Nationalist rallies of the ESM in Moscow

On April 6, 2007, in Moscow on Triumfalnaya Square, the Eurasian Youth Union (ESM) held an authorized patriotic rally, in which, according to various sources, from 40 to 150 people took part.

Participants in the event spoke under the nationalist slogans “Russia is everything, the rest is nothing!”, “Nevsky’s feat is a new relevance”, “Third term - tanks to the West!”, “Russian nation instead of NATO!” .

The action was timed to coincide with the “Day of the Russian Nation” (the day of the victory of Alexander Nevsky’s troops in the Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipsi over the knights of the Livonian Order). The organizers of the action explained their goals by the need to remind Russians that “the Russian nation was formed and strengthened precisely in opposition to Western expansion, aggression and treacherous invasions, starting from the times of Nevsky and Grozny, and later Suvorov and Stalin.”

“The creeping expansion of the West is a threat to our national unity and sovereignty,” says the ESM press release.

The protesters shouted that “eating Germans as food is a national Russian tradition.”

The organizers of the action also mentioned the Head of the Ministry of Economic Development, German Gref: “It’s not for nothing that we are holding a rally in front of the Ministry of Economy and Development. It is there that sits a man, not drowned on Lake Peipus, of the nationality that came to conquer Russia. We declare that the main task of the Russian people was to eat the Germans , and this is our main basic food."

The rally was dispersed by riot police 20 minutes later. after the start of the action. About 10 people were detained.

On April 8, 2007, in Moscow on Triumfalnaya Square, the Eurasian Youth Union (ESM) held an “Imperial March”. About 500 people took part in the event.

Those gathered performed under the flags of the ESM, NBF (National Bolshevik Front) and banners “Glory to the oprichnina!”, “Our boot is holy” and “Dead, rise.”

According to the organizers of the action, the purpose of the rally was “to express ideas in support of the development of Russia as an empire, which corresponded to its historical path.” Hegumen Kirill Sakharov held an Easter prayer service at the rally. ESM spiritual leader Alexander Dugin and two of his comrades sang the song, declaring it the anthem of Russia, composed by Ivan the Terrible. K. Dugin spoke at the event, calling on those gathered to return “to their spiritual roots,” saying that Eurasians “are fighting evil for the sake of immortality.” Mikhail Leontyev spoke at the event, who stated that “the Russian people are an imperial people, this is the national idea. Russia must become a modern, civilized, democratic empire.”

According to eyewitnesses, a lot of minors took part in the rally, among whom were young people who came from the city of Kovrov. Probably, the presence of minors from Kovrov at the rally is the result of cooperation between the mayor of Kovrov, Irina Tabatskova, with the ESM and the NBF.

The security of the event was ensured by reinforced detachments of police officers, military personnel of the internal troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as soldiers of the Moscow riot police.

Kozenko A. Militantly risen // The Eurasian Youth Union held an Easter imperial march // Kommersant. 2007. April 9.

Sources

• On the anniversary of the Battle of the Ice, Moscow riot police dispersed a rally on this occasion // Newsru.com. 2007. April 6.