You're reading: World Without Nazism concerned at growth of ultranationalism in Ukrainian society, says Svoboda is neo-Nazi party

International Human Rights Movement World Without Nazism has expressed its anxiety at the growth of ultranationalist moods in Ukrainian society, and also the prospects for Ukrainian democracy.

“As a result of the parliamentary elections to Verkhovna Rada of
Ukraine, which were held on October 28, 2012, for the first time in the
whole of post-Soviet history, a neo-Nazi party, Svoboda, got [into
parliament]. This party adheres to pure xenophobia, first of all
anti-Russian and anti-Semitic moods… The major opposition parties, such
as the Batkivschyna United Opposition and the UDAR Party, which call
themselves democratic, have already expressed their readiness to
cooperate with the neo-Nazis in parliament,” reads the report “On the
results of the parliamentary election in Ukraine” posted by the movement
on Tuesday.

“We think that any political thoughts, especially consolidated by
slogans about the necessity to develop democracy in the country, can’t
justify cooperation with a frankly neo-Nazi party. We’re calling on the
Ukrainian opposition to refuse to cooperate with this party in the
parliament,” the movement said.

The organization’s appealed to the parliaments of other countries,
calling on them to boycott representatives of Svoboda elected to
Verkhovna Rada at the parliamentary level, and said that international
organizations, such as the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the UN Human
Rights Council, should start to monitor the parliamentary and
non-parliamentary activity of Svoboda. Moreover, World Without Nazism
said its was ready “to use all of its political resources and legal
means to counteract the neo-Nazi moods in Ukraine,” reads the report.