The European Union is starting to realize that the threat of Nazism resurging is real and that it can no longer sweep the matter under the rug, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, commenting on the European Parliament’s adoption of a resolution on the rise of neo-fascist violence in Europe on October 25, TASS reports.
"The Russian Foreign Ministry has traditionally tried to refrain from commenting on the European Parliament’s work. However, in this case, we deem it possible to make an exception, since the adoption of this resolution indicates that the European Union is finally beginning to realize that the threat of Nazism’s resurgence is real and can no longer maintain a wall of silence on this problem," the diplomat emphasized.
"We highlight the harsh tone of this document. It contains references to specific instances of neo-Nazi violence and hate, in addition to racist and xenophobic crimes in Europe, including annual gatherings in Riga honoring ex-Waffen-SS members and Ukrainian nationalists’ thuggery," Zakharova went on to say. "European Parliament members recognize that Nazism, racism and xenophobia are becoming routine in the EU. What’s more, neo-Nazi organizations feel particularly at home in some of its member-states."
The Russian diplomat welcomed the appeal addressed to EU members to strongly condemn and punish those who commit hate crimes and use the language of hatred, including statements made by politicians and officials at all levels and in any media outlets.
"For a long time now, we have been drawing the attention of Europeans and the global community as a whole to this dangerous trend," Zakharova stressed. "At the heart of this work is the Russia-initiated UN General Assembly Resolution on combating the glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fueling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, which, by the way, is mentioned in the preamble to the aforementioned European Parliament resolution."
The diplomat hoped that the EU was aware of the threat of rising Nazism and would start to fight it effectively. "We anticipate that along with European Parliament members, all EU member-states will recognize the threat of Nazism’s resurgence in Europe and will combat its manifestations in every possible way," she stressed.