Russia to convert Gulag museum into Nazi crimes memorial

The museum was one of the last institutions dedicated to documenting Soviet-era political repression in Russia. Russia is converting the Gulag History Museum in Moscow into a new exhibition documenting Nazi crimes against the Soviet Union during World War II, officials said Friday.   “The new museum will feature an exhibition covering all stages of Nazi war crimes during the Great Patriotic War,” Moscow’s city government said in a statement, using the official Russian name for World War II. It will also document “biological weapons testing on Soviet citizens by the Japanese,” as well as showcase the Red Army’s victories, it added. The Gulag History Museum was founded in 2001, but authorities closed it in November 2024, citing “fire safety violations.” Until its closure, the museum commemorated the millions of people who were imprisoned in the Gulag — which was a vast network of forced labor camps across the country between 1918 and 1956. Millions of alleged traitors and enemies of the state were sent there, many to their deaths during Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s rule. The museum was one of the last institutions dedicated to documenting Soviet-era political repression in Russia. It contained thousands of artefacts from Gulag victims, including letters and personal belongings.

via dw: Russia to convert Gulag museum into Nazi crimes memorial

Far-Right Croatian MP Sparks Crisis by Singing About Fascist Leader

The Croatian Liberals have threatened to quit the governing coalition unless Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic takes action to curb a far-right Homeland Movement MP who hymned a World War II-era fascist on video. Far-right Homeland Movement MP Josip Dabro is back at the centre of attention in Croatian politics after appearing in controversial video footage again. Dabro was appointed a minister at the beginning of the current coalition government’s mandate in 2024 but was quickly dismissed after a video became public of him shooting a gun through a car window in a populated area. Then in January 2025, video footage was leaked of Dabro stripped to the waist and gleefully wielding an illegal Kalashnikov in a cornfield. The latest incident centres around a recording published on February 15 in which Dabro, with a glass in his hand and accompanied by an accordionist, sings a song that appears to glorify Ante Pavelic, who was the head of the Nazi-allied Independent State of Croatia from 1941 to 1945, when fascist Ustasha forces killed Jews, Serbs and Roma people

via balkan insight: Far-Right Croatian MP Sparks Crisis by Singing About Fascist Leader

BUDAPEST: NAZIS OPENLY MARCH IN SS UNIFORMS, WHILE HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR GETS BANNED, AND ROMANI PRIDE ORGANISER GETS PROSECUTED

On Sunday 14th February, neo-Nazis converged on the Castle district in Budapest to commemorate what is known to the extreme right across Europe as the ‘Day of Honour’. This was the failed breakout attempt by 28,000 Nazi Waffen SS and Wehrmacht units, and their Hungarian allies, as the liberating Soviet army encircled Budapest in early 1945. Most were killed or captured, and Budapest was liberated a couple of days later on 13th February, bringing an end to not just to the 50-day siege of the city, but also a halt to the frenzied and murderous onslaught against the Jews of Budapest by Arrow Cross militias. For the first time in years, there was no antifascist counter-demonstration. The police banned any such gatherings, citing the ‘antifa’ legislation passed last year. As reported by Mérce, one result of the law, was that Holocaust survivor Katalin Sommer was unable to deliver her planned speech at the Shoes on the Danube Bank Memorial. So, this year, while neo-Nazis were permitted to strut around the city in Arrow Cross and SS Uniforms and celebrate Hitler’s perpetrators, the Hungarian authorities denied Holocaust survivors and supporters the opportunity to bear witness and pay tribute to the victims of National Socialism.  What makes all of this especially obscene is the fact that the Városmajor site chosen by the Hungarian Legion to lay their wreaths in memory of ‘the fallen’ is mere yards away from the site of the atrocious massacre of patients and staff from the Jewish hospital in Maros utca. Between the 12th and 19th of January 1945, in the final days of the siege before the Soviets liberated Budapest, this neighbourhood witnessed some of the most barbaric atrocities by Arrow Cross militias. Under the command of the Catholic Franciscan monk, Father András Kuhn, the fascist militia launched raids against three Jewish health care institutions. The Arrow Cross slaughtered more than 300 mainly sick and elderly people while the Red Army was only a few blocks away. The staging of this overtly Nazi event, with a heavy police presence laid on by the authorities to protect the visitors from possible attacks by ‘antifa’, comes just days after the authorities filed criminal charges against Géza Buzás-Hábel, an activist of Romani origin, a teacher and human rights defender, for organising a peaceful LGBTQI+ rights march in Pécs. This case, as Amnesty noted, marks a troubling escalation in the criminalisation of LGBTQI+ expression and peaceful assembly in Hungary. On the same day, 9th February, supporters gathered outside the Pest Central District Court for the preparatory session of the Methodist pastor Gábor Iványi’s criminal trial. Charged with gang violence against a state official, Iványi told the court he would rather “accept a prison sentence than admit guilt” in what he considers a politically-motivated case ahead of Hungary’s parliamentary elections. Iványi, described by the Budapest mayor as “the living conscience of the city and the country,” has worked alongside and advocated for Roma, refugees, the poor and homeless. This trial is looking like a show trial.

via errc: BUDAPEST: NAZIS OPENLY MARCH IN SS UNIFORMS, WHILE HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR GETS BANNED, AND ROMANI PRIDE ORGANISER GETS PROSECUTED

Never-before-seen photos of Nazi executions in Greece surface on eBay

Shocking photographs depicting Nazi soldiers’ executions of Greek resistance fighters during World War II have been discovered on the online auction platform eBay. The never-before-seen images, which show the victims both before and after their brutal executions, have sparked strong reactions in Greece, whose authorities have claimed them back and declared them a national heritage. They look straight into the camera as they walk in a row, two by two, with their heads held high. They appear to be singing – even though they are walking straight to their deaths. The 12 yellowed black-and-white photos turned up on the online auction website eBay on February 14, and depict the Nazi massacre of Greek communist fighters in the Athenian suburb of Kaisariani, on May 1, 1944. “The photographs shocked me,” Polymeris Voglis, a professor in social history at the University of Thessaly in Greece, said. “Although the execution of 200 resistance fighters is a well-known historical event, until now there has been no photographic evidence of it.” “Some of the photographs show the faces of the men, reflecting their determination as they walk proudly towards the firing squad,” he added.

via france24: Never-before-seen photos of Nazi executions in Greece surface on eBay

msiehe auch: Man moved as photo of grandfather’s execution by Nazis surfaces. The grandson of one of the 200 mainly communist Greek political prisoners and hostages executed by a Nazi firing squad in World War II has spoken of his emotion upon learning that photographs of the incident exist. Speaking to Cretan newspaper Nea Kriti, Thrasyvoulos Marakis said he received a call from the headquarters of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) in Athens informing him that his grandfather, Thrasyvoulos Kalafatakis, appears in one of the photographs. “Very moving. I knew that he had been executed, but I didn’t know about the photo, I didn’t have any records. I have nothing and now I’m waiting for them to send it to me,” Marakis told the newspaper. According to the KKE, Kalafatakis can be seen wearing a white shirt to the fore in one of the images. Marakis, who is named after his grandfather, said that the family possesses only a few records from his grandfather’s life: a single photograph, a civil registry document and a book listing him among those executed in the Athens suburb of Kaisariani on May 1, 1944, during the German occupation. He added that his grandfather helped save a young prisoner, Athanasios Kourementzas, from being among those executed. According to Marakis, German forces selected 200 prisoners to be shot, mainly younger detainees. He said his grandfather and two others removed the 19-year-old Kourementzas from the transport truck and replaced him with an older prisoner.

#Thüringen – “Verbindung mit AfD abstoßend”: #Simson -Erben wehren sich

Die Debatte um die Moped-Marke Simson erhält eine neue Dimension: Die in den USA lebenden Nachfahren der jüdischen Gründerfamilie wenden sich gegen eine politische Vereinnahmung ihres Namens durch die AfD. Sie sprechen von einer Beleidigung und einer Verhöhnung ihrer Geschichte. Die Nachfahren der jüdischen Familie Simson aus Thüringen wehren sich gegen eine Vereinnahmung der gleichnamigen Moped-Marke durch die AfD. “Wir empfinden jegliche Verbindung mit der AfD als abstoßend und als eine Beleidigung unseres Namens”, teilte der Sprecher der heute in den USA lebenden Familie, Dennis Baum, der “Deutschen Presse-Agentur” mit. “Meine Familie und ich lehnen extremistische Ideologien entschieden ab und wollen die Inbesitznahme unseres Namens durch die AfD nicht hinnehmen.” Die zu DDR-Zeiten in Suhl produzierten Mopeds der Marke Simson wie die Schwalbe oder die S51 sind für viele Liebhaber Kult. AfD-Politiker wie der thüringische Landesparteichef Björn Höcke nutzen sie als politisches Symbol, etwa auf Wahlkampftour.In mehreren ostdeutschen Landtagen drang die AfD darauf, die Simson als Immaterielles Kulturerbe schützen zu lassen. Sie stehe “für Freiheit, Unabhängigkeit und Individualität”, hieß es etwa in einem Antrag der AfD in Brandenburg.Baum erklärte, die Familie empfinde es als beleidigend, im Zusammenhang mit einer Partei genannt zu werden, die “überwiegend extremistisch” sei. Der Name Simson dürfe unter keinen Umständen zum Symbol der AfD werden.Die Kritik der Nachfahren weist Höcke zurück und spricht von “Symbolhysterie”. Was die Familie denke, sei befremdlich, heißt es in seiner Stellungnahme. Die jüdische Familie war 1936 von den Nationalsozialisten aus Deutschland vertrieben worden und in die USA geflohen. Man habe eine große Tragödie erlebt, die vor allem durch Intoleranz gegenüber der jüdischen Bevölkerung geprägt gewesen sei, betonte Baum. “Deshalb betrachten wir die Benutzung unseres Namens durch die AfD als eine Verhöhnung unserer Geschichte.”

via tagesschau: Thüringen “Verbindung mit AfD abstoßend”: Simson-Erben wehren sich

siehe auch: Nutzung der gleichnamigen Moped‑Marke : Familie Simson wehrt sich gegen AfD‑Nutzung ihres Namens. Die Nachfahren der jüdischen Familie Simson wehren sich gegen die Vereinnahmung ihres Namens durch die AfD. Die Nutzung der gleichnamigen Moped-Marke sei “eine Beleidigung.” Die Nachfahren der jüdischen Familie Simson aus Thüringen wehren sich gegen eine Vereinnahmung der gleichnamigen Moped-Marke durch die AfD. “Wir empfinden jegliche Verbindung mit der AfD als abstoßend und als eine Beleidigung unseres Namens“, teilte der Sprecher der heute in den USA lebenden Familie, Dennis Baum, der Deutschen Presse-Agentur mit: »Wir empfinden jegliche Verbindung mit der AfD als eine Beleidigung unseres Namens« AfD-Leute wie Björn Höcke benutzen Simson-Mopeds, um eine Art ostdeutschen »Way of Life« zu beschwören. Nun wehren sich die Nachfahren der jüdischen Simson-Gründer gegen die »Verhöhnung unserer Geschichte«. Die motorisierten Zweiräder der Marke Simson genießen in den Neuen Bundesländern seit DDR-Zeiten Kultstatus. Bis zu 200.000 Mopeds verließen zu DDR-Zeiten pro Jahr die Fertigungshallen des VEB Fahrzeug- und Jagdwaffenwerk »Ernst Thälmann« in Suhl in Thüringen. Das hat Simson als Symbol für die AfD interessant gemacht. Die Partei macht seit Monaten damit Wahlkampf in Thüringen. (…) Nun haben sich die Nachfahren der jüdischen Familie Simson zu Wort gemeldet. Sie wehren sich gegen eine Vereinnahmung durch die AfD. »Wir empfinden jegliche Verbindung mit der AfD als abstoßend und als eine Beleidigung unseres Namens«, teilte der Sprecher der heute in den USA lebenden Familie, Dennis Baum, der Nachrichtenagentur dpa. »Meine Familie und ich lehnen extremistische Ideologien entschieden ab und wollen die Inbesitznahme unseres Namens durch die AfD nicht hinnehmen.«

Beuel-classics-22032015-086.jpg
Von © Andreas Axel Kirch / CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Nazi-Linked Lukovmarsh Took Place in Sofia After Court Overturned City Ban

A procession in memory of Gen. Hristo Lukov took place in Sofia on Saturday, after a court decision lifted the municipality’s ban on the event. The march began at the intersection of Knyaz Aleksandar Dondukov Boulevard and Krakra Street and continued to Trakia Street, where participants stopped in front of a building bearing a commemorative plaque dedicated to Lukov. Police maintained a strong presence throughout the event, and traffic along part of Dondukov Boulevard was temporarily restricted, according to BTA. Those taking part chanted “General Hristo Lukov” and “Banned, but not forgotten,” lighting candles and torches in front of the house where Lukov once lived. Municipal Ban and Court Decision A day earlier, the Metropolitan Municipality announced it had received a notification from the Bulgarian National Union “Edelweiss” on June 10, 2025. The request sought permission to hold the Lukovmarsh on February 14, 2026, along a route starting from the pylons of the National Palace of Culture, passing through Vitosha Boulevard, Patriarch Evtimiy Boulevard, G.S. Rakovski Street, Knyaz Aleksandar Dondukov Boulevard, and ending at 1 Trakia Street

via novinite: Nazi-Linked Lukovmarsh Took Place in Sofia After Court Overturned City Ban

siehe auch: Annual March Held in Sofia in Memory of General Lukov. The annual Lukov March is held in Sofia in memory of Gen. Hristo Lukov (1888-1943). The event is organized by the Bulgarian National Union. A march in memory of General Hristo Lukov (1888-1943) took place in Sofia on Saturday evening. The march covered a short route to the house where Gen. Lukov lived, on which a commemorative plaque is mounted. There was heightened police presence, and traffic on part of the nearby boulevard was briefly blocked. Participants in the march chanted “General Hristo Lukov” and “Banned but not forgotten”. They lit candles in front of the house. The event was organized by the Bulgarian National Union. Lukov was a popular military commander but was also known for his close links to the Third Reich and his activity as leader of the far-right Union of Bulgarian National Legions; Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry calls for annual neo-Nazi ‘Lukov March’ to be prevented. Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry said on February 13 that it categorically opposes the planned holding of the so-called “Lukov March” and called on the responsible institutions to take all statutory actions to prevent it. Sofia mayor Vassil Terziev issued an order banning the march, but the ban was overturned by the Sofia Administrative Court. The event honours Hristo Lukov, leader of the fascist pro-Nazi Union of Bulgarian Legions at the time of the Second World War, and is held annually on the Saturday closest to February 13, the anniversary of his assassination. The “Lukov March” features a torchlight procession though the streets of Bulgaria’s capital city Sofia, and over the years has attracted neo-Nazis from other parts of the world. The organisers seek to portray Lukov as a “patriotic hero”. The organisers of the Lukov March claim that Lukov was not an antisemite – though he led an organisation with nakedly antisemitic stances – on the hoary grounds that “Jews were among his best friends”. Organisers never have offered any plausible explanation why they honour a general who headed a pro-Nazi organisation, to the exclusion of any other Bulgarian generals of the 20th century. The Foreign Ministry said that such manifestations are incompatible with the values ​​and traditions of Bulgarian society and Bulgaria will not allow its territory to be used as a stage for international manifestations of extremism, intolerance, discrimination and hatred. “Such manifestations are used to undeservedly present Bulgaria in a negative light and to overshadow its achievements in the field of human rights,” the Foreign Ministry said.

FBI-Informant als Holocaust-Leugner enttarnt

Charles Johnson hatte 2020 behauptet, Epstein sei ein Mossad-Agent gewesen. Die letzte Tranche von Dokumenten des US-Ministeriums zu Jeffrey Epstein enthält explosive Behauptungen einer anonymen Quelle FBI aus dem Jahr 2020. Demnach sei der 2019 verstorbene Sexualverbrecher ein Mossad-Agent gewesen. Recherchen der Medien-Plattform «Semafor» ergeben nun, dass es sich bei dem FBI-Informanten um Charles Johnson handelt. Dieser ist auf Social Media als ultrarechter Provokateur und Holocaustleugner aktiv. Johnson wurde zudem als Betrüger verurteilt.  Aber war auch vor 2010 als Assistent von Alan Dershowitz tätig, der seinerzeit Anwalt Epsteins war und für diesen ein nach allgemeinem Dafürhalten sehr günstiges Schuldabkommen von 18 Monaten Haft in den ersten Missbrauchsklagen in Florida ausgehandelt hat. Dershowitz hat nun erklärt, bei dem FBI-Informanten handele es sich um Johnson. 2020 hatte Johnson dem FBI erklärt, die Informationen basierten auf seiner Beschäftigung bei Dershowitz und er sei Zeuge von Kommunikationen des damaligen Harvard-Professors und Staranwalts mit dem israelischen Geheimdienst gewesen. Dies habe ihn davon überzeugt, dass Epstein ein Mossad-Agent war. Epstein sei zudem unter Leitung des ehemaligen Premierminister und IDF-Generalstabschefs Ehud Barak zum Spion ausgebildet worden. Daneben erklärte Johnson damals, die Chabad-Bewegung tue «alles, um die Präsidentschaft Trumps zu vereinnahmen». Trump sei von Israel kompromittiert, Dershowitz sei selbst ein Mossad-Agent und zudem seien im Zusammenhang mit Dershowitz und Epstein Ermittlungen gegen die Familie von Jared Kushner geboten.

via tachles: FBI-Informant als Holocaust-Leugner enttarnt