Russia accused of clandestine funding of fascist European parties

[uhnope]

American intelligence agencies are to conduct a major investigation into how the Kremlin is infiltrating political parties in Europe, it can be revealed.
...
The review reflects mounting concerns in Washington over Moscow’s determination to exploit European disunity in order to undermine Nato, block US missile defence programmes and revoke the punitive economic sanctions regime imposed after the annexation of Crimea.

The US move came as senior British government officials told The Telegraph of growing fears that “a new cold war” was now unfolding in Europe, with Russian meddling taking on a breadth, range and depth far greater than previously thought.

Officials declined to say which parties could come into the probe but it is thought likely to include far-right groups including Jobbik in Hungary, Golden Dawn in Greece, the Northern League in Italy and France’s Front National which received a 9m euro (£6.9m) loan from a Russian bank in 2014.

READ MORE http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/12103602/America-to-investigate-Russian-meddling-in-EU.html

The Far Right is spreading across Europe propelled by Putin's fa$cist funding

[pampango]

1. It's a mutual admiration society. Nationalism, 'family values', anti-EU - they have a lot in common.

[Igel]

2. It's not an uncommon sort of PR ploy.

If you do something, (1) you claim that everybody else is doing it and (2) do it yourself.

Russian claims: We promoted a revolution in Ukraine for the last decade, the "white ribbon" movement in Russia, etc., etc. Implicit claim: Ukrainians and others have no ability to think or act except as puppets.

Meanwhile, LNR/DNR are wholly owned/staffed subsidiaries of Putin Inc., a zero-liability corporation, who on their worst days tug an unseemly fashion at the leash.

[elias49]

3. One-sided nonsense as usual.

You missed your calling by 30 years. You could have been a Cold Warrior.
Wait! You are!

[uhnope]

4. you're one of DU's most noted 'Putin Apparatchiks' and apologists for fascism in Europe

Others have noticed, using terms like Putin sympathizers, Putin supporters, Putin apologists, Poot-lickers. You should be ashamed of that--but instead you call me out?

You claim to be against the US interfering at the "expense of ordinary people, like you and me." But you are silent on fascism in Russia that's going like a steamroller over the "ordinary people, like you and me," and silent on Russia helping fascism increase in Europe.

So we can see you're just here to support Putin. If that's wrong, and if you give a shit at all about fascism in Russia spreading to the rest of Europe, now would be a good time to indicate that.

[KamaAina]

26. And the Putin/RT brigade checks in.

[elias49]

28. Yeah. One of the realists.

You should try it!

[Dawson Leery]

6. Likely.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. I thought America had cornered that market.

[Wilms]

18. Off-topic.

[edhopper]

8. There are those here who won't believe it

unless it is reported in SputnikNews.

They always support Putin over the West.

[ronnie624]

9. It's not that it isn't believed.

Some of us just try to make American hypocrites understand, that as they point to the crimes of others, there are three fingers pointing back at themselves, and at their own government's far worse crimes.

[uhnope]

10. lol. oh really?

how far into the past, or into conspiracy theory, do you have to get to find three fingers of the USA influencing Europe in any way comparable to what Putin is doing?

[elias49]

14. Snort!

You have to be joking! Or blind.

[uhnope]

16. easy there, friend, easy.

perhaps list the ways that I am wrong.

[elias49]

21. Well, why does the US have 50,000 soldiers

stationed in Germany? 10,000 in Italy.
Does Russia have 50,000 troops in Canada?
Get my point? Yeah, the US fucks around plenty in that part of the world.
Start there.

[uhnope]

24. I think that US has troops in Germany

because of that whole Nazi conquest of Europe thing that happened and the creation of NATO in response to the dictatorship empire of the USSR. Remember those things?

Is it your point that the US is bullying Germany or occupying Germany by its continuing bases there? Really?

Compare the effect of the US/UK on Europe vs the effect of Russia. Compare the entire postwar period from 1945 to 1989. Compare western Europe under US/UK influence to the Warsaw Pact/Eastern Europe under Soviet influence (a euphemism in that case).

Now compare the Warsaw Pact and Eastern Europe from 1989 to today, and the places that went most rapidly from Russian domination to western influence. Look at the Czech Republic as a case in point. It went from a groveling, impoverished dictatorship under actual foreign occupation to a thriving place with one of the highest rates of personal freedom on the planet.

Really, I don't want to make you feel bad, but you need to get a clue. Some things are worse than others. Life is not black and white. You need some basic education on these things

[elias49]

22. Here's an interesting map for you

http://qz.com/374138/these-are-all-the-countries-where-the-us-has-a-military-presence/

Does this help?

[uhnope]

23. bogus misleading factoid map

[ronnie624]

17. The US has a FAR greater military presence in the world than Russia.

You don't really need a link, do you?

[uhnope]

25. So? Look at Germany. We've had a military presence there since the end of WW2

and somehow it's become one of the strongest and best democracies in the world. Not exactly an example of the evils of US "military presence."

Slinging a factoid about "military presence" equals zero. Look at influence.

[elias49]

35. I hope we don't get the war you seem to hope for -

And you'll be happy to know I won't be visiting your posts anymore.
Good luck.

[uhnope]

36. buh-bye! It's been...

bizarre

[LanternWaste]

27. I like to pretend X is always and consistently relevant to Y too, despite context...

I like to pretend X is always and consistently relevant to Y too, despite context, premise or congruity, and regardless of a foolish consistency revealing the hobgoblins of our little minds. Hence, we must admit to ourselves (if no one else) that those who choose to avoid foolish consistencies are not in fact, hypocrites-- despite the visceral satisfaction and self-validation pretending otherwise may impart to us.

Critical Thinking by Brooke Moore may assist one in at least appearing more objective and rational, even if not truly the case. Simply a suggestion...

[ronnie624]

32. Hypocrisy damages your credibility

and renders your position on this issue morally illegitimate. It's just that simple. You just don't like the reminder, because it causes cognitive discomfort, which is what compels you to launch ad hominem attacks.

[FSogol]

31. There is one less of them than there was yesterday.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=profile&uid=297743&sub=trans

[edhopper]

33. Wow

can't say I will miss him. He added nothing positive to DU.

[Behind the Aegis]

37. But still so many more.

It is really strange, but not all that surprising. The fact that Russia is sponsoring right-wing governments, especially virulently anti-Semitic ones, doesn't surprise me in the least.

[Behind the Aegis]

11. As long as those Jews don't wear this type of kippah...

Of course, this makes this story even more chilling...

Putin to European Jews who feel unsafe: 'Come to us'

Vladimir Putin has called on European Jews to come to Russia.

"They can come to us," the Russian president told the head of the European Jewish Congress, Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor, at a meeting in Moscow, according to a Kremlin statement. "They left from the Soviet Union. Let them return."

--snip--

Putin replied: "I've seen reports that (Jewish) people there are afraid of wearing a yarmulke in public. They're trying to hide their ethnicity."

--snip--

In fact, the Russian Jewish Congress issued a report in 2014 that said the country had seen a significant increase in anti-Semitism, including attacks on cemeteries.

Shortly after that report in May of 2014, the Simon Wiesenthal Center found more evidence of anti-Semitism in Russia when the state-run channel RT, formerly Russia Today, aired what the organization said was "eight minutes of raw Jew-hatred and unambiguous group defamation." The video about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict perpetuated several anti-Semitic stereotypes while showing a man dressed as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blowing up a Hamas militant before declaring "Kapow! Hamas, now he look more like hummus."


more...

[DFW]

12. I wouldn't know, but Putin does know the mechanics of that process inside and out

After the USSR dissolved, it came out that they had been funding all sorts of "friendly" movements all over Europe, such as the PCF, PCI, KPD, even the Greens to a minor extent. Their East German stooges had been sheltering some West German RAF members that managed to make it across the border, and guess who was a high-ranking KGB officer, fluent in German, stationed in East Berlin at the time? Good old Vladimir Vladimirovitch.

[uhnope]

15. you win the thread. best post I've seen in ages. nt

[meforbernie]

13. Why wouldn't a loan from a Russian bank implicate the bankers rather than the government? n/t

[DFW]

19. If you can saw through the chain that links them

In Russia today, you don't even get to operate a big business (such as a bank) without getting the nod from Putin and/or his pals. They do not do that for free, and they do not tolerate independence or dissenters. Try it on your own, and you get your choice, jail or getting murdered in exile.

[meforbernie]

20. Well, that is not a proven claim.

I agree it is stupid to fund crazy right wingers to destabilize regimes we don't like, but America has a long bad history of this too. The Syrian opposition morphed into Isis and the right wing parties we funded in Argentina are looking more and more fascist. The Argentine right are getting rid of laws against media monopolies so far right propagandist like Murdoch can take over the media. it is good bet the Venezuelan right will follow this path.

[uhnope]

29. wait what?

It's not a "proven claim" that Putin rules the Russian banking system? Do some basic research.

& try to cut down on the whataboutism, changing the subject to Argentina...jeez.

BTW can you please explain what you mean by this sentence: "I agree it is stupid to fund crazy right wingers to destabilize regimes we don't like." Is this how you characterize what Russia is doing? You think Putin is just doing this "stupidly"? And are you calling the gov't of France a "regime"?

[meforbernie]

30. Show me proof he controls the banking system.

All governments are regimes, and yes it is dumb to fund right wingers to destablize them, and it will probably create blowback on who does it.

[uhnope]

34. you've got some learning to do

Watch this to learn about the systematic takeover of the Russian economy (including the banks), and turning the system into a formalized kleptocracy, presided over by Putin: www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/putins-way/

You might want to also learn about the case of the late Sergei Magnitsky, a whistleblower who died in prison after reporting the grand scale of theft of public funds from the banks by Russian officials.