{"id":954,"date":"2019-04-04T12:57:23","date_gmt":"2019-04-04T09:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rusojuz.lv\/en\/?p=954"},"modified":"2020-03-04T15:01:20","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T13:01:20","slug":"the-darkest-powers-of-society-are-awakening-how-the-baltic-states-whip-up-anti-semitism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rusojuz.lv\/en\/the-darkest-powers-of-society-are-awakening-how-the-baltic-states-whip-up-anti-semitism\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The darkest powers of society are awakening\u2019: how the Baltic States whip up anti-Semitism"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Estonia a<\/span><\/span>\u00a0young man offended\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>chief rabbi of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the Republic<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Despite the fact that according to<\/span><\/span>\u00a0research results, the degree of anti-Semitism in Latvia is lower than in its regional\u00a0<\/span><\/span>neighbo<\/span><\/span>u<\/span><\/span>rs<\/span><\/span>, the country has a considerable difference<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On March 17, w<\/span><\/span>hen\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Shmuel\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Kot<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the chief rabbi of Estonia was heading with\u00a0<\/span><\/span>his\u00a0<\/span><\/span>children\u00a0<\/span><\/span>for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>synagogue<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>a young man on the way<\/span><\/span>\u00a0lashed out at him with abuse.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>The man was\u00a0<\/span><\/span>talking in<\/span><\/span>Estonian<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018<\/span><\/span>An Estonian speaking man came to him and his children and started shouting insults<\/span><\/span>: \u2018<\/span><\/span>Jews to the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>ovens<\/span><\/span>!\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Heil<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Hitler<\/span><\/span>!<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the like,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>throwing\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>obscenities to boot<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>There happened a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Municipal Police patrol<\/span><\/span>\u00a0nearby<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and the rabbi ap<\/span><\/span>pealed to them<\/span><\/span>with a request to do something as\u00a0<\/span><\/span>there might be a danger\u00a0<\/span><\/span>of physical attack from the hooligan<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u2018<\/span><\/span>Alas, the patrol ignored the request completely<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Gennadi<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Gramberg<\/span><\/span>\u00a0,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>a<\/span><\/span>\u00a0civil servant of Tallinn department of environment<\/span><\/span>, told<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Later\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Gramberg<\/span><\/span>\u00a0stated<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0that the patrol\u00a0<\/span><\/span>nevertheless\u00a0<\/span><\/span>interfered\u00a0<\/span><\/span>which \u2018<\/span><\/span>allowed to prevent aggravation of the incident<\/span><\/span>“.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

European Community Council, commenting on the incident, connected the situation with Conservative People Party<\/span><\/span>\u00a0(EKRE):<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018<\/span><\/span>EKRE participation in coalition negotiations and its possible entry into the government awakens the darkest forces of the society and provokes incidents similar to what had happened to the rabbi<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the press release of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>C<\/span><\/span>ommunity states<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On Tuesday, March 19, the court punished\u00a0<\/span><\/span>twenty seven-<\/span><\/span>year<\/span><\/span>–<\/span><\/span>old man<\/span><\/span>\u00a0sentencing him to eight days of arrest for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>public order disturbance\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and<\/span><\/span>\u00a0for<\/span><\/span>\u00a0taking\u00a0<\/span><\/span>psychotropic and narcotic substance, news portal ERR reported.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>The accused had<\/span><\/span>\u00a0already had a police record for various offences<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The head of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Kesklinna<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>police department\u00a0<\/span><\/span>of<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>P\u00f5hja<\/span><\/span>\u00a0prefecture\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Kaid<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Saarnit<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>said t<\/span><\/span>hat proceedings initiated on charges of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>hostility\u00a0<\/span><\/span>incitement were then\u00a0<\/span><\/span>reclassified as public order disturbance in view of the fact that the words of the man who had insulted\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Shmuel\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Kot<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>did not constitute real danger to the life, health or property of the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>chief<\/span><\/span>\u00a0rabbi of Estonia<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Prime minister of Estonia\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Jiri\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Ratass<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the Jewish community of the country, archbishop of Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church as well as the embassies of Russia and the USA<\/span><\/span>\u00a0all condemne<\/span><\/span>d the act of<\/span><\/span>\u00a0anti-Semitism<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The rabbi himself made a statement that he forgives the offender on the occasion of the eve of the Jewish celebration of Purim<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u2018<\/span><\/span>the day of joy and unity<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Incidents<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Latvia<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

K<\/span><\/span>aspar<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zellis<\/span><\/span>, a historian and researcher in Philosophy and Sociology<\/span><\/span>\u00a0at\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the Latvian University told on the radio\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Baltkom<\/span><\/span>that<\/span><\/span>\u00a0it was<\/span><\/span>\u00a0the Nazis myth<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0which<\/span><\/span>\u00a0had<\/span><\/span>\u00a0put the blame for deportation of Latvian people\u00a0<\/span><\/span>just\u00a0<\/span><\/span>on the Jews<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0contributed to the growth of anti-Semitism in Latvia<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018<\/span><\/span>Even today anti-<\/span><\/span>S<\/span><\/span>emitism remains\u00a0<\/span><\/span>a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>topical problem\u00a0<\/span><\/span>for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>all Christian\u00a0<\/span><\/span>world<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>If one is to in<\/span><\/span>vestigate<\/span><\/span>\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>roots\u00a0<\/span><\/span>of this phenomenon, the Nazis set the stage\u00a0<\/span><\/span>when\u00a0<\/span><\/span>they explained\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in their own way the events which happened in the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>years\u00a0<\/span><\/span>1940\u20131941<\/span><\/span>. This is the concept of a\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u2018scary year\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to the extent that it w<\/span><\/span>ere the J<\/span><\/span>ews who greeted\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Soviet tanks, who got various benefits from the Soviet authorities, the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>J<\/span><\/span>ews were\u00a0<\/span><\/span>security officers<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>J<\/span><\/span>ews deported Latvians and so on<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Zellis<\/span><\/span>\u00a0said<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

According to him, the Nazis propaganda was aimed\u00a0<\/span><\/span>at unifying bolshevism<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Jewry into one whole<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The historian remarked that anti-Semitism occurred in Latvia in years\u00a0<\/span><\/span>20-30<\/span><\/span>\u00a0of the previous century, though it did not manifest itself as aggressively as, for example, in Poland or Ukraine<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Today the situation is different<\/span><\/span>:\u00a0<\/span><\/span>according to rating\u00a0<\/span><\/span>results of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Pew Research Center,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the level of anti-Semitism in Latvia\u00a0<\/span><\/span>(9%)\u00a0<\/span><\/span>is lower than in Lithuania and Estonia, but twice as high as in Ukraine<\/span><\/span>\u00a0(5%).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Despite this, anti-Semitism in Latvia shows itself on the state level.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A statement of Alexander\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Kirsteins<\/span><\/span>, deputy of the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>S<\/span><\/span>aeima<\/span><\/span>\u00a0f<\/span><\/span>rom National U<\/span><\/span>nity caused a wide public response<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018<\/span><\/span>The<\/span><\/span>y<\/span><\/span>\u00a0say that\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Jurmala<\/span><\/span>\u00a0became more European with the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>relocation of \u2018<\/span><\/span>New Wave<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to Sochi. I was bewildered though<\/span><\/span>:\u00a0<\/span><\/span>there again sound\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>tunes that are closer to tastes of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Khazar<\/span><\/span>kagan<\/span><\/span>\u00a0successors<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0It turned out to be some event staged by\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Vaikule<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>I doubt that it promotes influx of wealthy German and Scandinavian tourists<\/span><\/span>“, \u2013\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Kirsteins<\/span><\/span>\u00a0wrote in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Twitter.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018<\/span><\/span>Khazar<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>kagan<\/span><\/span>\u00a0successors<\/span><\/span>\u2019<\/span><\/span>\u00a0is a hint at Russian\u00a0<\/span><\/span>J<\/span><\/span>ews<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Although Turks lived in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Khazaria<\/span><\/span>, they practiced Judaism and the state itself\u00a0<\/span><\/span>possessed the territory of the<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>North Black Sea Coast<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0the greater part of Crimea,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>coastal regions of the Azov<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Northern Caucasus, Lower Volga Region and<\/span><\/span>\u00a0the Caspian-Volga region<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This year in January\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Kirsteins<\/span><\/span>\u00a0pointed<\/span><\/span>\u00a0out<\/span><\/span>\u00a0that\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>opponents of transfer of education in Russian schools to the Latvian language are the agents of the world\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Z<\/span><\/span>ionism<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>He called this the exact reason for the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Russian community<\/span><\/span>\u2019s<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u2018insolence\u2019<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Two years earlier the deputy, while commenting on the elections in the USA<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0claimed that \u2018the Jews and the blacks\u2019 voted for Hillary\u2019<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Many Latvian politicians are notorious for such statements<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>For instance,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Karlis<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Serzants<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0another\u00a0<\/span><\/span>deputy of the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Latvian\u00a0<\/span><\/span>S<\/span><\/span>aeima<\/span><\/span>, representative of Union of \u2018the green\u2019 and peasants<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>While on air at the Latvian radio he declared that Jews are leading subversive work in the country<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u2018The people who\u00a0<\/span><\/span>worked\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to destroy Latvian state belong to a very clever nationality\u2019<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0the deputy said<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Replying to journalists\u2019 question if he meant the Russians, the coalition politician specified<\/span><\/span>:\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u2018No, I meant Jewish nationality\u2019<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Later, at the session of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Sae<\/span><\/span>i<\/span><\/span>m<\/span><\/span>a<\/span><\/span>\u00a0ethics commission\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Ser<\/span><\/span>zants<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>listed\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u2018Russian agents in Latvia\u2019 and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>drew the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>conclusion that the Jews are \u2018people\u2019s enemies\u2019<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

During the Latvian television program \u2018No censorship\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Uldis<\/span><\/span>Freimanis<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>admirer of SS troop veterans<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>allowed\u00a0<\/span><\/span>himself\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to voice\u00a0<\/span><\/span>anti-Semitic\u00a0<\/span><\/span>stateme<\/span><\/span>nts<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>He declared that<\/span><\/span>\u00a0the<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Jews<\/span><\/span>obstruct legionaries<\/span><\/span>\u2019 marching i<\/span><\/span>n the centre of Riga\u00a0<\/span><\/span>when they commemorate\u00a0<\/span><\/span>their combat comrades<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I am the master here<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and<\/span><\/span>\u00a0I go where I want<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>While\u00a0<\/span><\/span>these Jews<\/span><\/span>\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Hang them on a post<\/span><\/span>!<\/span><\/span>\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Freimanis<\/span><\/span>\u00a0was shouting<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

These people are\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>followers of their predecessors of the end of the first half of the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>XX<\/span><\/span>\u00a0century<\/span><\/span>. In<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Latvia during Holocaust<\/span><\/span>70\u00a0000 Latvian Jews and 20\u00a0000 Jews brought in from other countries perished<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Historians believe that just 300 to 1000 Latvian Jews survived the Holocaust, not including those Jews who were in the Soviet Army or w<\/span><\/span>ere\u00a0<\/span><\/span>evacuated to the USSR.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Estonia a\u00a0young man offended\u00a0the\u00a0chief rabbi of\u00a0the Republic.\u00a0Despite the fact that according to\u00a0research results, the degree of anti-Semitism in Latvia is lower than in its regional\u00a0neighbours, the country has a considerable difference. On March 17, when\u00a0Shmuel\u00a0Kot,\u00a0the chief rabbi of Estonia was heading with\u00a0his\u00a0children\u00a0for\u00a0synagogue\u00a0and\u00a0a young man on the way\u00a0lashed out at him with abuse.\u00a0The man was\u00a0talking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":955,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rusojuz.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rusojuz.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rusojuz.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rusojuz.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rusojuz.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=954"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rusojuz.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":956,"href":"https:\/\/rusojuz.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/954\/revisions\/956"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rusojuz.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rusojuz.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rusojuz.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rusojuz.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}