Jerusalem-The Simon Wiesenthal Center today denounced a Russian international conference convened by the Rodina party (the Russian National Patriotic Union) to establish a pan-European movement to lobby for Russia’s interests with the participation of West European neo-Nazis and fascists. In a statement issued here by its director of Eastern European Affairs, Dr. Efraim Zuroff, the Center harshly criticized the participation of German Udo Voigt of the extreme right National Democratic Party in addition to representatives of Greek Golden Dawn and the founder of the Italian Fascist movement Roberto Fiore, as well as representatives from extreme right-wing parties in Great Britain, Austria, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark and Spain.
According to Zuroff:
“How can Russia, which prides itself on its staunch anti-fascist tradition and its significant role in the defeat in World War II of Nazi Germany, permit such a conference to take place with the participation of some of the worst of Hitler’s heirs? Such behavior is the antithesis of the traditional Russian opposition to Nazism and fascism and is an insult to the memory of the Red Army soldiers who sacrificed their lives to defeat the Third Reich.”
Notice how the first instinct of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and of organized Jewry in general, is to hurl slurs (such as “Hitler’s heirs”) and to try to ban speech they don’t like.
The New York Times reported March 22, 2015:
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — A motley crew of representatives of fringe right-wing political organizations in Europe and the United States used a conference here on Sunday to denounce what they called the degradation of white, Christian traditions in the West. Their hosts used the conference to advance Russia’s effort to lure political allies of any stripe.
Railing against same-sex marriage, immigration, New York financiers, radical Islam and globalization, among other targets, one speaker after another lauded Russia and President Vladimir V. Putin as a pillar of robust, conservative, even manly values.
Mr. Putin has for some time sought international influence by casting Russia as the global guardian of traditional mores. Yet the effort has acquired new urgency, as Moscow seeks to undermine support in Europe for economic sanctions and other policies meant to isolate Moscow over its aggressive actions against Ukraine…
Jared Taylor, who runs a website called American Renaissance, said the descendants of white Europeans risked being swept away by a wave of Africans, Central Americans and Asians. The United States, which he said worshiped diversity rather than Christianity, “is the greatest enemy of tradition everywhere.”
On March 22, I addressed the Russian International Conservative Forum, held in Saint Petersburg. Its purpose was to provide a forum for politicians and thinkers united in their support of national traditions and in opposition to globalism. There was a strong sentiment throughout the meeting of support for Russian sovereignty and European national independence in the face of pressure from the United States. As Yury Luybomirsky of the Russian National Cultural Center explained at the beginning of the meeting, the goal of all the participants was “to preserve national identity and culture,” and that independence from outside pressure and influence was essential for that purpose.
This was not a meeting that went unopposed. Demonstrators protested outside the conference site, and the meeting had to end early because of a telephoned bomb threat.
The meeting may have been an unprecedented assembly of European “far-right” groups, including Forza Nuova (New Force) of Italy, the National Independence Party of Finland, the Attack Party of Bulgaria, Golden Dawn of Greece, the National Democratic Party of Germany, and the newly-organized European group, the Alliance for Peace and Freedom. These parties have been tarred with the extremist labels, but are all dedicated to preserving European and national traditions.
Russia was represented by such groups as the Russian Imperial Movement, New Russia, and the editor of nationalist magazine Russian Observer. There was also a contingent of Cossacks, dressed in traditional military uniforms. The Russians strongly supported the effort to establish autonomous regions in Eastern Ukraine.
There were at least 30 speakers, all of whom gave remarks of about 10 minutes each. Most were in Russian, but the conference provided headsets for simultaneous interpretation into English. Here is a sampling.
Georgios Epitideios of Golden Dawn pointed out that 10 percent of the population of Greece is now composed of illegal immigrants, and that a mass influx of foreigners jeopardized national identity. He denounced the Greek government’s efforts–including imprisonment of party leaders–to “exterminate our movement.” He said that Golden Dawn opposes European sanctions against Russia and noted the common orthodox faith of Greeks and Russians.
Mikhail Remizo of the Russian Institute of National Strategy emphasized that Russia and Bulgaria would never join the European Union, which is in favor of globalization and opposes “the national project.” He also noted that Chinese economic pressure can be added to American political bullying as a growing threat to European autonomy. He argued that a healthy middle class was vital to national identity, and that the post-crisis collapse of the middle class is a grave concern for all patriots.
Ironically, he said, nationalists fighting globalization must have a global strategy. By this he meant that those who believe in national identity must cooperate as widely as possible. It is the Right and not the Left, he added, that will fight the leveling forces of globalization and defend the traditions and culture of the West. He concluded by quoting Arnold Toynbee–“Civilizations are not murdered; they commit suicide”–noting that the West is approaching this point.
Sam Dickson from the United States also spoke, and introduced himself as a representative of the real Americans who believe in peace with all countries and who want to preserve our race and civilization. He began with the old proverb, “one hundred repetitions make one truth:” the defenders of the truth can be overwhelmed by repeated lies.
He argued that one of the current lies is that Russia is a danger to the United States. He pointed out that it shares no borders with us, and has never fought a war with the United States. Indeed, it was Vladimir Putin’s solution to the problem of chemical weapons in Syria that spared the United States the costs and the casualties of military operations against Syria. He also praised Mr. Putin for encouraging higher birthrates in the West, while American rulers work for our dispossession by promoting Third-World immigration.
Davidson Yukka of the National Independence Party of Finland pointed out that in some respects Russia is freer than any other country in Europe. Some forms of speech have come under attack in countries such as Finland, where it is possible to lose one’s job for criticizing homosexuals or opposing gay marriage. “The European Union is an idea that has failed,” he said, “but the politicians are still riding this dead horse.” He concluded that if our enemies abuse and denounce us it is because we are right.
When you compare the writings of Jared Taylor with the writings of Efraim Zuroff, who strikes you as more profound, more humane, and more right? To me, the answer is clearly Jared.
