{"id":11844,"date":"2017-08-08T13:16:36","date_gmt":"2017-08-08T13:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/?p=11844"},"modified":"2021-04-14T19:23:09","modified_gmt":"2021-04-14T19:23:09","slug":"bbc-legitimising-neo-nazi-hate-crimes-in-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/2017\/08\/08\/bbc-legitimising-neo-nazi-hate-crimes-in-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"BBC LEGITIMISING NEO-NAZI HATE CRIMES IN\u00a0UKRAINE"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chris Ford of the Ukrainian Solidarity Campaign sent out this appeal:-<\/strong><\/p>\n

“If the BBC carried a report portraying Neo-Nazi\u2019s engaged in hate crime in London as lovable rogues turned to a good cause there would be outrage.\u00a0 Yet that is what the BBC has done in a report on Ukraine entitled \u2018C14 Group: hooligans who catch separatists\u2019<\/em>“<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was first posted at:-<\/strong><\/p>\n

BBC LEGITIMISING NEO-NAZI HATE CRIMES IN UKRAINE<\/a><\/p>\n

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CONDEMN BBC LEGITIMISING NEO-NAZI HATE CRIMES IN UKRAINE<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
C14 with neo-nazi flag<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

C14 are a well-known far-right organisation based in Kyiv. They existed long before the EuroMaidan rebellion and the Russia-Ukraine war. \u00a0None of their background history as a neo-Nazi group with a violent past is explained by the BBC. \u00a0The BBC Editorial Values state they are committed to an output that \u201cwill be well sourced, based on sound evidence, thoroughly tested and presented in clear, precise language.\u201d\u00a0 The report by Vyacheslav Shramovych presents without question that C14 \u201cdeny links with neo-Nazi ideas\u201d and their leader claiming that \u201cOur ideology is Ukrainian nationalism\u2026\u201d.<\/p>\n

An impartial journalist adhering to the BBC \u201ceditorial integrity\u201d would have revealed that for all their denials and camouflage C14 are unreconstructed<\/p>\n

Hitlerites seeking legitimacy \u2013 BBC has shockingly assisted them.<\/p>\n

BBC portrays C14 as well-meaning youth who in a time of war are doing their civic duty protecting Ukraine\u2019s sovereignty from supporters of Putin. \u00a0The assertion that the targets of C14 are \u201cseparatists\u201d helping Putin is a convenient cover for violence consistent with their entire record of far right bigotry.<\/p>\n

BBC \u2018Editorial Values\u2019 demand their reporters \u201cestablish the truth of what has happened and are committed to achieving due accuracy in all our output.\u201d\u00a0 Nowhere in the BBC report is the widely known reality of their violent activity presented.<\/p>\n

The C14 group engage in what they describe as a \u2018safari hunt\u201d for \u201cseparatists\u201d, the BBC report this as follows:<\/p>\n

\u00a0“At the same time, they insist that they don\u2019t beat up anybody, just committing petty disorderly conduct.”<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>\u201cIf a person openly expresses anti-Ukrainian views we can\u2019t of course cripple or kill that person. But we can\u2019t say anything either\u2026 That\u2019s why we think in this case we need to do disorderly conduct \u2013 a slap in the face to stop them and not let them say that\u201d \u2013 explains Eugene Karas\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>\u201cI know about one time when somebody in Kyiv put on some openly separatist music. People called the police three times but cops didn\u2019t know what to do\u201d, \u2013 says Karas. \u201cEventually those separatists were beaten up and they didn\u2019t even ask what for. And people around said: good job, boys. This is the situation: when breaking the law takes place but there is no breaking of society\u2019s norm\u201d \u2013 <\/em>he adds.<\/em><\/p>\n

This empathetic report presents us with a picture of \u201cguys from C14\u201d engaged in \u201ceducational conversations\u201d. BBC failed to mention that this amounts extreme violence\u00a0\u2013 kidnapping and hate crime.<\/p>\n

Far from being pro-Putin \u201cseparatists\u201d the targets have been ethnic minorities, the LGBT movement, student union activists, artists, trade unionists and anti-fascists and even medical workers protesting in defence of the health service!<\/p>\n

Terror and Hate Crimes<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a strong rebuttal of the BBC published by Politychna Krytyka, the <\/em>Ukrainian journalist Serhey Movchan an activist in the EuroMaidan provides a more honest account of C14. Movchan states that \u201cIf we try to describe what the C14 deals with, in one word, then the best term will be \u201cterror\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>\u201cHere are just a few examples. Shortly after the 8 March 2012 protest, Olexiy Bumagin<\/strong>, a member of the \u201cDirect Action\u201d (Priama diya) student union, was attacked by two members of Svoboda close to C14. And although Olexiy managed to repel the attackers, the far-right nationalists grabbed his wallet.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>A <\/em>peaceful human rights rally<\/em><\/a> rally on 8 December 2012 ended in violence when C14 members tried to disrupt it and attacked the\u00a0marchers. People from both sides in the conflict were\u00a0arrested\u00a0by the Police on that occasion. But soon after the rally several more participants were beaten. \u00a0C14 activists participated in the attack on the <\/em>Equality March<\/em><\/a> [Kyiv Pride] in 2015, which resulted in more than 20 people being injured, including one police officer guarding the event, who miraculously survived a homemade grenade explosion.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>And these are just some of the attacks where knowledge of C14 participation is without doubt. \u00a0In the majority of other cases\u2014such as the\u00a0attack on the Kyiv Mohyla Academy National University teacher\u00a0<\/em>Vasyl Cherepanin<\/em><\/a>, the attack on the associate of the website\u00a0\u201cChesno\u201d <\/em>Pavel Mironov<\/em><\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0the attack on the Livy Bereh newspaper journalist <\/em>Georgiy Erman<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, the defacement\u00a0 of\u00a0<\/em>David\u00a0Chichkan\u2019s<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0exhibition\u00a0 at\u00a0the\u00a0Centre of Visual Culture and in many, many other cases\u2014far-right attackers\u00a0would\u00a0often be either members of groups ideologically related to 14C (such as members of\u00a0Svoboda, Azov, Right Sector, Revanche, or right-wing football hooligans) or\u00a0\u201cunidentified patriots.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

The police, then as much as now, have been in no hurry in\u00a0making the \u201cunknown\u201d\u00a0attackers known.<\/p>\n

On Adolf Hitler\u2019s birthday the activist of the Socialnyi Rukh<\/em> (Social Movement) Stanislav Sergienko was stabbed multiple times, the attacked filmed it and posted on-line claiming it was part of a \u201cnew separatist safaris\u201d. A C14 leader boasted online of him being \u201ccut up\u201d. \u00a0On 13th July the Confederation of Free Trade Unions (KVPU)\u00a0 with pensioners held a protest in defence of medical services C14 tried to attack the KVPU protesters. Hardly a pro-Putin event!<\/p>\n

The reality of C14\u00a0\u00a0is not \u201cpetty hooliganism\u201d as BBC reports but illegal violence and kidnapping of innocent people \u2013 in London this would be known as hate-crimes and terrorism.<\/p>\n

Police collusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Notoriously corrupt the Ukrainian Police have a long history of failing to address hate crimes or protect minorities. \u00a0In 2015 the Kyiv Police were overhauled with new American style cop uniforms and recruits \u2013 but it appears window-dressing. \u00a0The BBC report uncritically and what appears an endorsement of C14 activities that:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>\u201cMinistry of Internal Affairs\u2019 speaker Artem Shevchenko in a commentary to BBC Ukraine told that so far cops didn\u2019t have questions to C14 because of their \u201ceducational talks\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>\u201cThey want to do educational talks with \u2018everyday separatist\u2019 \u2013 OK. But do not break the law, do not use force, do not commit crime\u201d \u2013 stressed Shevchenko.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0“<\/em>He\u2019s not aware of any particular misconduct of the C14 \u00a0members”.<\/em><\/p>\n

Missing from the BBC report is any mention of another common known fact \u2013 one of the leaders of C14 Evhen Karas\u2019 (\u201cVortex\u201d), was previously wanted by police. It would appear his crimes have been forgotten and after EuroMaidan the Police stopped searching for him.\u00a0 Two other C14 key members were suspected in murder of the writer Oles\u2019 Buzina and were arrested \u2013 then released.\u00a0 None of this is highlighted by BBC.<\/p>\n

On 16th June the Socialist Party and Socialist Youth Congress conducted a peaceful protest over the renaming of\u00a0Vatutin Avenue \u2013 it was attacked by C14 with several\u00a0people were hospitalised. See the video below:<\/p>\n

The response of the Police was lamentable. The whole event was posted on the \u2018C14 news\u2019 Facebook page with a video of police and the far-right and no arrests or law enforcement in sight.<\/p>\n

What is clear is that C14 can be confident that their hate crimes will not be hindered by the Police.<\/p>\n

Call BBC to Account<\/strong><\/p>\n

The failure of the BBC to ensure proper scrutiny of this organisation and covering up its violence is shameful. BBC has hidden from view the real facts of C14 hate crimes and provided them with a legitimising platform.\u00a0 Reporting on Ukraine should be subject to the Editorial Guidelines <\/a>and declared editorial and ethical standards BBC states as its policy.<\/p>\n

Putin propaganda has sought to portray the desire of the Ukrainian people for greater freedom and independence as \u2018Ukrainian fascism\u2019 \u2013 \u00a0\u00a0such efforts to discredit the Ukrainian cause have existed since Tsarist times. That does not mean the far right does not exist \u2013 they do and are a menace to be challenged<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

________<\/p>\n

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also see:-<\/p>\n

MASS STRIKES AND OCCUPATIONS BY UKRAINIAN\u00a0MINERS<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n