New Rada unhappy because of ultra – right
One of the leading experts on right-wing extremism and xenophobia Vyacheslav Likhachev – on the results of parliamentary elections in Ukraine and the “Jewish” component
– Vyacheslav, for nearly a year, as a neighboring state propaganda exaggerates the discourse of “fascism” in Ukraine … Past elections have refuted this idea or no smoke without fire?
– I believe that any person living in Ukraine, has long developed a completely unambiguous response to repeated every day on Russian television story about the crucified Bandera Russian-speaking infants and buried in the bowels of the Lviv underground brave with the St. George’s ribbon, not afraid to go to Hitler memorial that in Western Ukraine, as you know, on every square … Although the volume has fallen upon media consumers head (primarily Russian) misinformation so significant, it’s really hard to preserve the sanity front of the screen not only in Moscow and Sevastopol, but also in Kharkiv to Odessa. Unfortunately, many of my friends in Israel to some extent allowed the propaganda of the Russian contagion clog their brains.
The reality, of course, is quite different. In the Jewish community of Ukraine, probably never had such a close working relationship with the country’s leadership. In general, in spite of the confusion, war, the difficult economic situation, I do not remember ever in our country, civil society had such an impact on the authorities. This is quite natural and logical consequence of the dignity of the Revolution. However, that does not alter the facts and analysis of subjective sensations, give figures to demonstrate the dynamics of the Ukrainian society.
In 2012, the ultra-nationalist party “Svoboda” received a record 10.44% of the vote. Many activists of the political forces, including the leader – Olega Tyagniboka, allowed themselves to xenophobic and anti-Semitic statements. Since then, there was a revolution, which some describe as a “fascist” and “Bandera”. If shameful fiasco of radical nationalists in elections in May could be explained by the consolidation of society around the figure Petra Poroshenko, it is possible that in the new composition of the Verkhovna Rada of the extreme right have taken finally the place that they store for Russian TV channels?
In fact, radical electoral support compared to 2012 fell by half, even if you add up the votes for “Freedom” (4.71%) and debutant elections – the party “Right sector” (1.8%). However, I am not sure that such a mechanical summation justified. “Right Sector”, as can be judged, supported primarily due to its active participation in the ATO, and not because of some radical nationalist agenda. All the rhetoric of the party in recent months was very ready to protect Ukrainian independence, territorial integrity and state sovereignty. It is also important that the SS leader Dmitry Yarosh and official speakers of the party is not only not been seen in anti-Semitic rhetoric, but also consistently interpreted (as opposed to the ideologists of the “Freedom”) Ukrainian nation as civil, political,
Analyzing the personal composition of the new deputies, it is clear that the case of ultra-right are even more pitiable. In the parliament of the previous convocation only in “Freedom” faction was 37 people. Now, in the building on Grushevskogo enter only 6 party members Tyahnybok (himself the leader of “Freedom” was behind the walls of Parliament). In addition, three representatives of the “right sector” (of which formally ran only from the party Dmitry Yarosh), a few more people on the list of the Radical Party, Oleg Lyashko and self-nominee Andrew Biletsky (perhaps the most radical nationalist of all) were elected. Together with the well-known researcher of ultra Antonom Shehovtsovym “to the maximum”, we counted 13 radical nationalists in the new parliament. Thus, their personal representation in Parliament decreased threefold.
In this, it seems to me, the theme of “Bandera”, seized power in Ukraine can be considered definitively closed. I note parenthetically that in prosperous Europe, not the opposing armed aggression in the recent elections to the European Parliament the result of far-right was much more convincing than “fascist” Ukraine.
– So there was held Ukrainian political nation, which began to be born on Independence? Of course, a common enemy unites, but today it is clearly not the Jews and the imperial policy of the eastern neighbor. The question is whether we do not accept the outward manifestation of the unity of the steady trend …
– Independence and the Russian invasion has certainly done for the formation of a civic nation is greater than all the previous twenty years of state-building. External enemy – is a catalyst for consolidation, but not a cause. I think that without any aggression, those new models of civic engagement and social networks that have been born of the Maidan for three months, continue to influence society in a different form. However, this is a hypothetical question – it was an invasion. And, unfortunately, this factor will exist for a long time. And that’s what I would like to emphasize – it articulated non-ethnic character of the emerging Ukrainian civil nation. And the Jews (who, in fact, in our territory has never been a unifying enemy) is not just an essential, but very important part of this society.
– The current election campaign – one of the few where there was no attempt to put the blame opponent his Jewish origins. No leaflets attacks against the Tymoshenko-Kapitelman or “descendants of the ancient Talmudic kind” Yatsenyuk. Chance or regularity?
– I think that pattern. In fact, in the past some attempts to discredit the opponent Jewish origin had no significant effect on the mood of voters. Today, parties are competing in patriotism, nashpigovyvaya their lists and Kombat fighters ATO. In a situation where almost the most striking symbolic figure of a fighter against Russian aggression is Igor Kolomoisky, the Jews can not be a compromising factor. But what to say, if one of the speakers of the “Right Sector”, who was elected to the parliament in single-mandate constituency from Kiev Troyeshchyna not hide his Jewish origins, and it does not prevent him to mobilize to participate in the nationalist youth campaign.
– You were one of those who spoke with concern about the militarization of social consciousness in the wake of which in the Rada (mainly in the party Oleg Lyashko) could be outspoken neo-Nazis. By late October, the popularity of RPL greatly subsided, why, in your opinion? Society matured or sponsors resources were depleted?
– In general, in the spring, it was obvious that the popularity of Oleh Lyashko – disposable. Too long train of scandals reaching for him, and compromising too much on the surface – and not only the party leader, but also on his team, which perforce must be “present” to the voter at the polls. But most importantly, perhaps, more. By May only Lyashko uncomplicated advertising techniques could create a image of Defender of the Fatherland. Actually, the real war began only after the presidential election. And “militaristic” image, which in the situation of foreign aggression, of course, there is a demand, were able to create practically all major political forces. Against the backdrop of the Supreme Commander Peter Poroshenko and battalion commanders in the lists of “Self Help” and “Popular Front” image militant Lyashko several “I am blown away.”
– A favorite theme of Jewish (as well as anti-Semitic) publications – Jewish deputies in the parliament of the new convocation. I would not want to be limited to statistics, and talk about the different behaviors and patterns of political choice.
– You can only talk about those who do not just do not conceal their origin, but also makes it part of the public image. In this context, we present three typical examples.
One I mentioned newly elected deputies of the Jews – it is a formal self-nominee Borislav Birch, one of the official speakers of the “right sector”. It can be considered the epitome of striking a decisive and radical tendencies, partly even militant, Jewish-Ukrainian patriotism. Such people who are on the humorous internet jargon is called “zhidobanderovtsami” undoubtedly played and still play an important role in strengthening the Ukrainian-Jewish relations as well as in state-building and strengthening civil society.
On the opposite end of the political spectrum we see Vadim Rabinovich, who was elected in the opposition bloc list. I do not know his personal motivation and actual political views. Judging by the political camp to which it is joined, it can be correlated with the tendency of Jews wary of the new government and to everything that gives nationalism. However, Vadim Z. not exploit this issue either in the course of his rather successful presidential campaign, not now, and I think the choice of political power to the business interests he had urgent ideology. Finally, the third example – is Alexander Feldman, a landslide victory in a single-mandate district in Kharkov. Alexander B. has always been able to adapt to the current political situation. Before the Orange Revolution, he was a colleague Leonida Kuchmy, after – she puts her shoulder Yulia Tymoshenko. When she lost the presidential race Viktoru Yanukovichu, Oleksandr Feldman joined the camp of the victors, and became a member of the Political Council of the Party of Regions. Now one of the most influential people of Kharkiv ran as a self-nominee and, I believe, will be able to successfully use its freedom of maneuver.
Perhaps these three examples can be considered as certain patterns of political behavior. It is not hard to notice anything specifically “Jewish” are not available.
– It has recently become very popular to draw parallels between the situation in Israel and the Ukraine. Within the last campaign sounded similar analogy? And in general, what are the current trends in relation to the Jewish state, given that it has taken a position of strict neutrality in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict.
– Analogies was difficult to avoid, especially when Israel was at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Although the causes and nature of the conflict is very different, it begs the comparison between the ideology and practices of Islamic fanatics and extremists, Orthodox-nationalist rushing from Russia Donbass (or nurtured by the Kremlin from the local community). Of course, Ukraine would be “Israel” very much in this context, therefore, appeals to emulate and learn from the IDF were heard in the media and blogs literally every day: to build on the border of the Wall, to use the precise high-tech weapons, in response to the attacks to eliminate individually military and political elite terrorist groups …
Unfortunately, it is impossible for the six months to learn what Israel took half a century. A guide of the Jewish state, as you quite rightly pointed out, in no hurry to provide Ukraine with weapons assistance, technology or instructors. Actually, this is understandable. Israel’s position in the international arena is that it simply can not afford to get involved in issues that have no direct relation to it, but the threatening conflict with someone of the heavyweights of world politics. I have on this subject another point of view, but the leaders of Israel do not get tired to talk about neutrality and good relations with both sides in the conflict.
Why so necessary today, on every street corner screaming about good relations with Russia – a country that in the international arena has always supported Israel’s enemies, and always votes in the United Nations the most unfriendly way possible, I honestly do not understand. But if officials are still bound by the considerations like, “could be worse” (suddenly Russia more actively begin to help all who dream of destroying Israel?), It is still difficult to me to understand intellectuals, repeating, like a mantra, the thesis of the need to ” Jews and Russian remain allies and associates “(I’m afraid to even imagine – in a fight).
Meanwhile, it is with the time that Petro Poroshenko foreign minister, Ukraine is one of the few countries that has consistently supported Israel in international organizations. If I am not mistaken, it is a Jewish state was the last country to be visited before the elections, the current Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin. Of course, this relationship would have developed more rapidly if Israel was not afraid to state the obvious and at least symbolically supported Ukraine (when the UN General Assembly has condemned the Russian aggression, the representative of Israel simply did not vote).
However, given the gravity of the situation in which Ukraine was heading for the development of economic cooperation, announced by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, found it impossible to military and political support to countries subject to aggression, is also quite promising.
– What, in your opinion, will be the main vector of the efforts of the new Parliament? whether it will loop on the confrontation or aggression will contribute to building a new multicultural and multi-ethnic society, tailored on the model of Western democracies? What place will there Ukrainian Jews, if we do have we can talk about their appearance as much subethnos different from the “post-Soviet Jewry”, bound by a common history and language – of course, Russian.
– Question repel the aggression, the relationship with the occupied territories and the country-aggressor, of course, remains the number one issue of Ukrainian politics for many years. The second item on the agenda – a difficult economic situation and the need for structural reforms.
Another thing is that society evolves and without the state, and often ahead of him. The unique experience of self-organization, gaining on the Maidan, and fortified during the war (volunteers supply the participants ATO effective state), the skills of collective solutions of large-scale problems, high levels of consolidation contribute to the gradual formation in Ukraine of a mature, developed society. And the Jews occupy an important place in it. Of course, before there was a vector of “Ukrainian Jewry” among post-Soviet Russian-speaking Jews living in the former Ukrainian SSR. It seems that now it becomes the main direction of development of the Jewish community. It seems that it is irrevocable and, in my opinion, not bad at all.
Sourse, 16/11/2014
