__________________________________________________________________________
The Internet Anti-Fascist: Tuesday, 1 February 2000
Vol. 4, Number 10 (#384)
__________________________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
Action Alerts
AFAA #93: 'Never Again', "Polish Anti-Fascists Ask For Your Help!"
Obituaries
Christopher Bell (Limestone County Views), "Jerry Thompson, Reporter is
recalled for courage in infiltrating, fighting the Klan," 31 Jan 00
News Of Anti-Hate/Anti-Fascist Actions
Rob Morrison (MSNBC), "Hate groups silenced in cyberspace," 27 Jan 00
E-News of UNITED For Intercultural Action, "27 January commemoration of
liberation of Auschwitz," 27 Jan 00
Daily Northwestern, "Students Protest Racist At Illinois University," 22
Jan 00
Jewish Defense Organization, "J.D.O. Launches Campaign To Shut Off 'Dial
A Nazi' Hateline of Matt Hale," 24 Jan 00
News Of the Swedish Holocaust Conference
Kim Gamel (AP), "Sweden Hosts Holocaust Conference," 26 Jan 00
Kim Gamel (AP), "Forum: Keep Neo-Nazis From Web," 27 Jan 00
Kim Gamel (AP), "Gathering Urges Holocaust Education," 27 Jan 00
Kim Gamel (AP), "Panel Urges Open Holocaust Files," 28 Jan 00
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ANTI-FASCIST ACTION ALERT #92: Polish Anti-Fascists Ask For Your Help!
'Never Again' magazine has been on the front-line of the struggle against
fascism in Poland for 5 years. Now the extreme right wants to destroy it.
Both the country's Constitution and the penal code forbid fascist and
racist activities. The current right-wing government is clearly not
interested in using this law and even openly nazi groups operate
unhindered.
The anti-fascist magazine 'Nigdy Wiecej' ('Never Again') recently exposed
the fact that members of right-wing extremist groups had been nominated to
senior positions within the government. 'Never Again' is also the only
magazine in Poland regularly monitoring numerous cases of fascist
violence. On 9 November 1999 it publicised a report documenting the deaths
of 19 people killed in the recent years by nazi-skins, members or
sympathisers of extremist groups such as Narodowe Odrodzenie Polski
(National Revival of Poland, NOP).
In result 'Never Again' has found itself under constant attack both from
the violent nazis and the far-right publications. Death threats against the
editors have become customary and hit lists with their home addresses
circulate among fascists. Happily the nazis got the addresses wrong. In
several cases collaborators of 'Never Again' have been beaten up but the
'Never Again' team pledged to continue their work.
The general social and political climate is largely hostile towards anti-
fascism. In this climate the extreme right hit the magazine with a legal
weapon. A libel suit has been filed by a nationalist-pagan activist Tomasz
Szczepanski. Szczepanski, who claims to be a follower of the French New
Right intellectual Alain De Benoist, objected to 'Never Again' calling his
group 'anti-Semitic and chauvinistic'. Apparently he did not mind calling
it 'anti-Christian'. Szczepanski, who is over 30, has a bizarre political
past behind him. He used to pose as an anarchist, a trotskyist, a
democratic socialist, and an anti-fascist. Most recently he has been a
member of the Christian-conservative party ROP but now seems to be forming
a political group of his own. In this venture he is accompanied by militant
nazis such as Mateusz Piskorski (translator of David Myatt's nazi-satanic
writings) and ex-anarchists such as Remigiusz Okraska (friend and follower
of Jaroslaw Tomasiewicz, a contributor to countless left- and right-wing
publications in Poland and abroad). This lot gathers around Szczepanski's
magazine 'Tryglaw', named after a proto-Slavonic monster god.
The legal proceedings against 'Never Again' have already started. The case
is expected to last for long. Undoubtedly, it is meant to cause as much
damage to the anti-fascist movement as possible, both in terms of publicity
and financial resources. It remains to be seen whether this plot by the
extreme-right will succeed.
If you want to support 'Never Again', write to:
Rafal Pankowski
Stowarzyszenie 'Nigdy Wiecej'/'Never Again' Association
PO Box 6
03-700 Warszawa 4
Poland
<http://www.zigzag.pl/rafalpan>
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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OBITUARY: Jerry Thompson, Reporter is recalled for courage in infiltrating,
fighting the Klan Christopher Bell (Limestone County Views)
31 Jan 00
DECATUR - During the weekend, Jerry Thompson, the veteran reporter for
Nashville's Tennessean who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan here, died. He was
59.
Thompson lost a 12-year battle with cancer, but he will be remembered for
winning bouts with the KKK.
Regarded by some as one of journalism's top investigative reporters,
Thompson came to North Alabama in 1979 and for 16 months stayed away from
his wife and five children, friends and colleagues.
He had joined the Klan and gone undercover to learn the inner workings of
the Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and another group, the
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
One of his colleagues at the newspaper was a young reporter, Al Gore, who
went on to become vice president. Gore said that Thompson "taught me about
courage - living undercover so he could write in vivid detail about the
hate mongering of the Ku Klux Klan."
Gore will be among the speakers when a memorial service is held Saturday in
Nashville.
Thompson's articles became a book, "My Life in the Klan."
For his ordeal and articles, Thomp
son was awarded a National Headliner Award, one of journalism's prestigious
citations, and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
Two decades ago, Decatur became a hotbed of Klan activities.
At issue was the arrest of a black youth accused of raping three white
women. The conviction of the suspect, Tommy Lee Hines, was later
overturned; he remains in a state facility for the mentally retarded.
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference began a series of protest
marches over Hines' arrest, and the KKK began counter-marches.
One Klan rally, held at the Morgan County Fairgrounds, attracted 10,000.
On May 29, 1979, the SCLC held one of many Decatur marches, but this time
Klansmen vowed to stop the protesters.
Shots rang out and two marchers and two Klansmen were wounded during an
exchange of gunfire.
When marches were held two weeks later, Gov. Fob James sent in armed Army
National Guard soldiers and armored personnel carriers to keep the peace.
I never knew Thompson as a Klansman. After all, he was only one of many in
white robes.
But I met him in Montgomery at a federal court civil trial when Klansmen
claimed in a suit against his newspaper that his articles defamed them.
I was subpoenaed as an "expert witness" on the Klan and was asked questions
like, "Are Klansmen capable of violence? Of bashing someone's head with a
baseball bat?"
While answering in the affirmative, I declined to look at the plaintiffs,
Klansmen I knew well from my own reporting of their activities.
But during a recess some came up to me and said, "Thanks for those nice
things you said about us." They weren't kidding.
Thompson also won that dispute.
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NEWS OF ANTI-HATE/ANTI-FASCIST ACTIONS
Hate groups silenced in cyberspace
Rob Morrison (MSNBC)
27 Jan 00
New York -- Hate sites have proliferated across the Internet, allowing
anyone to link to hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and others dedicated
to passing off misinformation and hatred. One Long Island company got
smart, and decided to purchase a number of Web site addresses – effectively
keeping them out of the hands of white supremacists.
Type in www.swastikas.com into a Web browser and you’ll see something
rather unexpected -- pages and pages of information dedicated to preventing
hate and bias crimes. It’s just one of the domain names that Bias Help of
Long Island purchased Tuesday.
The purchases were made after a proliferation of hate sites were posted on
the Internet during the ‘90s. To counteract hate groups’ presence in
cyberspace, Bias Help bought up the domain names swastikas.com,
klansmen.com, crossburning.com and whitesupremacists.com. Now anyone who
tries to reach those sites will automatically be routed to BiasHelp.org.
According to BiasHelp’s Jeffrey Reynolds, "We felt that this was an
opportunity to prevent hate groups from setting up sites under these domain
names. But it also sends a clear message to someone who would type in
swastikas.com – that there is a powerful force out there that’s bigger and
better that the hate groups.”
The Nassau County Bias Crimes Unit reported that overall, bias crimes on
Long Island are down. However, one incidence of hate can be devastating to
a community, so the unit doesn’t deal much in statistics, even if they show
a downward trend.
A case in point is Temple Beth Chai. Last August, someone broke into the
temple and set a fire that destroyed the business offices. The culprits
have never been caught. Rabbi Laurence Bazer said that he applauds
BiasHelp’s Internet initiative.
"In a sense, it’s probably the best way to target people who are interested
in hate crimes -- people who are flirting with the idea," said Rabbi Bazer.
Leases on domain names must be renewed every 2 years. Reynolds said that he
and BiasHelp will continue to buy similar domain names in the future
whenever they become available.
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27 January commemoration of liberation of Auschwitz
E-News of UNITED For Intercultural Action
27 Jan 00
55 years after Auschwitz was liberated fascist violence threatens to regain
the streets, anti-fascism is being criminalised
Anti-fascists clearly see big differences between the governments of today
and the one in Nazi Germany, however it is easy to compare certain aspects
of our societies to the situation in 1938. Refugees have nowhere to turn
to. Violence against minorities is becoming commonplace, especially against
Roma. The extreme right is gaining power in the democratic arena and anti-
fascists and human rights activists are being criminalised.
On 27 January all over Europe the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination
camp is commemorated. We say "Never Again" on this day. "Never Again"
against the murdering of people because of their 'race', "Never Again"
against shutting people out because of their sexual orientation, their
religion, their disability. It was typical for fascism to divide citizens
into categories. Minorities were separated from the rest of society and
were blamed for everything that had gone wrong in society. We cannot afford
to let that happen again. Everyone has a role to play and a contribution to
make to the struggle against intolerance, according to their own skills and
ambitions.
In Sweden thousands of people assembled in the largest cities to protest
against the murders of several anti-fascists, among which an active trade
union member. In several countries activists commemorating the
"Kristallnacht" pogrom on 9 November were met with counter-actions from
extreme-right sympathisers and neo-fascists. For many Roma, gays and
lesbians, black and ethnic minorities as well as active anti-fascists, the
daily reality has become a very threatening one.
All over Europe people are being criminalised for deeds that until recently
would have been seen as acts of friendship, solidarity or just plain
humanity. Especially where undocumented people are concerned, laws have
become more and more restrictive. Hospitality without asking for residency
papers is illegal. Transporting people in your taxi that could possibly be
"illegal migrants" is punished. Several of our colleagues from Berlin have
recently been arrested on charges of terrorism. We fear that these arrests
were aimed at weakening the activists community. We fear for the rights of
the human rights defenders.
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Students Protest Racist At Illinois University
Daily Northwestern
22 Jan 00
Three people -- none of them students -- have been detained for fighting on
Sheridan Road outside the Technological Institute as protests against white
supremacist Matt Hale turned violent.
Police escorted Hale from Tech "for his own safety" at 2:20 p.m. after the
leader of the World Church of the Creator announced he had nine or 10
signatures from NU students in a petition for official university religious
recognition.
About 200 students, faculty and community members rallied at Tech to voice
their opposition to Hale's racist message.
Hale received a bloody lip in the scuffle and was escorted to an unmarked
police car after appearing for about 20 minutes. The leader of the racist
organization did not set foot on campus, but stood on the strip of grass
between Sheridan Road and the sidewalk in front of Tech.
About 20 police in riot gear stood in front of Tech, forming a semi-circle
to keep people off the streets. Another 20 police officers were scattered
through the crowd and on Sheridan Road.
Some students threw snowballs at Hale and one person was arrested for
brandishing a metal pipe.
One Jewish Defense League member was holding a banner and purposely shoved
one of Hale's supporters, Deerfield High School student John Schlissman,
17, as he walked by.
When Schlissman turned and said, "White power," the JDL member dropped his
end of the banner and ran after Schlissman, igniting the violence.
Sheridan Road at Noyes Street is blocked to traffic. As Hale arrived,
protesters burned a Nazi flag.
About 85 community members boycotted Hale's appearance by protesting in
Harris Hall, on the other side of campus. Associated Student Government
President Steve Spaulding and University President Henry Bienen encouraged
students to attend the boycott and avoid the protests at Tech.
But one student jumped up and left the boycott, after she had stayed for 20
minutes, encouraging others to join her.
More students gathered at Harris after the protests at Tech dissipated. By
3 p.m. the more than 100 students at the nonviolent boycott had left.
Benjamin Smith, who Hale said was a former member of his World Church of
the Creator, killed former NU basketball coach Ricky Byrdsong in a July
shooting spree that left one other person dead and nine more injured before
Smith's suicide.
Racist pamphlets entitled "Facts that the Government and the Media Don't
Want You to Know," authored by Hale, were distributed on campus in October.
Hale is seeking official religious recognition for his organization. Normal
university procedures require 15 signatures before a group can be given
official status. NU administrators have said that even with the signatures,
Hale's group would probably not be recognized. Hale said he will sue NU if
he isn't granted recognition.
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J.D.O. Launches Campaign To Shut Off 'Dial A Nazi' Hateline of Matt Hale
Jewish Defense Organization
24 Jan 00
The Jewish Defense Organization as part of Operation Nazi Kicker is urging
Jews from across the country to flood the local phone company in Illinois
Ameritech with phone calls. The aim is to demand they turn off the neo-nazi
phone hateline of the COTC outfit of Matt Hale(akaHeil). This effort
against neo-nazi pig Matt Hale (aka Heil) who the JDO has been trying to
prevent from trying to make another massacre attempt against both Jews,
Blacks, and Asians right in Chicago is starting now.
The Jewish Defense Organization is also demanding other groups back this
effort against Ameritech the local phone company that refuses to turn off
the neo-nazi hateline Hale is running. That phone number is 309-699-0135.
Jews are being urged to call, hear the hate for themselves against Jews and
other minorities, and then flood the phone company to get that lined
permanently disconnected.
In Chicago the JDO is recruiting a well trained legal volunteer security
team of well armed well prepared Jews. The JDO believes that every Jewish
home should have a Kosher Mezuza on the door and a legal gun in the home.
"Better to know how to use a gun and not have to than to have to and not
know how" is the slogan the JDO quotes from the great Russian Jewish
militant Zev Vladmir Jabotinsky founder of Jewish Self-Defense
Organization.
Meanwhile Jews have begun a mass public protest campaign to demand that the
Government arrest neo-nazi Hale for the shootings that took place this past
summer that he obviously ordered. "Hale belongs in jail" said JDO spokesman
Ron Silver.
TO REACH AMERITECH CALL THE FOLLOWING NUMBERS 312-906-4000 773-545-5054
312-263-2805 312-587-3200 773-784-8931 312-750-5000 312-906-4000
A local neo-nazi misfit follower of homebody Matt Heil, too lazy to get a
job, has been suspended from his high school in Deerfield. John Schlismann
currently special ed because of his natural tendency to be illiterate, and
has an addiction to neo-nazi leafletting and getting in trouble. Schlisman
was just temporarily suspended from Deerfield High, and JDO is demanding
the school and the principal expel this neo-nazi disease permanently!
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NEWS OF THE SWEDISH HOLOCAUST CONFERENCE
Sweden Hosts Holocaust Conference
Kim Gamel (AP)
26 Jan 00
STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Jewish leaders and heads of state gathered today in
Stockholm to remember the Holocaust and discuss ways to prevent genocide
from happening in the future.
The three-day International Forum on the Holocaust was organized by the
Swedish government as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the genocide
of 6 million Jews and 5 million Gypsies, homosexuals and other victims.
"Racism, hatred and xenophobia will inevitably lead to another Holocaust,"
said Edgar Bronfman, president of the New York-based World Jewish Congress.
"I think that is why the Swedish government places such importance on this
conference."
Prime Minister Goeran Persson was widely praised by Jewish leaders for the
so-called Living History information campaign that he launched after a 1997
survey showed that nearly a third of Swedish youth had doubts the Holocaust
had occurred.
"Fifty-five years after Auschwitz we stand united and resolved to see to it
that nobody else will have to witness such evil," Persson said on the eve
of the conference after receiving a standing ovation from 2,000 people
during a ceremony at Stockholm's biggest synagogue.
The forum, which is drawing more than 600 participants from more than 40
countries and dozens of organizations, was scheduled to open today with a
ceremony, including speeches by Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Several panel discussions on remembrance and research also were scheduled,
along with a ceremony at the Riksdag, the Swedish parliament.
About 4,000 police were in Stockholm to provide security for the forum,
which coincides with the Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorated on
Thursday in many countries.
The World Jewish Congress also held a two-day meeting starting Tuesday and
focusing on the distribution of funds obtained in legal settlements to
reimburse Holocaust survivors and their relatives.
The congress also honored one of the heroes of the Holocaust - Raoul
Wallenberg, who saved up to 20,000 Jews in Budapest from Nazi deportation
to death camps. Wallenberg's sister, Nina Lagergren, accepted a human
rights award at the synagogue on behalf of the Swedish diplomat, who was
arrested in 1945 by the Soviet Red Army on suspicion of being a spy. He
allegedly died of a heart attack in prison.
His cause of death has been disputed, and Bronfman called on Russia to open
its archives about Wallenberg.
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Forum: Keep Neo-Nazis From Web
Kim Gamel (AP)
27 Jan 00
STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Delegates at an international Holocaust forum
denounced war criminals today and said neo-Nazis should be kept from using
the Internet to spread propaganda.
Ruth Dreifuss, the head of Switzerland's home affairs department, said the
Web also was a valuable teaching tool to tell youth about the Holocaust and
she called for international cooperation to find ways to prevent it from
being used to promote racism. Switzerland will hold a conference on the
subject in February, she said.
"The Internet is a cross-border vector for racist theories," Dreifuss said.
"It makes it possible for the perpetrators to organize into networks and
distribute propaganda."
Heads of several smaller countries addressed delegates on the second day of
the International Forum on the Holocaust after an opening ceremony that
included speeches by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Barak.
Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga recalled the World War II
devastation in her own country and said more than 1,000 Latvians were known
to have participated in persecution.
"We condemn and unconditionally renounce the individuals who perpetrated
such crimes," she said.
Latvian prosecutors have recently come under fire from Jewish groups for
not seeking the extradition and indictment of alleged Nazi war criminal
Konrads Kalejs, who is now in Australia.
Vike-Freiberga said officials were committed to prosecuting war criminals
but only if they received sufficient evidence.
The forum coincides with Holocaust Remembrance Day - marked today in
several countries. Ceremonies were to be held at Stockholm's largest
synagogue and in parliament. Panel discussions were also scheduled to focus
on education and research.
Prompted by a lack of awareness among youth, the Swedish government
organized the forum as part of a Holocaust education campaign in its own
country. Six million Jews and 5 million others - including Gypsies and
homosexuals - were killed during World War II at the hands of Nazi Germany
and its supporters.
Austria's acting chancellor, Viktor Klima, said Tuesday night that
education initiatives were important, but more needed to be done worldwide,
as people still exist who will vote for "the political style that decides
to hate."
Klima said he knew the conference delegates were concerned about increasing
prospects that Joerg Haider - whose praise of the Nazi era and distrust of
foreigners has drawn condemnation from several countries - may succeed in
talks to form a government coalition between his far-right Freedom Party
and a centrist junior partner.
Delegates applauded Klima as he said that the Holocaust was the worst crime
this century and "anyone who does not say this is clearly not responsible
enough to be entrusted with any public position national or international."
The conference was occurring against a backdrop of a series of recent
violence linked to neo-Nazi groups in Sweden, which also has become known
as a center for the production of racist music, magazines and Internet
activity.
Schroeder told 600 delegates at the opening ceremony that neo-Nazi groups
were increasingly using modern means of communication and he called for
more international cooperation, use of police and judicial procedures to
fight them.
Three neo-Nazis have been on trial in the southern Swedish city of
Helsingborg, charged with distributing racist videos and compact discs.
The meeting was the first of its kind to bring together world leaders and
activists to discuss the Holocaust, and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel
suggested Sweden make it an annual event.
Persson, who was applauded by the forum for inroads he has made in World
War II education, agreed to work to create an annual forum.
- - - - -
Gathering Urges Holocaust Education
Kim Gamel (AP)
27 Jan 00
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - Passing down the memory of the Holocaust to future
generations is the best way to promote tolerance and prevent genocide in
the face of rising neo-Nazism and ethnic conflict, world leaders and
activists said.
"To forget would be to betray those who died and those who survived,"
Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson said Wednesday during the opening
ceremony of a three-day international conference. "It must not happen
again, but it could."
Prompted by a lack of awareness among youth, the Swedish government
organized the forum as part of a Holocaust education campaign in its own
country. Six million Jews and 5 million others - including Gypsies and
homosexuals - were killed during World War II at the hands of Nazi Germany
and its supporters.
Austria's acting chancellor, Viktor Klima, said education initiatives were
important, but more needed to be done worldwide, as people still exist who
will vote for "the political style that decides to hate."
Klima said he knew the conference delegates were concerned about increasing
prospects that Joerg Haider - whose praise of the Nazi era and distrust of
foreigners has drawn condemnation from several countries - may succeed in
talks to form a government coalition between his far-right Freedom Party
and a centrist junior partner.
The party, campaigning on an anti-immigrant platform and warning that rapid
EU expansion threatens jobs in Austria, surged into second place in Oct. 3
parliamentary elections.
Klima, whose Social Democrats finished first but without enough seats to
govern on their own, said he has made it clear that a coalition with
Haider's party was unacceptable.
Delegates applauded Klima as he said in an evening address that the
Holocaust was the worst crime this century and "anyone who does not say
this is clearly not responsible enough to be entrusted with any public
position national or international."
The conference was occurring against a backdrop of a series of recent
violence linked to neo-Nazi groups in Sweden, which also has become known
as a center for the production of racist music, magazines and Internet
activity.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told 600 delegates that neo-Nazi groups
were increasingly using modern means of communication and he called for
more international cooperation, use of police and judicial procedures to
fight them.
As he spoke, three neo-Nazis were on trial in the southern Swedish city of
Helsingborg, charged with distributing racist videos and compact discs.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said it was more important than ever to
ensure that future generations remember atrocities to keep them from
keeping silent in the face of hatred.
"In another few years, the generation of the Holocaust, the living
witnesses, will be gone," Barak said. "Even now, Holocaust deniers and neo-
Nazis" are operating in the open.
The meeting was the first of its kind to bring together world leaders and
activists to discuss the Holocaust, and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel
suggested Sweden make it an annual event.
Persson, who was applauded by the forum for inroads he has made in World
War II education, agreed to work to create an annual forum.
The forum coincides with Holocaust Remembrance Day - marked today in
several countries. Ceremonies were to be held at Stockholm's largest
synagogue and in parliament. Panel discussions were also scheduled to focus
on education and research.
- - - - -
Panel Urges Open Holocaust Files
Kim Gamel (AP)
28 Jan 00
STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- International leaders on Friday urged all countries to
open secret government files on the Nazi extermination campaign and "throw
light on the still obscured shadows of the Holocaust."
In their final declaration, the delegates to the Stockholm International
Forum on the Holocaust also called for more education about the Nazi
genocide.
Speakers warned about escalating neo-Nazi activity and said the need for
research and education is stronger now that aging Holocaust survivors are
dying.
"We appeal to you all, for your sake and for your children's sake, do not
forget us," said survivor Jerzy Einhorn, a professor at Stockholm's
Karolinska Institute. "You must never forget what can happen when organized
Nazism gets established."
The three-day conference drew more than 600 participants from 46 countries,
mostly in Europe. The final statement included a pledge to take all
necessary steps to open archives to "ensure that all documents bearing on
the Holocaust are available to researchers."
"We share a commitment to throw light on the still obscured shadows of the
Holocaust," Swedish deputy Prime Minister Lena Hjelm Wallen said as she
read the forum's final declaration.
U.S. envoy Stuart Eizenstat said Russia should open its archives on Swedish
diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who saved up to 20,000 Jews in Budapest,
Hungary, from Nazi deportation to death camps.
Wallenberg disappeared in 1945 after Soviet occupation troops detained him.
The official Soviet account says he died of a heart attack in prison in
1947, but that has been widely questioned.
Sweden also has been pushing for more details about Wallenberg's
disappearance.
"Every time we have met the Russians the last few years we have raised the
issue," Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson said.
A spokesman at the Russian Embassy in Stockholm said most of the
information about Wallenberg was destroyed in the 1950s and all remaining
documents have been made available to a joint Russian-Swedish
investigation.
"It upsets us not less than the Swedes that we cannot find the real truth,"
embassy spokesman Andrei Rusakov said.
Delegates also pointed to recent ethnic conflicts that led to mass
killings. They called for more preventive diplomacy and an early warning
system to alert leaders to racial problems that could escalate.
"The bitter memories that haunt us have many names, from Armenia to
Cambodia to Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia," Persson said. "These days,
we are deeply disturbed when we see the use of disproportionate and
indiscriminate force against the Chechen population."
The Swedish government organized the forum as part of a campaign to raise
awareness about the Holocaust. Six million Jews and more than 2 million
other victims were killed in the Nazi extermination campaign, experts at
the conference said.
The forum coincided with Holocaust Remembrance Day, marked Thursday in
several countries.
* * * * *
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is
distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and
educational purposes only.
__________________________________________________________________________
FASCISM:
We have no ethical right to forgive, no historical right to forget.
(No permission required for noncommercial reproduction)
- - - - -
back issues archived via:
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