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19.04.2009 Edvins Snore THE SOVIET STORY AND ITS CRITICS I am delighted that my film The Soviet Story is being screened in Finland. With respect to the Kremlin's accusations that the film glorifies Fascists, my suggestion is – “watch the film first, then you see for yourself what it stands for”.     Image texts, see below. The Soviet Story condemns Fascism/Nazism. It condemns concentration camps and it condemns mass executions. However, as we now know, that it was not only Nazi Germany who operated concentration camps. It was the Soviet Union as well. It had the largest concentration camp system in the world. Millions were exterminated in those camps. After the war the USSR even used the Nazi camps (Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen) as part of its own camp system – the GULAG. The Soviet Story calls for persecution of those NKVD/KGB officers who worked in the GULAG and who carried out horrific torture, mutilations and executions of thousands of innocent victims both before and after World War II. Everyone seems to agree that during Stalin's reign horrible crimes were committed. Yet no one has been held responsible for those crimes. Did Stalin himself singlehandedly torture and execute millions of people? None of the former NKVD/KGB criminals who actually committed the killings have been tried in Russia. Why have they escaped prosecution, whilst Nazi war criminals have been tried? One man who might know the answer is Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. He has worked in the KGB. People who carried out torture and executions in 1930s/40s were his older colleagues. They worked in the KGB up until 1970s and 1980s. He has surely met them in the corridors of Lubianka. They were the ones who did the actual crimes; whose hands were spattered with blood, literary. Putin's predecessor, the KGB Chief Ivan Serov, for example, was awarded the Order of Lenin – the highest State decoration - for orchestrating the mass murder of 20 000 unarmed people in 1940. Not surprisingly, this is too uncomfortable a subject for the ex-KGB establishment which is currently in charge in Kremlin, to come to terms with. It makes them nervous, when someone brings it up (e.g. in The Soviet Story). It is too difficult for them to reply to the simple question - “Why not condemn NKVD/KGB crimes and why not try the criminals who committed them”? The Kremlin’s reaction to the film has thus been somewhat hysterical – aggressive public campaign against the Soviet Story culminating in a voodoo-style burning of the film director's effigy in the streets of Moscow. When the first wave of emotions was over, Moscow apparently came up with a more sober strategy. This strategy was very simple: to label everyone who disagrees with Moscow - a Fascist. An old and proven Soviet method. During the course of 70 years all opponents of Kremlin sooner or later were labeled Fascists – be they in Finland, Poland, Latvia, Ukraine, Georgia, Lithuania, Estonia, Korea, or even Japan. The Soviet Story also reflects a point of view which is not shared by the Kremlin. As a result, the film is labeled as Fascist propaganda as well (even if the film describes Hitler and Nazism as criminal). “Anti-Fascists” from Latvia, Estonia and Finland have also continuously criticized The Soviet Story. They may be from different European countries, but one thing unites them all – they all speak fluent Russian and they travel to Russia regularly. Until recently the Anti-Fascist slogans of these pro-Kremlin groups frequently succeeded to trick naive Western journalists. However, in 2007, the anti-Fascist committee of Latvia blew its cover by engaging in open collaboration with Russian neo-Nazis in Latvia. Both organizations – the neo-Nazis and anti-Fascists - held a joint nationalist gathering “The Russian March”. The move, which was criticized by moderate Russian politicians in Latvia, demonstrated that “Anti-Fascism” was just a cover for radical Russian nationalists to push their agenda in the countries bordering with Russia.  Dr. Backman together with Mr. Goncharov condemns the Soviet Story. Dr. Backman seems not disturbed by the fact that Goncharov leads an ultra-nationalist organization “Rodina”, whose website contains open hate-speech, such as appeals to kill Americans  In 2007 Neo-Nazi leader Osipov (right) together with Eduard Goncharov (left), leader of the Russian nationalist organization “Rodina” (Fatherland), and at the same time head of the “Latvian Anti-Fascist Committee”, - organized a nationalist gathering “Russian March” in Riga. The photo above is from the court proceedings after the event.   Image left: Eduard Goncharov, leader of the Anti-Fascist organization in Latvia Image right: Eugene Osipov, leader of the Russian neo-Nazi organization in Latvia Additional information: www.sovietstory.com  ^ Takaisin ylös  Lisää artikkeleita kirjoittajalta
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