- Mir Bez Natsizma
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Mir Bez Natsizma (MBN, Russian: мир без нацизма, MBN, English: World Without Nazism) is a Russian GONGO, created on 22.06.2010.[1]
It is declared to be an international human rights movement, but is designed to influence international public opinion and organize political support for Russian Foreign policy aims.[2][3]
Forerunner of MBN is Russian Senator Boris Shpigel.MBN has been used to organize several publicity stunts in Russia's neighbouring countries.
Contents
MBN has declared its official aims to be
- establishment of an international "early warning" system, monitoring and prevention of the uprising and spread of nazi ideas and actions;
- establishment of interaction with national, European and international law enforcement and judicial bodies in order to suppress any manifestations of neo-nazism, racism and xenophobia, including glorification of its accomplices, struggle against those who deny Holocaust,
- cooperation with international European organizations, parliaments, public associations overseeing de-nazification processes in the UN member states,
- incorporation into the educational system of the Council of Europe member-states (and further on of other states) of obligatory programs of teaching the Second World War and Holocaust history;
- popularization of publicist materials, films, works of literature and art which cover issues of revival of the nazism threat, the need to struggle against it;
- support of organizations initiating investigation of activities against persons who are accessorial to nazi crimes of the Second World War;
- perpetuation of the memory of victims of the Second World War and Holocaust, heroes of Resistance and Soldiers-Liberators.[4]
MBN sticks to the main official line determined for NGOs in Russia. Russian Federation Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on notorious Watches Synchronisation Meeting with Russian GONGOs on March 23, 2011 that structures of civil society form important reserve for Russian Foreign policy activation and implementation in broader scale. These [GONGOs] must support Russian compatriots, spread Russian language and culture and participate in counteractions to research and presentation of history in ways that are unacceptable to Russia.[5][6]
Lavrov referred to MBN conference held in December 2010 in Russian Federation parliament Federation Council as exemplary for other NGOs. Lavrov also praised MBN for its actions in support to Lithuanian Socialist National Front leader Algirdas Paleckis, who has been accused for justification of USSR armed agression against popular gathering in January Events in 1991.[7]
According to Russian MP and founder of a sub-section of MBN in Russia Alexander Brod, the sole aim of MBN is "to protect Russian-speaking compatriots in Baltic States",[8] compatriots programmes are one of the means of Russian Federation influence and subversion activities abroad.[9][10] List of activists of Russian compatriots policy and MBN overlap in significant level.
MBN engages in accusation of selected governments unsympathetic to Russia, also in anti-semitism, apartheid, radical nationalism, support of neo-fashists, hiding truth about Holocaust, hindering penalization of Nazi war criminals, revisionist politics towards the consequences of the Great Patriotic War. To accomplish this task, MBN organizes conferences and uses so called anti-fashist rhetoric in assaults against selected states and strives for changes in foreign policy towards more acceptable for Russian Federation.[11]
As of 2010-2011, MBN activities were concentrated to several countires: Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. MBN does not rely on public statistics and information from respectable human rights organisations, but on rhetoric of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. MBN expresed concernes on the rise of xenophobic, racist and anti-semitic tendencies in Russian society after Manezhnaya square riots of December 11, 2010.[12][13] MBN cooperates closely with Russian state controlled media channels and Russian Federation embassies in target countries.[14]
Members
MBN is an umbrella organization for 131 different organizations. Some of them are connected with World Congress of Russian Jewry. A big part of the member organizations is involved in carrying out Russian policy of compatriots or implementing Russian informational influence in the target countries.
"The South Ossetian Republic", created on the territory of Georgia using Russian military power in 2008, is considered to be an independent state by MBN and South Ossetian Anti-Fascist Committee (Юго-Осетинский антифашистский комитет) is a full member of MBN. Some member organizations are considered extremists in their countries. However, MBN has succeeded in involving its activities with some members of influential lobby organizations like Simon Wiesenthal Center and Anti-Defamation League.[15]
After the creation of MBN in 2010, some member organizations in different countries have renamed themselves according to mother organization, e.g. America Without Nazism, Natsivaba Eesti (Estonia without Nazism) and Rossija Bez Natsisma (RBN). RBN consists of members of the Public Council of the Russian Federation (PCRF, Russian: Общественная палата Российской Федерации Obchestvennaya Palata Rossiyskoi Federaciy - OPRF[16]),[17] membership of which is under control of the President of the Russian Federation. Many MBN member organizations and their leaders have joined in a wing of All-Russian National Front (Общероссийский Народный Фронт)[18] called International Russia (Интернациональная Россия).[19] All-Russian National Front was formed by Vladimir Putin with the official goal of "consolidation of political parties and persons, haring the values and love for Fatherland".[20]
Membership
Presidium of MBN consists of 15 persons from different countries, including several liaisons with Russian compatriot policy, propagandists and radical left-wing politicians. The head of presidium is Boris Shpigel, vice head Valeri Engel. In addition to the presidium, MBN has another wider ruling body - MBN Sovet (Council), which consists of 39 members (incl. 15 members of the Presidium). Additional five members, among them MEP Tatyana Zhdanoka , are included in the MBN Sovet according to "separated list".[21]
Activities
Soviet Union rituals and symbols are widely used in the events organized by MBN. Guests of the foundation conference of MBN were taken to the Park of Eternal Glory for Soldiers of the Great Patriotic War in Kiev and lined up in front of the Monument of Unknown Soldier, while holding red flowers, and from Brezhnev-era loudspeaker trucks the chords of "People, Awake!" were performed (a battle song from 1941 of the Red Army).[22] MBN is also known for using the Moscow Nightingales white dove logo as was common for European Peace movements organized by USSR KGB.[23]
The working languages of MBN are Russian and English.
The activities of MBN are clearly selective: they are not directed against Kremlin-friendly authoritarian regimes, at the same time there is a profound interest in disposal of anti-semitism of openly pro-Israeli Georgian government. Human Rights NGO "No Borders" has pointed out that MBN materials and resolutions are not only selective, but also partly consist of lies.[24]
Historical background
MBN's predecessor was the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee, founded on dictator Joseph Stalin’s order in 1942. JAC’s goal was to influence international public opinion in the interests of the Soviet Union and organize support for the war against Nazi-Germany. JAC distributed Soviet propaganda and, while contacting influential people of Jewish people in the West, convinced them in the absence of antisemitism in Soviet Union. After some JAC members started to support the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, Soviet leadership started the largest antisemitic campaign in Russia since the 19th century, in which most of JAC members lost their lives.[25]
References
- ^ Constituent Declaration “World without Nazism” Movement. http://worldwithoutnazism.wordpress.com/about/declaration/
- ^ Constituent Declaration “World without Nazism” Movement. http://worldwithoutnazism.wordpress.com/about/declaration/
- ^ Александр Брод: "Влияние МИД России на площадке прибалтийских стран абсолютно не ощутимо". http://regnum.su/news/fd-abroad/latvia/1446504.html
- ^ Constituent Declaration “World without Nazism” Movement. http://worldwithoutnazism.wordpress.com/english/declaration_eng/
- ^ Тезисы выступления Министра иностранных дел России С.В.Лаврова на встрече с представителями российских неправительственных организаций международной специализации, Москва, 23 марта 2011 года. http://www.mid.ru/brp_4.nsf/0/AD9E5F2A6A3A02ABC325785C005D6231
- ^ СООБЩЕНИЕ ДЛЯ СМИ: О встрече Министра иностранных дел России С.В.Лаврова с представителями российских неправительственных организаций. http://www.mid.ru/brp_4.nsf/0/3BC64A2FAC9C3B3FC325785C0064D4FD
- ^ Тезисы выступления Министра иностранных дел России С.В.Лаврова на встрече с представителями российских неправительственных организаций международной специализации, Москва, 23 марта 2011 года. http://www.ln.mid.ru/bdomp/brp_4.nsf/2fee282eb6df40e643256999005e6e8c/ad9e5f2a6a3a02abc325785c005d6231!OpenDocument
- ^ Александр Брод: "Влияние МИД России на площадке прибалтийских стран абсолютно не ощутимо". http://regnum.su/news/fd-abroad/latvia/1446504.html
- ^ Russian Soft Power in the 21st Century. An Examination of Russian Compatriot Policy in Estonia. http://csis.org/files/publication/110826_Conley_RussianSoftPower_Web.pdf
- ^ The “Humanitarian Dimension” of Russian Foreign policy toward Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, and the Baltic States. http://www.geopolitika.lt/files/research_2009_eng_2010.pdf
- ^ Украина без нацизма” – что это? http://noborders.org.ua/ru/o-nas/novosti/ukrayna-bez-natsyzma-chto-eto/
- ^ Mir bez Natsizma. http://worldwithoutnazism.wordpress.com/2010/12/13/%d0%b7%d0%b0%d1%8f%d0%b2%d0%bb%d0%b5%d0%bd%d0%b8%d0%b5-%d0%bf%d1%80%d0%b5%d0%b7%d0%b8%d0%b4%d0%b8%d1%83%d0%bc%d0%b0-%d0%b4%d0%b2%d0%b8%d0%b6%d0%b5%d0%bd%d0%b8%d1%8f-%d0%bc%d0%b8%d1%80-%d0%b1%d0%b5//
- ^ SOVA Center for Information and Analysis. http://www.sova-center.ru/en/
- ^ Security Police of the Republic of Estonia. Annual Review 2010. http://www.kapo.ee/cms-data/_text/138/124/files/kapo-aastaraamat-2010-eng.pdf
- ^ СПИСОК ОРГАНИЗАЦИЙ-УЧРЕДИТЕЛЕЙ МПД «МИР БЕЗ НАЦИЗМА». http://worldwithoutnazism.wordpress.com/membersrus/
- ^ http://www.oprf.ru/
- ^ http://www.islamnews.ru/news-67081.html/
- ^ http://narodfront.ru/organization/20110606/379742791.html/
- ^ http://silafronta.ru/participants.html/
- ^ http://narodfront.ru/docs/about/goals.html/
- ^ http://worldwithoutnazism.wordpress.com/about/11-2/
- ^ http://www.tabletmag.com/news-and-politics/45243/anti-anti-semitism/
- ^ Dezinformatsia: Active Measures in Soviet Strategy. http://www.amazon.com/Dezinformatsia-Active-Measures-Soviet-Strategy/dp/0080315739/
- ^ Украина без нацизма” – что это? http://noborders.org.ua/ru/o-nas/novosti/ukrayna-bez-natsyzma-chto-eto/
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Russia_and_Soviet_Union
External links
- http://worldwithoutnazism.wordpress.com/english/ About the movement World Without Nazism.
Categories:- Anti-fascist organizations
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