I'm told little about what's going down in Russia except when it impacts America at the moment. Some good examples are when the U.S. is focused on problems in Eastern Europe are other areas around the world that modern day Russia and Vladimir Putin have a vested interest in. After reading the article I have come to the conclusion that this is not a good thing.
When I was in the Seventh Grade I did a report on JFK's life. During my research of the paper I came across a book that he published as a thesis while still in college called Why England Slept. The book deals with England looking the other way while Hitler and the Nazi party were rising to power, rearming and transforming the political theater of Germany from a nation all but bankrupt and without hope to a nation ruled by one party and one man.
This one man/one party rule was part of the reason that there was a holocaust, that is almost no one dared to speak out against him, his supporters or the atrocities the party perpetrated. Not all but many of the citizens bought into the Nazi party teachings. Than there was the Hitler youth and Aryan Pride factors as well. After all was said and done over 6 million Jews were systematically murdered as well as many gays, blacks, gypsies and other political undesirables. I could go on and on about the horrors and human rights abuses of Nazi Germany but I would be getting off track.
The point I'm driving at is that firstly, the Nazi party did many terrible things to its own citizens and secondly, that England choose to look the other way while the Nazi party was setting the stage for these things to happen. From my understanding and from the way the story in DNA is written I'm lead to believe that a similar thing may be in the works today in Russia.
You have all the key ingredients (if for slightly different reasons) such as a nation that is for all intents and purposes a big mess: unemployment rates continue to be a problem across Russia, the country has slid back into a dictatorship pretending to be a democracy, a orthodox church that acquired enough power and influence to force Boris Yeltsin to sign a law making it the state religion; even as he was forced to do so and against his own wishes (he previously signed a bill that would have more closely modeled the US Constitution and the bill of rights separating church and state).
This all leads up to last May when gays, lesbians, their European allies and allies from around the world decided to have a Pride Parade to celebrate the 13th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Russia. Instead of tolerance they were met with opposition from all sides. The Neo Nazis attacked them while the police stood by and did nothing (the only people arrested were the marchers themselves not the Neo Nazis), Yuri Luzhkov, the mayor of Moscow said that homosexuality was the "affliction of a depraved and decadent minority," that "we may have a democratic country, we live in an organized country and an organized city," and "Our way of life, our morals and our traditions are cleaner in all ways...the West has something to learn from us and should not race along this mad licentiousness."
If Yuri Luzhkov actually believes what he is saying (which I think may be the case) than he is clearly unfit to hold the public office and powers that have been given him. On the other hand if he is referring to the ideals of hate and intolerance being able to coexist side by side in a democratic country than Yuri Luzhkov is selecting a very weak argument for justifying oppression, intolerance, persecution, and hatred. It seems that this is the direction Russia is deciding to go in when the President, the state church, the mayor, the chief of police and even the Grand Mufti, Talgat Tajuddin of Russia's Muslim community and Russia's Chief Rabbi Berl Lazar were against the celebration as well.
With all these people against the march it is no wonder the Neo Nazis were emboldened enough to show up and attack the people celebrating the anniversary. In the aftermath of the attacks the London Mayor Ken Livingston condemned the violence and the MP in Russia's Bashkortostan region Edward Murzin brought a lawsuit against Vladimir Putin for falling to protect the rights of the citizens that were celebrating Pride Day. Some fast facts to consider are:
- Every year on the eve of Adolf Hitler's Birthday (April 20th) there is a surge in interest in Neo Nazism and an increase in intolerance/attacks against minority groups.
- There are more than 150 extremist publications (many of them being Neo Nazi publications) in Russia today.
- 31% of respondents to a poll taken by The All Russian Centre for the Study of Public Opinion in January 2006 believed that homosexuals "should be isolated from society."
- The same poll taken in 1990 found that 48% of citizens felt the same way as opposed to now.
- The Russian Orthodox Church has over 23,000 parishes, 635 monasteries, 102 clerical schools, and a well established presence in other countries.
Another good factor (not for the Russian Orthodox Church) is that it emphasizes a strict adherence to doctrine and its practices rather than evolving or adapting to meet the needs of modern day worshippers and their changing ideals. Given the political stance of the church and its refusal thus far to adapt it is running the high chance of going extinct and with it many of its beliefs and practices. This can't be a bad thing as far as Gay and Lesbian Russians are concerned (as it would mean the end of one of their main opponents).
Nikolai Alexseyev the organizer of last years march called it a success despite the violence and has promised to make the march an annual event. So come next May 27th keep an eye out for Russian Pride. I know I will. For more you can go here.
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