Moscow Times - 02.21.2006

Moscow Times

Party Leaders Sign 'Anti-Fascist' Pact

By Francesca Mereu 

With a display of pomp in a Soviet-style ceremony at the Poklonnaya Gora memorial, about a dozen political parties signed an "anti-fascist" pact on Monday, promising to fight the growth of extremism and nationalism in the country.

Two of the main parties that signed the pact -- United Russia and the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party -- spoke harshly about those parties that refused to sign, saying they should be kept out of the media and barred from the country's political life.

The pro-business Union of Right Forces also signed the pact, with party leader Nikita Belykh saying it decided to do so only because it shares a disgust for nationalism.

"We understand that this pompous ceremony was organized by United Russia in order to make people believe that they are fighting against fascism, but our party decided to sign the pact because we share the anti-fascist ideology. Even if I don't understand what [LDPR leader Vladimir] Zhirinovsky is doing here," Belykh said.

Parties that refused to sign -- the liberal Yabloko party, the Communist Party and the nationalist-populist Rodina party -- dismissed the United Russia initiative as a PR stunt and said it had little to do with fighting nationalism.

The ceremony, held in the Hall of Glory, was attended by Muslim, Jewish and Orthodox religious leaders, as well as by several World War II veterans wearing their uniforms and medals, and young United Russia activists wearing smocks with the pro-Kremlin party's symbol. A brass band played the Russian national anthem.

Andrei Isayev, a United Russia deputy in the State Duma and initiator of the pact, said that the initiative came after a march of far-right groups through the city center in November and the stabbing of eight people at a Moscow synagogue in January.

"After these recent events, we believe that fascism is a serious threat that politicians should not underestimate. We should fight to make political parties and the media more responsible for what they say," Isyaev said in an interview.

"The parties that signed the pact promised to organize boycotts against parties and media organizations that ignite a nationalist and fascist mood in Russia," he added. Isayev explained that the boycott should apply to media organizations that publish articles or interviews in which the point of view of nationalist or extremist leaders is expressed, and that parties that refused to sign the letter should be "isolated" from political life. He said he was referring to the Communists, Rodina and Yabloko.

The party's deputy speaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, also attended the signing.

Isayev said that the Duma's Legislative Committee, headed by Pavel Krasheninnikov, was drafting a package of bills aimed at fighting nationalism. He did not elaborate.

Zhirinovsky told the audience that his party opposed nationalism and fascism, and expressed contempt for the parties that refused to sign the pact, calling for them to be barred from running in the 2007 Duma elections.

But with his usual sense of humor, Zhirinovsky threw back a question from a reporter reminding him of his party's ultranationalist ideology and its slogan in the 2003 Duma elections: "We are for the poor, we are for the Russian."

"In our slogan we said that we were for the Russian and not against the Jew. To say 'we are for' is always positive, to say 'we are against' is instead negative," Zhirinovsky said as he left the memorial escorted by his bodyguards.

A spokesman for the Rodina party, which also has nationalist views, denounced the pact. "This is a false anti-fascist pact that United Russia has initiated to portray itself as a good party," spokesman Sergei Butin said.

Senior Communist Party deputy Sergei Reshulsky said the Communists "don't want to take part in any initiative organized by those in power."

Yabloko Deputy Chairman Sergei Mitrokhin said the pact was a "farce" and "the fact that LDPR signed it is proof."

Also signing the pact were the Agrarian Party, Pensioners' Party, United Socialist Party of Russia, Democratic Party of Russia, People's Patriotic Party of Russia, United Industrial Party of Russia, Party for Peace and Unity and Free Russia Party.