Hitler's Birthday Sparks Racial Violence in Russia

Chosun Ilbo ^ | 04/21/06

[TigerLikesRooster]

Hitler's Birthday Sparks Racial Violence in Russia

The time surrounding the anniversary of Adolph Hitler's birth on April 20th is a horrible time for foreigners living in Russia. During this period foreigners in the country refrain from going out, and rush to get home whenever they must leave their houses. Some even stay home from work and keep their children out of school during the period. This is to avoid attacks by extreme rightists racists or skinheads of which there are an estimated 50,000 in the country.

As the skinheads have been posting threats everywhere that they will attack all foreigners ahead of the anniversary of the Nazi leader's birthday, the Korean Embassy in Russia on Thursday advised Korean expatriates to be careful not to be targeted.

As extreme nationalists, the Skinheads expressed their xenophobia taking advantage of big Russian feast days starting with Hitler’s birthday, on the Easter of the Russian Orthodox Church (April 23rd), and the anniversary of the last day of the WWII (May,9). This year they declared their plans to attack with guns and hand grenades, and referred their plans against foreigners as a “war.“ Under the title of “Skinhead War”, the email warned, “All foreigners must leave Russia. We will launch our war starting on the birthday of Hitler. We will attack diplomats and their families and kill them.”

Last year, 44 people were killed by the Skinheads and three Korean students suffered mid to severe injuries in a group attack last February in St. Petersburg. The Russian government declared its own war against the Skinheads and launched a campaign to crack down on the gang but it has been met with little effect.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

[TigerLikesRooster]

Hitler dispised Slavs enough to wipe them out in time. If he only allowed them into Arian race, there would have never been Stalingrad.

It seems Russia is becoming a classic Fascist state, along with China.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[ran15]

Yes Hitler could have won the war easily imo if he'd not had a racial hatred of slavs. Which led German occupiers to terribly mistreat the eastern Europeans.. of which many had at first welcomed the Germans.

Like a lot of people in the poor east european nations, and in the Soviet occupied areas thought it would be great to be in the German economic sphere.

[kinoxi]

true, but i think the right side won

[ran15]

Definately in western europe. But for the poor slavs they lost either way.

[starbase]

Bizarre how human beings can rationalize into existence that which they wish to see. The man who wanted to exterminate them becomes their idol! You know, he just didn't understand! If we explained it to him he'd have felt differently!

At the end of the day, though, everyone loves power. And the masses love absolute power, absolutely.

[kinoxi]

nothing could be done for them, but i appreciate not living under a nazi regime was what i meant ;)

[NewRomeTacitus]

I'm personally very tired of April 20th being tied to horrors and disaster. Not only is it Hitler's birthday (which seems to motivate white-trash terrorism), the Soviet Union shot down a Korean airliner in 1978, the ATF raided The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord compound in northern Arkansas (pre-Waco training) in 1985, Benny Hill died in 1992, 1999 saw the slaying of 15 students and two lunatics at Columbine as well as the passing of wrestling great Rick Rude via steroid complications.

Thanks to God that this birthday was spared another mass tragedy. Scott Crossfield, legendary test pilot and engineer depicted in "The Right Stuff", went out gloriously when his private plane was hit by lightning. He was 83.

[starbase]

I'm personally very tired of April 20th being tied to horrors and disaster.

While I personally commiserate with your attempt to "re-brand" the occasion, I can't but note that all of your examples pathetically pale in the shadow of Herr Hitler, unfortunately.

[NewRomeTacitus]

LOL! I keep perspective. It's just a dirge that my birthday is, by happenstance, tied to so much misery - most inspired to the birthday of the most notable monster of the 20th Century.

Most folks getting on in years avoid contemplating their birthdays because it reminds them of encroaching mortality. I abhor mine because I dread some nest of nutjobs committing yet another historic atrocity because of the date itself.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Mexicans love their Spanish conquerors to this day.

[starbase]

Mexicans love their Spanish conquerors to this day.

Yes, I was in a downtown pub in Portland, Oregon, and I happened to chat with a very Mexican looking dude. I said, "So how can you guys say any part of America belongs to you when the Indians NEVER signed over even one piece of dirt and said "Here, take our country, we don't want it anymore.".

He replied "Oh, that was the Spanish who stole it.". I was like, "OMG, how can you say that so arrogantly and pretend you have any rights at all??? Pretending it is your land???".

Just then, really loud music blared up and we couldn't talk anymore. Even though we both (cordially) wanted to chat.

Ridiculously, that is the level we are at with them. If we don't defend it, it's theirs! I say, DEFEND NOW!!!!!! BIG TIME!!!!

[RusIvan]

It seems Russia is becoming a classic Fascist state, along with China.==

Russian state doesn't support skinheads. Quite opposite. Skinns got arrested frequantly and put in prison.

I heard that Skinns exist in Germany, Britain, France and even in United States. Does it mean that those countries are "fascist" states too?

[RusIvan]

Yes Hitler could have won the war easily imo if he'd not had a racial hatred of slavs. Which led German occupiers to terribly mistreat the eastern Europeans.. of which many had at first welcomed the Germans. ==

It is true.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #13

It is more widespread in Russia. Along with what Putin does and popular yearning for Great Russia that was, we cannot dismiss it as just extracurricular activities of kooks.

German state did not support Nazi movement initially, either. Russia looks like Germany in mid-1920's in terms of social situation. Economically, it is a different matter. Russia is now more like Saudi Arabia or South Africa, natural resource-based economy.

[Wiz]

ping

[goldstategop]

Some people in Russia are unaware the Nazis regarded the Slavs as sub-humans (untermenschen) fit only for annihilation. If the Russian skinheads only knew what the real Fuhrer thought of them. Ah, history repeats itself first as tragedy and now as farce.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[starbase]

It seems so ironic (and distasteful) that if Hitler had included this group and that group, he could have won with a "master something or other"!! In reality, though, his evil genius was in limiting the concept of superiority, and in offering it only to a few.

While it's easy now to say he should have included all these different people in his (evil) vision, it is important to remember that he was just one of many vying for power in Germany. If he had not created an exclusive "club" as his main offering, then he would never have achieved absolute power in the first place. I believe he felt that that was enough to go on!!!

Including too many at the outset (or for that matter, at any time) would have prevented him from being the perverted force that he was in the first place!! Oh, Irony!!!

[RusIvan]

It is more widespread in Russia. ==

How do YOU know it? Did you count skinns in Russia?

Russia looks like Germany in mid-1920's in terms of social situation. ==

Oh now Russia is something like Weimar republic?:) But FYI Weimar republic wasn't "fascist state" either. It came much later.

[ran15]

If he had not created an exclusive "club" as his main offering, then he would never have achieved absolute power in the first place. I believe he felt that that was enough to go on!!!

Yes very good point.

[roadrunner96]

It seems very slanderous to a group of people to write in the headline "Der Fuehrer worshipped by Slavs."

[Verginius Rufus]

I've read that Karl Marx was very disdainful of Russia...which didn't prevent Russian Marxists from admiring him. Of course there may not have been any racial element in Marx's attitude.

Today, April 22, is Lenin's birthday. (The first Earth Day was scheduled for Lenin's 100th birthday...coincidence?)

It's also the birthday of J. Robert Oppenheimer and of Immanuel Kant. At least Kant wasn't an admirer of Lenin.

[attiladhun2]

According to Palmer, it is also Muhammed's birthday.
The exact date of Muhammed's birth is not known. Palmer gives a possible date of April 20, 571 A.D. (p. 207). All that is certain is that he was born during what Muslims call The Year of the Elephant. In that year the Ethiopians invaded the Hejaz from Yemen. They had with them a small number of elephants. Before the invasion force could reach Mecca, an outbreak of smallpox caused it to retreat. The sura called The Elephant refers to this, greatly embellishing the incident with supernatural elements.
See this link.

[roadrunner96]

Google news though, has one story after another though on this very negative phenomenon.

This racism is curious, given communism's challenges and differences to nazism.

"Four Chinese students were beaten in what investigators said was a racially motivated attack in the Russian city of Kostroma" - http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-04/22/content_574280.htm

"FOUR GYPSIES KILLED IN TWO ATTACKS HUNDREDS OF MILES APART. In northwestern Russia, an unemployed man broke into the home of a Roma (better known as Gypsy) family in the Pskov Region village of Kuznetsovka and shot dead two brothers, one 27 years old, the other 26. According to an unidentified police official who did not specify the date of the event, the suspect, who had been drinking, was arrested shortly after the attack, Interfax reported. - http://www.fsumonitor.com/stories/042106BM.shtml

Skinheads beat up two Tajik men on a suburban Moscow train and then threw them off at the next stop, according to an April 8, 2006 report by the newspaper “Stolichnye Novosti” citing a report in the national daily “Moskovsky Komsomolets.” The March 31 incident took place near the Bolshevo station. The two victims were found later by a passerby and received medical attention, but not before one of them died. - http://www.fsumonitor.com/stories/041806Russ2.shtml

[twippo]

Wonder if he'd agree that the Inuits/Eskimos have rights to Mexico because they happen to be racially Amerindian.

[Revolting cat!]

Take comfort in this thought which I stole from OpinionJournal.com:

"Freedom of speech makes it much easier to spot the idiots."

[RusIvan]

"Freedom of speech makes it much easier to spot the idiots."==

I agree I see so many of them here. Try to educate them but futile. Idiots do not know that they are.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #19

I just count the number of incidents reported in international wire. In terms of skinhead incidents, Russia has far more entries than Germany does.

As for fascism angle, I said 'becoming a classic fascist state.' It is not there yet. However, many elements are in place. Former commie Putin is now using his skill to reSovietize Russia and dress it with Slavic nationalism.

Having democratic facade counts much unless Russian government drastically change courses. It does not get along well with EU, because it does not like grass-root democratic forces EU tends to encourage.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #19

Over a last few years, Russian skinhead attack incident has popped up again and again just about the time it was fading away from my memory. It is a recurring pattern. However, I have run across few articles reporting on German skinheads attacking S. Koreans in the same period.

[RusIvan]

Former commie Putin is now using his skill to reSovietize Russia and dress it with Slavic nationalism.==

Nationalism - yes, sovetization - no more this shit.

Nationalism is positive event. It just stands for cherishing your own nation between others. It is nothing to do with nazism (the theory of national superiority).
Nathionalists just want to be the hosts in thier own countries. Same time they are the enemies of liberal theory of "multuculturism". They stay against illegal immigration.

So if we look closely that we may see that the most people of FR are nationalists too:).

[roadrunner96]

http://www.sportsline.com/soccer/story/9390807 Another story; and I'll just say it's wrong, without pointing at one country or another (not Russia though).

The Nationalism angle is interesting, because, I guess, Communism, in theory, wanted to treat everyone equally; that's why they were in Angola, Cuba, Middle East, SE Asia, courting India, the whole shabang.

In the past, people from all over probably went to Russia to study, during communism; now though, it seems people need to be advised in that it has swung the other way, somewhat.

I have some Polish in me; stories for the world cup coming up in June are saying, maybe some Polish hooligans will be there. Stories seem to say, they will be looking to fight other hooligans.

But it is to watch out for, hooligans of any nationality that might target foreigners. By the way, Italian hooligans did in fact, threaten Moslems at the World Cup (and told that to the famous Italian newspaper Republicca).

That would be bad, but I really hope nothing happens against any Far Eastern Asians or Africans, or Europeans and Americans, Latin Americans etc. too for that matter

Africans have sent out a warning to tourists from Africa to be alert and cautious at the World Cup in Germany.

Hooligan stories come out every day; sort of similar to the Skins stories.

---

Just one sidenote on soccer:


Kind of could be a messed up World Cup; I like the Korea team, just learned yesterday, Saudi Arabia defeated them twice in the qualifying rounds, so it'll be something to watch for; they are in a group with France, Togo and Switzerland, that is group g.