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May 2, 2006
Moscow Fascists, Communists Mark May Day

Demonstrators shout "Putin Go to Hell!", "Death to Homosexuals!", "Beat up the Jews and the Blacks!"

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Protesters' banner reads, " Putin and Successors - Go to Hell!"

Moscow - May 1 is the Day of Labor and Solidarity in Russia. A few thousand people marched through downtown, celebrating the holiday and chanting slogans. The most popular slogans of the day were “Putin and Successor – Go to Hell”, “Death to Homosexuals” and the usual “Seig Heils” from Russian skinheads. The march consisted of a mixed crowd including Communists led by former Presidential candidate Gennady Zyuganov joined by many Russian fascists. The latter groups claimed that they joined the parade in solidarity with “the Russian working class in its fight against the non-Russian capitalists”. Some neo-fascists were carrying Russian Orthodox images of Jesus Christ and holding their icons and Nazi flags side by side.

Zyuganov and police officials were asking the three thousand-strong crowd to refrain from carrying fascist symbols, but the Russian skinheads claimed their right to free speech and proceeded to wave their banners and posters anyway.

The crowd screamed in ecstasy “Christ has risen!”, “He has risen indeed!”, “Moscow, May, Gastarbeiters – Get Out!”, “Russia for the Russians, Moscow for Muscovites, Others – Leave Now!”, “Beat up the Jews and the Blacks!”, “Death to Queers!”.

A few hours later, the fascists were tired, and left the parade in search of better adventures, i.e. beating up “the gays and lesbians”. The communists kept on marching and performing their tired old anthems. Some elderly men and babushkas danced to harmonica and sang old Soviet songs; later on they chanted “We want to wake up and see the dirty capitalists run away like cockroaches off the ship!” and "If you touch Lenin – we’ll bury you alive!”

Overall, the procession was peaceful and occurred without any violent incident. These kind of events make us worry about the future of Russian society and the safety of foreigners, but on the other hand, these demonstrations also show that there is still free speech in Russia. The real Russia proves again that it's not as simple as many Westerners want it to be, with good (free speech, police exercising restraint) and evil (neo-fascism and nostalgia for Stalin) co-existing side by side. Amazingly, many of the leading anti-Putin Western "experts" on Russia have very little to say about these kind of demonstrations, which advocate the end of Putin's rule, but also the persecution of foreigners, Jews, people from the Caucuses, and blacks.


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Young Communists march with their banners and Soviet flags


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These young fascists prefer the red x cross on black banners


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This young nationalist banner translates roughly as "Go Russians!"


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Stalin rides through 21st century Moscow on a Mercedes-Benz


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These demonstrators imitate the American Black Bloc anarchist look


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This more typical May Day banner starts with the word "Solidarity"


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This group is chanting "Seig Heil"


Photos by Gazeta.Ru

For more information about attacks on minorities and foreigners by young thugs in Russia, see the Crime section of Russia Blog.


Here is a CBS News video about Russian extremists



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Comments

The photos are very good, as for what the demonstrators shouted, it seems little has changed in last 100 years!!!

I didn't realize that those featured reflected the views of most Russians.

I can easily isolate bigoted individuals and organizations in the US and falsely claim that little has changed in America over the last 100 years.

May Day! Or SOS?

This morning I turned on the TV for news and realized that we are once again facing May Day, the workers day it was once called in the USSR. Already back east some of the "workers" who are here illegally have started their annual rallies, marches and protests hoping to force this country to give Amnesty to millions of illegals who have come here by means other than Immigration. Seems to me that someone should have hung a banner at the White reading, May Day, May Day, the international signal for assistance when a ship or aircraft goes down, instead those of us who are citizens of this great nation will be treated to the displeasure of watching while this day plays itself out on our airwaves!

Time was in this great nation of ours when we had rules regarding immigration, no one just arrived here with out going through the necessary paper work, nor were they allowed to stay if they somehow came into the country illegally! It is high time that the United States stood up for what is right. We have legal citizens who were born here, worked their entire lives here and now must fight to get their Social Security because the system has been overrun with illegals. If the government does not continue to deport people who come here by unlawful means then we may as well throw in the towel and become Mexicans! The county schools, local medical systems and hospitals can no longer continue to give away free services, it cost each of us who pays taxes one third of our income just to support people who are not here wanting to become citizens. There are many things wrong with the way in which this nation has handled the influx of illegals in particular those who cross the international border between Mexico and the US. One point in particular is the fact that those who support illegal immigration do so under the guise of these illegals doing work that no self respecting citizen would do.

Let's just look at that one issue today. Someone recently sent me a movie that was a glorification of the Meixcan workers, it was titled "A Day Without A Mexican" and put these people in the light of "poor, abused and misused immigrants. If you read the laws of this country carefully regarding this issues this is what you will discover:

The United States set in place rules regarding immigration in the year 1952, and it stated in part the following:. United States immigration law was enacted in order to provide a central control of those citizens of other nations who wish to emigrate to the United States and become citizens, this law refers to the migration of non-residents to the United States those who make appropriate application and entry under the government policies. It further states that anyone who is a citizen of a foreign nation who wishes to enter the United States for the purpose of work, or for the purpose of declaring this country their domicile of choice must obtain Permission in the forms of Visa, or other documents prepared by the person wishing to immigrate and processed through the department of the INS.

This is and has been a major issue in the past 50 years, in states like California, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas the influx of illegals over time has drastically changed the face of the culture within our own borders. It is not uncommon now in California to hear Spanish more often than English. It has caused a once excellent education system to become the laughing stock of the states around us. Why you may ask? Well, the state in an attempt to" help" these illegals became programs back in the early 70's to provide education for these children in their own language instead of forcing them into immersion programs that would have kept the main language in this state English. Just yesterday I had a phone call from a solicitor who automatically started off speaking Spanish making the assumption that with a rather strange last name I must be Hispanic. When I voiced my disapproval of the girl, she retorted to me," Well, you better learn to speak Spanish lady!" and hung up. Just one small example of how those Illegals have taken advantage of the goodness of our nation. By the 1980's every teacher in California was expected to have some Spanish speaking abilities, once when applying for a job I was asked in Spanish if I spoke the language and when I replied in five other languages I was excused from the interview. It isn't uncommon either to go up to a clerk in a store and ask something in English only to be told " No Englase, espanol." With these few examples I expect you get where I am going with this.

I am not as someone once said, " Anti Immigration!" no, I am however against anyone who sneaks across our border and stays here without at least attempting to become legal. Indeed I know many individuals Mexican and other nationals who are very proud of the fact that they learned English, took Citizenship Courses as required by the INS and became legal citizens. However, those good immigrants also took on our nations colors, and are proud to wave the Stars and Stripes.

Most of the illegals who come here simply do not want to citizens, no rather they want us to conform to them, they wave the flag of Mexico every chance they get, they have no intention of ever becoming citizens of this great nation.

The United States is literally the only country in the world that allows illegals the chance to become citizens, no other nations has any problem simply deporting those who cross their border illegally.

In California alone there are two million illegals...most of them are from Mexico or South America. Granted that out of approximately 36 million residents that doesn't seem like a large number, but when you look at the facts regarding the services that are provided to these illegals by county, state and federal agencies over the course of a year the figure is simply staggering. Not only do these illegals live, work and get medical attention but they also receive free education for their numerous children, they drive on roads that our taxes pay for and at the end of their work day they take home 100% of their paychecks. Is it then any wonder that some of us still believe the only way to enter this nation is through Immigration and Naturalization? Is it any wonder that those of us who work hard to pay our share of taxes feel done to by the illegals? Is it any wonder that we don't like to drive down the street and see dozens of Mexican flags waving from cars, fences and buildings? Is it any wonder that we still believed that the official language of the United States should be English? No! We would like to take our state back, we would like to be able to not have to fight to get the Social Security we worked for, we would like the government to take a hard stand on this issue before is simply too late!


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Russia Blog presents up-to-date news, facts and commentary on the state of events in Russia and the former Soviet Union. The blog is managed by Yuri Mamchur, Director of Discovery Institute's Real Russia Project, a member of MBA class 2011 at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management, and a composer in his spare time.


 






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