Among the Orange Protesters Paramilitaries Say They Will Guard Revolution

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB6BYS2G3E.html

Among the Happy Orange Protesters, Ukrainian Paramilitaries Say They Will Guard Yushchenko's "revolution"

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - Among the orange ribbons, rabbit ears and dyed hair of the Ukrainian students who have become the happy face of the Orange Revolution, a darker color has become more prominent: the green camouflage uniforms of a far-right nationalist group.

"We are soldiers on an assignment," said one of them, Roman Dubynevych. "We are here to guard the revolution and to prevent Russia's interference."

He commands a unit of the Ukrainian National Assembly-Self Defense Organization, which says it has provided much of the muscle behind the weeks of protests in support of opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko - who preliminary results show won last Sunday's rerun of the presidential runoff.

Although the protests have not been violent and Yushchenko promises to bring Western-style reforms to Ukraine, the presence of the group, known by its Ukrainian acronym UNA-UNSO, underlines concerns of Yushchenko's foes that his leadership will enflame nationalism and intense anti-Russian sentiment.

As the number of orange-wearing protesters declined in recent weeks, UNA-UNSO's dark green uniforms and Iron Cross-like insignia got increasing notice.

But group member Andriy Bondarenko said they were a key element right from the start, when the huge rallies - dominated by young people dancing and celebrating in the streets - were launched to protest a fraudulent Nov. 21 run-off vote in which Yushchenko's opponent, Viktor Yanukovych, was declared the winner.

more

[NNN0LHI]

1. Gosh. I don't remember CNN's Jill Doherty mentioning any thing about...

...any Iron Cross-like insignia wearing far-right nationalist groups in any of her reports from Kiev. She made it sound like it was just a bunch of liberal minded kids who were behind this "revolution". WTF?

Don

[Tinoire]

5. Frightening insignia & a frightening organization. TELL ME THIS IS A JOKE!

I am going to be sick. Someone tell me it's my lying eyes & that this is a FUCKING JOKE!



Straight from UNA-UNSO's web-site from some sort of a historical paper:

Nationalistic facet of ideology and policy of the ukrainian radical nationalists from UNA-UNSO

(snip)

(snip) Before 1992 these groups resorted to nationalism only sporadically, but since that time it has been increasingly exploited as an ideological tool for expressing opposition to democracy — traditionally identified with the West and with Jews. The nationalists seek to establish a Ukrainian ethnocracy (natsiokratiia), modeled on the formerly European national-authoritarian regimes of the first half of XX century. In the footsteps the Ukrainian nationalists have created their own version of the Aryan myth in which the Ukrainian nation is seen as the progenitor of the Indo-European race. Its destiny is to become a superpower that will lead the Aryan world in fighting the forces of evil and destruction, behind which hide the Jews bent on world domination.

(snip)

Ukrainian Nationalist Parties: A Political Portrait

The following extreme nationalist parties were formed during the period of the breakup of the USSR in the 1990s:

The Ukrainian National Assembly (Ukrainska natsionalna assembleya, or UNA) and its paramilitary wing, the Ukrainian Self Defence (Ukrainska natsionalna samooborona, or UNSO).

(snip)

Considering the political and organizational instability of most of the political parties, from 1993 to 1999, UNA-UNSO was outstanding in the extent of its activities. It succeeded not only in strengthening its position and expanding its influence, but also in becoming the most popular radical right-wing party in the Ukraine. Its image became that of a highly active party whose leaders made shocking statements, and which inspired various political actions, complete with populist slogans and militant calls to arms.

The party’s imperialist aspirations were declared at the conference on “New Directions of Ukrainian Geo-Politics” held in Lviv in summer 1993. The party perceived the Ukraine’s future being linked to its Eurasian location, its geo-politics associated with pan-Slavism, and its ideological basis related to the “Eurasian” historical, political, and spiritual world.

At the conference, the leaders of the party advocated the formation of a bloc of “insulted nations” to be led by the Ukraine in opposing major imperialist systems. To be included were Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and some of the Balkan states. A later suggestion called for the inclusion of Belarus and Chechnya, as well as non-governmental organizations of various countries that do not accept the present international arrangements.

(snip)


As for domestic policy, UNA-UNSO preaches a melange of left-wing, right-wing, and conservative ideas: social equality, opposition to “fat cats,” redistribution of the national income in favor of workers, the active involvement of a strong government in the economy, as well as traditional values of the family, the people, discipline, and the state.

(snip)

Particular attention has been paid to youth work, through UNA’s special youth committee. In 1995 there was an increase in the number of military-sports camps to train young people for self-defense units. Aimed particularly for children 12–17 years old from poor and broken families, the camps train in hand-to-hand combat, tactics, intelligence gathering, camouflage, and techniques for facing police units. Training involves strenuous physical activity and iron discipline: beatings with rods is a common punishment.

(snip)

Asked whether UNA-UNSO considers itself part of the New Right, one of leaders of UNA replied “To some extent, yes,” but noted that, in contrast to European New Rightists, the Ukrainian extremists have attained a “happy union” of action and theory.38 This “happy union” finds expression on the cover of the “popular scientific” magazine Natsionalist, published by the Dontsov Supporters’ Club. The Gothic script and the motto “Ukraine Above All” prepares the reader for the ideas expressed inside, while the emblem of the Ukraine SS-Galichina division, which fought alongside the Nazis, recalls the past implementation of extreme nationalism.

(snip)

In propounding an ancient Ukrainian origin of Christianity, however, different but equally nefarious roles are ascribed to the Jews: they are called “plagiarists” and occupiers of ancient Ukrainian territory — Palestine. One of the Ukrainian historical revisionists explains how the “ancient Jews” came to have the Old Testament: in approximately 2,000 B.C., a segment of the ancient Ukrainians passed through Mesopotamia and headed toward the Nile. These were the creators of the Rig Veda, who symbolized their devotion to the sun and harmony with the universe by the swastika. While in the process of migrating, they “were opposed by the Semitic king Yosi. After conquering the disunited Aryans, the Semitic chieftain adopted their ideology. Thus the ancient Jews got the Old Testament. This is how people from the territory of present day Ukraine founded the religious philosophy of the Jews.”

An alternate version of the conquest of Palestine, and of the non-Jewish origin of Jesus and Christianity came later. According to it Semitic tribes forced their way into the Middle East from the Arabian deserts and destroyed the proto-Slavic civilization. The Hittites, Palestinians, and other Slavic tribes “were driven out of their historic homeland. The Jews conquered the city of Rusa-Lel (a name supposedly derived from Rusov Otets — “father of the Rus” — founded in 1,800 B.C. by Ukrainian-Hyksos, and renamed it “Ierusalim” (Jerusalem). The Ukrainian, or more precisely, Galician, origin of Jesus is attested to linguistically by Jesus' final words, said to be of a dialect of the “Carpathian region.” Zarathustra — “who was born somewhere east of Lugansk and Rostov” — predicted the advent of the Christian messiah. Author of this theory cites Dontsov, as well as “Western scholars, who deny the Jewish origin of Christ.” He adds that “all references to the Old Testament are later interpolations.” As with its predecessors, the Ukrainian mythology views the Jew as the incarnation of Evil, while its own people are a nation of Heroes called upon to purify the world and establish a new order in it.

(snip)

We must recognize our messianism, our holy obligation toward Ukraine and all of humanity.... The next millenium will be marked by an aggravation of the struggle between two opposing worlds — the Aryan one and the Semitic one, between the forces of Good and those of Evil. Ukraine, headed by UNA-UNSO should be the vanguard of Aryan civilization. That the kikes are the servants of the Devil is obvious from the Bible, the Talmud, the Torah, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and from the whole history of the kike people. Who created the satanic teaching of Communism? Who built the Evil Empire of the USSR? Who were members of the CheKa? Who destroyed churches, organized the mass starvation and the destruction of the elite of the Ukraine?... The Germans were right when they made their autos-da-fe....

(snip)

Among such enemies in the Ukraine are perhaps three million Russians and 600,000 Jews. (snip)

http://www.una-unso.org/av/mainview.asp?TT_id=17&TX_id=402


Delayed trial halted in mass confusion
The hunger strike of UNA-UNSO prisoners was stopped on the 20th of October
Judicial power's independence is in the ace again
The rights of the arrested UNA-UNSO members are being violated
Petition to Ukraina's Government
Far-right leader complains of maltreatment by police
Ukraine's security service detain ultra-nationalist leader
UNA-UNSO - ten years of struggle!
Statement of UNA-UNSO
Aims of the International Conference
UNA-UNSO statement concerning last events in Kosovo and Methohia
Demands of UNA from the Government and President of Poland
Communique of UNA-UNSO concerning development of conflict in Yugoslavia
Statement of UNA "Freedom for general Pinochet"
UNA statement concerning escalation of conflict in Kosovo
UNA statement concerning nuclear tests in India
UNA statement on support of India
About UNA-UNSO
UNA-UNSO addresses
Doctrine of destabilization
Between-Time
Our place in the crusade of Europe
Revolution from Couture
Eurasian Project
Nationalistic facet of ideology and policy of the ukrainian radical nationalists from UNA-UNSO
Messianic Mission
Big Guns
http://www.una-unso.org/av/main.asp?TT_id=17

The Orange Revolution. Proudly financed by George Bush and George Soros.

This information was taken from their web-site. Someone please tell me this is a sick joke. That that is not really their web-site. That that is not their emblem. That they do not really believe those things.

Calling DU researchers... This just can NOT be right!

[Chicago Democrat]

2. Thank God, now lets do the USA!

:)

Viva Yuschenko!

[bin.dare]

3. The goals of UNA-UNSO ...

http://www.una-unso.org/av/mainview.asp?TT_id=17&TX_id=401

"The goals of UNA-UNSO, according to its leaders, are to overthrow the current Ukrainian government, because it is anti-national; to fight the mafia, because it is criminal; to fight homosexuals, because they are an aberration of nature; to fight the Jews, because they own all the banks and media."

---------------------------------
beware of what you wish for.

[NNN0LHI]

4. I found that kind of stuff too. A lot of it

But I didn't post it because I didn't know if it was just more propaganda from the other side. I think we will have to take a wait and see attitude here. I know Yushchenko has said he will withdraw the Ukraine troops from Iraq. Lets see if he keeps his word.

Don

[Tinoire]

6. Wait.... in the article

I should have read the entire article first

Much of UNA-UNSO's bad reputation comes from another group with the same name that paraded through downtown Kiev with Nazi flags. In a move to distance himself, Yushchenko urged that group's leader, Eduard Kovalenko, to offer his support to Yanukovych instead.

Mazur insisted that his group has no relation with Kovalenko's faction. "We want a democratic Ukraine in a unified Europe," Mazur said. "We are here because we are Ukrainians, not because of our nationality or religion."

What is the truth here?

On second edit, this UNA-UNSO doesn't seem like a little organization of a few neo-nazis here and there. It seems like a well organized and powered organization. Website is translated into Belorussian, English, German, Spanish and Russian.

[bin.dare]

10. as best as i can tell there is only one UNA-UNSO ...

... even if multiple groups spring up with the same name, it is the relationships among the people that is important:

http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/1126-02.htm

the former leader of the UNA-UNSD Andry Shkil was elected to the parliament in a single-ticket election in the Lviv region, with the support of Our Ukraine, led by Viktor Yuschenko
...
Belatedly in the run-up to Octobers presidential elections, Mr Yuschchenko tried to distance himself from radical nationalists like Shkil _ at least in the English-language version of his web-page. < See Yushchenko advises fascist thugs to support Yanukovych 15:25, 2 July 2004 @ http://www.yuschenko.com.ua/eng/present/News/838/ > But they were not prepared to denounce him: It was reported that last Saturday in Kyiv there was a parade of the UNA-UNSO party that has nothing in common with the UNA-UNSO organization headed by Andriy Shkil, YTB member. During this meeting Kovalenkos UNA-UNSO declared the support of Yushchenko ...

------------------------------
i can find no info on the "UNA-UNSO party that has nothing in common with the UNA-UNSO organization headed by Andriy Shkil"

[Tinoire]

15. That's ugly and now all more depressing than last week n/t

[bin.dare]

22. Jonathon Steele had a reflective piece last friday ...

... as we shine the light on the likes of the National Endowment for Democracy, the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, etc, maybe the overall outcome might be more satisfying and less ugly and depressing. chin up, many more to go before ...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,1381326,00.html

Not a good way to start a democracy
Serious questions must be asked about US influence in Ukraine

Jonathan Steele, Friday December 31, 2004

...
Best of all, the piece was followed by a belated discussion of the role of foreign governments in elections. The way the US has exploited and financed "people's power", first in the Philippines in 1986, to a lesser extent in eastern Europe in 1989, and strongly in Serbia, Georgia, and Ukraine since 1999, came under the spotlight.

As with "humanitarian interventionism", which was much debated in the 90s, "electoral interventionism" needs to be thrashed out. Why is so much of it selective? Why do western governments (for they are the prime interferers) that claim to be fostering democracy take only one side, rather than being above the fray? Why are only certain countries picked? Georgia, but not Azerbaijan. Serbia, but not Croatia. Zimbabwe, but not Egypt.
...

[Tinoire]

7. UK Guardian: The revolution televised

The revolution televised

The western media's view of Ukraine's election is hopelessly biased

John Laughland
Saturday November 27, 2004
The Guardian

There was a time when the left was in favour of revolution, while the right stood unambiguously for the authority of the state. Not any more. This week both the anti-war Independent and the pro-war Telegraph excitedly announced a "revolution" in Ukraine. Across the pond, the rightwing Washington Times welcomed "the people versus the power".

Whether it is Albania in 1997, Serbia in 2000, Georgia last November or Ukraine now, our media regularly peddle the same fairy tale about how youthful demonstrators manage to bring down an authoritarian regime, simply by attending a rock concert in a central square. Two million anti-war demonstrators can stream though the streets of London and be politically ignored, but a few tens of thousands in central Kiev are proclaimed to be "the people", while the Ukrainian police, courts and governmental institutions are discounted as instruments of oppression.


The western imagination is now so gripped by its own mythology of popular revolution that we have become dangerously tolerant of blatant double standards in media reporting. Enormous rallies have been held in Kiev in support of the prime minister, Viktor Yanukovich, but they are not shown on our TV screens: if their existence is admitted, Yanukovich supporters are denigrated as having been "bussed in". The demonstrations in favour of Viktor Yushchenko have laser lights, plasma screens, sophisticated sound systems, rock concerts, tents to camp in and huge quantities of orange clothing; yet we happily dupe ourselves that they are spontaneous.

(snip)

Such dehumanisation of enemies has well-known antecedents - not least in Nazi-occupied Ukraine itself, when pre-emptive war was waged against the Red Plague emanating from Moscow - yet these posters have passed without comment. Pora continues to be presented as an innocent band of students having fun in spite of the fact that - like its sister organisations in Serbia and Georgia, Otpor and Kmara - Pora is an organisation created and financed by Washington.

(snip)

It gets worse. Plunging into the crowd of Yushchenko supporters in Independence Square after the first round of the election, I met two members of Una-Unso, a neo-Nazi party whose emblem is a swastika. They were unembarrassed about their allegiance, perhaps because last year Yushchenko and his allies stood up for the Socialist party newspaper, Silski Visti, after it ran an anti-semitic article claiming that Jews had invaded Ukraine alongside the Wehrmacht in 1941. On September 19 2004, Yushchenko's ally, Alexander Moroz, told JTA-Global Jewish News: "I have defended Silski Visti and will continue to do so. I personally think the argument ... citing 400,000 Jews in the SS is incorrect, but I am not in a position to know all the facts." Yushchenko, Moroz and their oligarch ally, Yulia Tymoshenko, meanwhile, cited a court order closing the paper as evidence of the government's desire to muzzle the media. In any other country, support for anti-semites would be shocking; in this case, our media do not even mention it.

(snip)

John Laughland is a trustee of BRITISH HELSINKI HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP and an associate of Sanders Research Associates

http://www.guardian.co.uk/ukraine/story/0,15569,1360951,00.html

[TankLV]

8. This is just plain sick and sad.

I feel sorry for the land of my ancestors.

There is no excuse for this.

[Tinoire]

9. You are the first person I thought of and I am very sorry

I was hoping, for my own sanity, that you would appear and post that there's a really unfortunate misunderstanding here.

That, in all honesty, would be my preference- for someone who's opinion we respect, who has a vested, honest interest in a free future for Ukraine, to show up and say there's a huge misunderstanding.

Do you not even have one little window of hope to throw on this? I hope this isn't what it appears and started a thread in GD about it. If this is all true, I am very, very sorry Tank.

[Mika]

11. Bushco are Nazis

No point in listening to those who espouse the idea that it is extremism to state such a thing.

The US evil empire is a Nazi empire.

:(

[Tinoire]

12. If I could photoshop, I would photoshop this

and change all the crosses to W's.

[NNN0LHI]

13. I don't know TankLV?

If Yushchenko was hooked up with this crowd I can't believe the Israeli secret service would have allowed him to stay alive to win any election. Something does not seem right here to me. We are still not even close to getting the real picture. We probably never will. Or maybe in ten years buried in Newsweek.

Don

[makhno]

14. Not necessarily

Assuming that the results of the Ukrainian elections serve US strategic interests and assuming further that Israeli foreign policy is in general alignment with that of its patron state, there is no need for Israel to oppose the coalition even if some of its members hold anti-semitic views.

Furthermore, I'd argue that just as in the US, religious and nationalist political posturing serves as a populist rallying cry, rather than a realistic policy statement. I doubt we're going to see pogroms in Kiev any time soon. Chaos isn't good for business and business is what this is all about.

[NNN0LHI]

16. Your points are all valid n/t

[David__77]

17. I suspect I would have voted for the other guy.

The Socialist Party supported the winner. The Progressive Socialist Party, a semi-Trotskyite LaRouche-connected group supported the "pro-Russian" candidate who lost. The largest left group, the Communist Party, remained neutral. Both choices were poor. But I think that there is a real danger in reawakening those old fascist forces in the west of Ukraine--the ones who cheered the Nazi invasion in 1941 and helped to round up the Jews. I don't feel one ounce of compassion for the those collaborators who perished in the Soviet camps after the war. They should have withdrawn and fought the invading German barbarians like other patriots.

[TankLV]

21. "They should have withdrawn and fought the invading German barbarians like

other patriots."

They did.

Read some history. You'll be surprised it's not what you think.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[daleo]

19. If Bush was for it, there had to be at least some fascist possibilities.

Not that this should tar all supporters. But, this story was always a lot more complex (and murky) than it was presented to us in the media.

[bin.dare]

20. the main thing Bush & Co wanted was the person who ...

... would best implement their neo-liberal agenda i.e. access to markets and resources while controlling the money supply. it doesn't really matter to them if they are fascist, dictator, progressive, communist, social democrat, christian democrat, whatever; it doesn't matter diddly squat to them.

it's the neo-liberal agenda, baby.

[daleo]

25. Influence in Ukraine means influence over Russian oil

I think that is the main, although not only, Western interest. I gather it is difficult to get Russian oil to market without it passing through the territory of the Ukraine. It will be interesting to see how this aspect of the power play goes.

[pinerow]

23. I stated in an earlier thread that the lesser of two evils is still evil..

and got my hat handed to me...The U.S. backing of any candidate in any foreign country is enough to make me at least look deeper into what the real story may be...I just do not believe that the new fellow is as pure as the media wants portrays him...I have a problem with the old fascists parties coming to power...and the West's eagerness to embrace them...the Baltic states have an horrific historical record when it comes to the treatment of Jews and Romani's...histtory bears me out...I just hope that it does not repeat itself.

[Vidar]

24. Aww, I was hoping this was NYC.

[podnoi]

26. Please don't mistake the mostly good Ukrainian People for the bad

and those who seek power for unjust purposes.

I am so glad the truth of the muddiness of this situation is finally coming to light and the Nationalist connections of the so called "Orange Revolution", which I have mentioned for some time was the fear of those in the east (the Nationalist ferver).

But please keep in mind that Ukrainians on *both* sides of the country are being manipulated. Hopefully the truth will win out and all the Ukrainian People will pressure *all* their representatives for for equality of representation and Justice and peace for all the country. Not for a given few.

Mark this:

If Yulia Timonshenko is allowed to become Prime Minister, she is the one holds a face that appears even more extreme than our Neocons, and the upper caste seems to be behind her. If she becomes Prime Minister then there is likely to be difficult consequences for the Ukrainian people.

[robertpaulsen]

27. Kick with a tinfoil inquiry.

If all this is true, and these militant neo-Nazis are so gung-ho for Yushchenko, why weren't they able to protect him from being poisoned?

Perhaps this was an inside job in an attempt to make a martyr and spark the violent revolution these Brownshirts REALLY want? :tinfoilhat:

:kick:

[robertpaulsen]

28. Another kick

:kick: