальное письмо, копия которого размещена ниже.

Growing opposition to Russian Eurasianism even from the European New Right

It is hardly surprising that even some European New Right activists (not to be confused with the party-political far right) slowly start recognising the threat of Eurasianism to Europe.

Markus Willinger:

This interview with Alexander Dugin shows us, that Russia wants, what America has. European vasalls, which follow its interest. But what do we Europeans want? Is all we can do to stand up against Washington to become then vasalls of Moskow? Or will we find the courage to form an independent europe? A Europe of fatherlands.

Troy Southgate:

I support neither FEMEN nor the organised homosexual lobby, both of which have their own agendae, but I do find it rather telling that some Russians accuse their neighbours of being 'fascistic' yet applaud the fact that activists with dissenting opinions are beaten in the streets. Not to mention the fact that Ukrainians in areas containing a high percentage of Russian-speakers are also being viciously attacked. People like Dugin can whine all they like about 'fascism', but it is perfectly clear to see which set of people are really acting like neo-fascist thugs. It is to be hoped that the long-suffering Russian people will rise up and consign this oppressive regime to the dustbin of history.

Greek neo-Nazi Golden Dawn criticizes Western "usury" for supporting Ukrainian democracy

The Greek Golden Dawn, Europe's most extreme neo-Nazi party represented in a national parliament, has issued a statement criticising "the international usury of Washington and Berlin" for their "direct involvement" in the developments in Ukraine:

The Golden Dawn condemns the direct involvement of the US and the EU in a sovereign country which undoubtedly leads to bloodshed and civil war. The wretched Greek leadership headed by Venizelos does not say a word about the deadly risk of the Hellenism and Orthodoxy in Ukraine that is already manifested by the violent attacks against our compatriots.

Americans, Germans and Zionists, who are hitting nationalism of peoples in every corner of Europe , with the first objective being Greece and the Golden Dawn, are now cooperating directly with the Nazi party in Ukraine, because it serves their geostrategic goals. The People's Association [Golden Dawn] supports holding free elections, in which people will decide the future of their country, rather than the ravens of international usury of Washington and Berlin.

Nikolaos Michaloliakos, now imprisoned leader of the Golden Dawn, with his followers

The Ukrainian protests are about liberty and freedom, and not right-wing extremism

Here's my piece offered to The Guardian's "Comment is free" section, but rejected. I am not surprised because the editors of the "Comment is free" promote only the pro-Kremlin line of the argument. The piece was written 10 days ago.

Almost two centuries ago, in 1822, the National Assembly of Greece, then under Ottoman rule, issued a Declaration of Independence. In particular, it said:

“The war which we are carrying on against the Turk ... is not aimed at the advantage of a single part of the Greek people; it is a national war, a holy war, a war the object of which is to reconquer the rights of individual liberty, of property and honour, rights which the civilized people of Europe, our neighbours, enjoy to-day; rights of which the cruel and unheard of tyranny of the Ottomans would deprive us”.

Had this kind of declaration been written by leaders of a European nation today, the fighters for national independence would have been slammed by two camps. One camp would have been certain pockets of the far left criticizing the declaration for its nationalism and war-mongering. The other camp would have been a certain faction of the far right siding with an oppressor of a subjugated nation. Both camps would have identified the most extreme and violent element of a national liberation struggle and misleadingly extended this element to cover the whole liberation movement.

The Ukrainian criminal terror regime in a war against the people

Viktor Yanukovych's criminal terror regime backed by the Russian imperialists has unleashed a full-fledged war against Ukrainians. Deadly clashes erupted this morning between riot police and anti-presidential protesters near the parliament building in central Kyiv.

At least seven protesters are reportedly dead, over 150 injured in the course of several hours. Police is presumably using live ammunition, shooting, as well as throwing Molotov cocktails, at protesters. Snipers are shooting at people from the roofs of the surrounding buildings. Armed thugs (titushki) paid by the government are acting alongside the riot police. Death toll is likely to grow rapidly.

If you read that "radicals", "extremists", "neo-Nazis" or whatever are leading the protests against the "legitimate government", DO NOT BELIEVE ONE WORD OF THESE LIES. The Ukrainian PEOPLE are fighting the terrorist regime.

And the revolution in Ukraine should end the same way it ended in Romania:

Чи очікують угорські та польскі праворадикали краху України?

3 лютого, дві праворадикальні організації, угорський "Йоббік" (Jobbik) та польский "Національний Рух" (Ruch Narodowy) випустили спільну заяву, в якій закликали уряди своїх країн «негайно об’єднати зусилля для застосування дипломатичних та національно-політичних засобів для захисту національних меншин, що проживають в Україні, з особливим відношенням до польських та угорських груп».

З усіх організацій та рухів в Україні, лише праворадикальний "Правий Сектор" вирішив відповісти на заяву "Йоббіка" та "Національного Руху". В своїй дуже довгій відповіді, вони зазначають:

Ми вже кілька разів заявляли, що Національна революція в Україні не несе небезпеки для місцевої національної меншини поляків. Так само немає підстав боятися представникам інших національних меншин. Навпаки, ми вважаємо, що держава має забезпечувати реалізацію культурних прав національних меншин за умов їхньої лояльності до титульної нації.

Отож, заява угорських і польських політиків є безпідставною. При цьому вона є не лише антиукраїнською, але й антиєвропейською. Зараз націоналістичні рухи Європи мають шукати максимальної єдності. Особливо це стосується націоналістів Центральної та Східної Європи. Зокрема, представники “Правого сектору” вважають, що повинна бути подоланою ворожнеча між українцями та поляками, українцями та угорцями, українцями та румунами, а також між румунами та угорцями.

Does the Hungarian and Polish far right anticipate Ukraine's downfall?

On the 3rd of February, two far right organisations, Hungarian Jobbik and Polish National Movement (Ruch Narodowy), issued a joint statement in which they called upon their respective governments "to immediately unite their efforts in applying their foreign and national political means to protect the rights of ethnic minorities living in Ukraine, with special regard for the Polish and Hungarian groups".

Of all the organisations and movements in Ukraine, the far right Right Sector decided to respond to Jobbik's and the National Movement's statement. In their lengthy reply, they, in particular, said:

We have already stated a few times that that the National revolution in Ukraine does not pose any threat to the local Polish minority in Ukraine. There is no need for any other ethnic minorities to worry, either. Quite the opposite, we feel the state must guarantee their rights to practice their own culture as long as they are loyal to Ukrainians.

Thus, this statement of certain Hungarian and Polish politicians is baseless. However, the statement itself is not only anti-Ukrainian, it is anti-European. Currently, nationalist movements throughout Europe must promote unity. This is especially true for nationalists in Central and Eastern Europe. In particular, the Right Sector feels that past animosity between Ukrainians and Poles, Ukrainians and Hungarians, Ukrainians and Romanians, as well as Hungarians and Romanians, must be put to rest.

Pro-Russian network behind the anti-Ukrainian defamation campaign

Read this article in German, French, Russian and Ukrainian.

There has been a huge tide of false, incorrect and bloated reports that exaggerate or over-emphasize the significance of the far right in the current Euromaidan protests in Ukraine. A Moscow-based journalist Alec Luhn writes in The Nation about "the Ukrainian nationalism at the heart of ‘Euromaidan’", a leftist Seumas Milne argues in The Guardian that "in Ukraine, fascists, oligarchs and western expansion are at the heart of the crisis", while a self-styled "independent geopolitical analyst" Eric Draitser, in his nauseatingly misleading piece for his own Stop Imperialism (later re-published by The Centre for Research on Globalization), even goes so far as to claim that "the violence on the streets of Ukraine [...] is the latest example of the rise of the most insidious form of fascism that Europe has seen since the fall of the Third Reich".

These and many other similar articles are all written according to the same pattern, and their aim is to discredit the Euromaidan protests as the manifestations of fascism, neo-Nazism or - at the very least - right-wing extremism.

Every single mass political mobilisation in Ukraine has been accompanied by the attempts to compromise the popular uprisings by associating them with the extreme right. And not only uprisings or protests, but big events too. For example, a few weeks before the start of the Euro-2012 football championship, British media hysterically accused Ukrainians of racism and xenophobia, and warned that any non-White person going to see football matches in Ukraine would definitely and immediately be killed. After the championship was over, no British media outlet apologised to the Ukrainian people when it turned out that not one racist incident involving Ukraine fans had been reported during the tournament.

The current campaign to defame the Euromaidan protests is so far the strongest attack on the Ukrainian civil society and democratic politics. Similar attacks took place in the past too, although their intensity never reached today's level. During the "Orange revolution", the Ukrainian semi-authoritarian regime under President Leonid Kuchma was also trying to defile democratic presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko by associating him with the extreme right. And here is a story that links the past and the present.