Posted: 10/03/2012
The resurgence of Nazi and neo-Nazi movements in Europe is attracting more attention in the United States. The New York Times featured the activities of the Golden Dawn,
an explicitly neo-fascist, neo-Nazi political party that has become the
fifth largest party in the Greek Parliament, with every prospect of
getting bigger. Golden Dawn
focuses on illegal immigration from Africa and Asia, in the context of
brutal austerity measures that have affected the standard of living of
almost everybody. It's a toxic brew, and there's more of it coming.
There have been similar organized upsurges across Europe. Notable examples are efforts to provide public pensions
to surviving members of Hitler's Waffen-SS in the Baltic states, a
variety of outrages in Germany, and the God-awful mass murder in Norway
by a self-professed right-wing vigilante. There has been a growing
recognition by mainstream European political forces that these incidents
can no longer be shrugged off as fringe manifestations. The
semi-meltdown of the European economy, the austerity measures demanded
by banks, the world-wide interest in Islamic extremism, and the influx
of immigrants of color have all contributed to the increase in incidents
and organizations of the very far right.
The European response has come largely from Russia. Russia has both
internal problems with neo-Nazi groups, and a national political
interest in focusing on their growth in the Baltic states. In domestic
terms, the Russian people, having lost 24 million souls to the fight
with Nazi Germany, are vigilant and concerned by anything smacking of a
Nazi resurgence. An organization has been created, World Without Nazism
by a Russian Senator, Boris Shpiegel. It has been meeting largely in
Russia, but On October 9 it's convening in Strasbourg France, the home
of the European Union, with a line up of heavyweights (the former
president of Ukraine, lots of members of Parliaments, and a delegation
from the US among others) and an intention to upgrade it's efforts in
Western Europe and maybe the USA.
I attended two meetings of WWN in Moscow and came away convinced that
there's enough going on to make their work important. It's certainly
possible that when the economy recovers the public tolerance of neo-Nazi
movements will vanish. But if there's any lesson to be learned from
history, it's that we are better off erring on the side of concern
before things take off.
The American interest in this is both obvious and hidden. The
useless slaughter and cost of World War II is still know to Americans,
if only by our interest in the Greatest Generation and its sacrifices.
Our ability to fight our old enemies of anti-Semitism and racism is
complicated when today's exponents of that stuff are elected to office
and command the streets. And it's not as though the new neo-Nazis are
leaving us alone. Golden Dawn has opened an office in Washington, and
some of what we've heard from the Baltic states should give the State
Department pause. Even the Timothy McVeigh's decision to bomb
government buildings still resonates among some extreme right-wing
groups.
All in all, and even in the midst of a hot and contentious
Presidential race, it's worth paying attention to. World Without Nazism
may yet try to open a dialogue with Washington, that's to be decided in
Strasbourg. I'm going, to listen and to explain something of America's
history and attitude towards Nazism. With good luck, these new
movements will melt away in the face of better economic conditions and
public opposition. But better safe than sorry.
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου