FINROSFORUM

FINROSFORUM

FINROSFORUM  //  The Finnish-Russian Civic Forum strives to promote cooperation between the peoples of Finland and Russia by supporting civic initiatives for democracy, human rights, and freedom of speech.

Nov 5 / 9:16am

Western Companies Back Nashist Youth Camp

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A row of wooden stakes with puppet heads stood planted in a forest camp along Seliger Lake in central Russia attended by 20,000 young Russians in July 2010. Mounted above the heads was a large red slogan in Russian, declaring "We are not glad to see you here."

The puppets depicted Western political figures, including Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, and five judges of the European Court for Human Rights, as well as members of the Estonian Parliament and an assortment of Russian opposition leaders. A Nazi cap adorned each puppet.

The camp's organizer was the official Russian Federal Agency for Youth Affairs. Additional "organizational support" came from the Nashi movement, a pro-Kremlin youth group known for its harassment of journalists, human rights activists, and foreign officials.

Joining Nashi and the Kremlin in backing the camp was a roster of major Western companies. Intel, Mercedes-Benz, and Tupperware were named as partners or sponsors of the forum. Representatives of two other companies, KPMG and Siemens, also took part in the event.

http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/2395/

Filed under  //  Kremlin   Nashi   Putin   Russia   Seliger