Dark Shadows Of The Far-Right In Ukraine Protests [View all]

[El_Johns]

The most controversial element of the anti-government alliance is Svoboda (Freedom), an extreme right-wing political party that not only has representation in parliament, but has been dubbed by its critics as a neo-Nazi organization. Britain’s Channel 4 News reported that Svoboda has assumed a “leading role” in the street protests in Kiev, with affiliated paramilitary groups prominently involved in the disturbances. Svoboda flags and banners have been featured in the demonstrations at Kiev’s Independence Square. During the continuing street riots, one Svoboda MP, Igor Myroshnychenko, created an iconic moment of sorts when he allegedly helped to topple the statue of Vladimir Lenin outside a government building, followed by its occupation by protesters.

However, despite its extremist rhetoric, Svoboda cannot be called a "fringe" party – indeed, it currently occupies 36 seats in the 450-member Ukrainian parliament, granting it status as the fourth-largest party in the country. Further, Svoboda is linked to other far-right groups across Europe through its membership in the Alliance of European National Movements, which includes the British National Party (BNP) of the United Kingdom and Jobbik, the neo-fascist, anti-Semitic and anti-Roma party of Hungary. The leader of Svoboda, Oleh Tyahnybok, who has appeared at the Kiev protests, has a long history of making inflammatory anti-Semitic statements, including the accusation during a 2004 speech before parliament that Ukraine is controlled by a “Muscovite-Jewish mafia.” Miroshnychenko also called the Ukrainian-born American film actress Mila Kunis a “dirty Jewess.”

Tyahnybok has also claimed that “organized Jewry” dominate Ukrainian media and government, have enriched themselves through criminal activities and plan to engineer a “genocide” upon the Christian Ukrainian population. Another top Svoboda member, Yuriy Mykhalchyshyn, a deputy in parliament, often quotes Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, as well as other Third Reich luminaries like Ernst Rohm and Gregor Strasser.

Svoboda also assails nonwhites. In February, Yuriy Syrotiuk, a Svoboda spokesman, expressed his unhappiness that Gaitana-Lurdes Essami, a half-Ukrainian, half-Congolese singer, represented Ukraine in the Eurovision music contest, citing that she “is not an organic representative of the Ukrainian culture.” Moreover, Svoboda expresses extreme hostility towards homosexuals – party members once attacked and sprayed tear gas at the participants of a gay rights rally in the capital Kiev.

http://www.ibtimes.com/euromaidan-dark-shadows-far-right-ukraine-protests-1556654


In the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary elections, Svoboda won its first seats in the Ukrainian Parliament,[21] garnering 10.44% of the popular vote and the 4th most seats among national political parties;[22] this transposed into 37 parliamentary seats.[23] In October 2012, Svoboda joined a formal coalition with the centre-right Batkivshchyna and UDAR parties to form the parliament's collective opposition, now a majority.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svoboda_(political_party)


Amnesty International fears the extremist group's surge in popularity will help push through a homophobic law which proposes gagging the media, activists and human rights defenders.

Max Tucker, Amnesty International Ukraine campaigner, told Gay Star News: 'Svoboda's leader, Oleg Tyagnibok, has repeatedly made derogatory statements about sexual and ethnic minorities in Ukraine. 'He has referred to the idea of same-sex marriage as stemming from a group of "perverse and abominable values" and declared his intention to use his party's position in parliament to oppose such values, in order to cultivate "real Ukrainian national traditional values".

'Amnesty International is concerned that the existence of such beliefs in parliament will encourage the passage of legislation currently before it, which would criminalise the production or distribution of materials "promoting homosexuality" and make it punishable by up to five years in prison.

- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/fears-ukraine-far-right-will-push-through-anti-gay-bill311012#sthash.NHy3ykeB.dpuf


'Sabbath of perverts’: Svoboda boasts of attacking gay demonstration

The ultra-nationalist Svoboda Party has admitted that their activists attacked gay community and human rights activists who were holding a protest in central Kyiv on Dec. 8 to commemorate international Human Rights Day.

https://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/sabbath-of-perverts-svoboda-boasts-of-attacking-gay-demonstration-317463.html