]the motion "banalises the Holocaust" and "ignores the communist role in fighting fascism". ]
Europe makes ridiculous attempts to condemn communism |
| 01/25/2006 15:24 |
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PACE tries to equate communism with Nazism while fascist sentiments gain more popularity in Europe Deputies of the Parliamentary Assembly of Europe ( PACE) gathered for a meeting today in an attempt to organize another Nuremberg trial over communism. The draft resolution to internationally condemn "the crimes of totalitarian communist regimes" will become one of the key points of discussion during the PACE session which opened on January 23rd. It goes without saying that the resolution touches upon Russia directly because Russia was destined to inherit the biggest communist regime in history. The author of the project, Swedish deputy Joran Lindblad, does not see any fundamental differences between the communist regime in the USSR and the Nazi regime in Germany. The deputy raised a question about the crime of massive repressions committed in the Soviet Union. In other words, the PACE deputies will have to decide whether Soviet officers should be equated to SS officers and denounced as criminals against humanity. A deputy of the Russian State Duma, Vladimir Kashin, expressed an opinion of the Communist Party on the matter in an interview with Pravda.Ru. "It is anticommunism that equals fascism. We can see how the Baltic countries , which disavowed their Soviet past, let SS cutthroats march in the streets freely, although they sent to crematoriums Soviet prisoners, Jews, Poles, British and French citizens," Kashin said. The politician added that European parliamentarians should recollect the fact that the communist forces contributed greatly to the way the continent of Europe exists nowadays. Vladimir Kashin named his own reasons of PACE's attention and interest in the communist regimes: " Imperialism and its vices is being ousted from every corner of the world. We can see it now when Europe tries to choose socially-oriented models of state organization. The whole world is taking a leftist turn nowadays. Being afraid of this trend, transnational corporations, American and Israeli capitals act through Europe now," the communist said. Russian democrats split in their estimations regarding PACE's resolution on communism. Irina Khakamada expressed her bewilderment regarding the logic of European parliamentarians. "Hell knows what is happening in their heads," the politician said straightforwardly in her interview with Pravda.Ru. Khakamada added that she would not uphold such a document. "I would strike out the word ' communist' from the resolution and replace it with "totalitarian and bloody crimes." This is what should be condemned. There are many of such examples in the world today - Indonesia or Iraq, for example. Communist parties are legal. That is why there should not be such a heavy emphasis placed on communist regimes," Khakamada said. On the other hand, Irina Khakamada's former colleague, Leonid Gozman, expressed a different point of view to a Pravda.Ru correspondent. "First of all, I believe that the crimes committed by communists should be condemned just like the crimes committed by Nazis were condemned. Secondly, it would be better if we did it ourselves. The Soviet Union used to be the leading communist country in the world. I would like the process to take place in the Russian parliament, not in the PACE," Gozman said. In spite of the fact that the communist ideology collapsed in Russia, the numerous attempts to strike out everything that happened during the USSR's existence should normally evoke an obvious reaction of protest with patriots. Russian politicians have failed to express a single approach to the matter of PACE's draft resolution to denounce communism. The leader of the Liberal and Democratic Party of Russia,
Vladimir Zhirinovsky
, cracks jokes in the Russian parliament saying that communism should be condemned just because it saved Jews from the total extermination. In the meantime, the leader of the Russian Communist Party, Gennady Zyuganov, scares passers-by in the center of Strasbourg, waving his red banner and singing communist songs.
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MPs vote to condemn 'evils of communism'
by Jon Henley
26 January 2006, Guardian
· Swedish member calls for victims' memorial day
· Left says Council of Europe motion 'neo McCarthyism'
For others it was a long-overdue denunciation of a couple of dozen thoroughly evil regimes who wrecked their nations' economies, tortured their citizens, and between them were responsible for up to 100 million deaths.
But, by a clear majority, the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe yesterday backed a controversial motion demanding that the continent's 46-member human rights watchdog formally condemns "the crimes of totalitarian communist regimes".
More than 60 members of the body's 315-seat assembly, made up of MPs from Europe's parliaments, were due to speak in a debate on a report by the conservative Swedish MP Goran Lindblad, which argued that 15 years after the collapse of the eastern bloc international condemnation of its governments' activities was "urgently necessary".
Mr Lindblad's motion also called for an international conference on the issue and urged former communist states to "revise school books to reflect what happened, establish museums documenting these crimes, and introduce a memorial day for the victims of communism".
The MP adopted the 100 million victim figure arrived at by Stéphane Courtois in his 1997 Black Book of Communism. The count includes 65m in China, 20m in the Soviet Union, 2m in North Korea, 2m in Cambodia, 1.7m in Africa, 1.5m in Afghanistan, 1m in Vietnam, 1m in east Europe and 150,000 in Latin America. (Mr Courtois puts the number of deaths due to Nazism at about 25m.)
Mr Lindblad listed communist regimes' crimes as "assassinations and executions, concentration camp deaths, starvation, deportation, torture, slave labour and other mass physical terror", saying they should be condemned like Nazis' crimes.
Council officials said 99 of the MPs present voted in favour of the motion, 42 opposed it and 12 abstained. Communist parties, mainly in western Europe, had reacted fiercely, saying the report deliberately failed to distinguish between the ideals of communism and its application by totalitarian regimes.
The Belgian Communist party, the PCB, called the motion "a violent attack on history, present and future of communism". The Greek KKE called it "a declaration of war and persecution against all communist parties", and Germany's PDS said it was "neo McCarthyism".
Mikis Theodorakis, the Greek composer, said: "In the name of our dead comrades, of those who passed through the hands of the Gestapo and the death camps ... shame on those who want to turn victims into executioners, heroes into criminals and communists into Nazis."
French communists said the motion "banalises the Holocaust" and "ignores the communist role in fighting fascism".
André Guerin, a Lyon MP, told Le Figaro that the council's idea was to "definitively bury the values of communism" and "make believe they are outmoded and that the only alternative is capitalism".
Protests were vigorous in Russia, where a survey found 50% of Russians felt Stalin had played a "positive role" in their history and 42% thought "somebody like him" would be helpful in Russia today.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1694867,00.html
