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I see how the "argument fits their political agenda "works. In my country, the leader of one of the populist parties (I call it extreme rightist) some time ago has published a book. I happened to have the opportunity to read it. It was full of historical distortions. It not only denied the Holocaust, but went even further saying that it was the outcome of a conspiracy plan designed by Israel and Germany. Unfortunately, he found quite a number of people who believed him, having in mind that the party managed to pass the election threshold (which is 4 percent) with five percent.It is not that he used the holocaust "lie" in his election campaign, but surely some of his most extreme ideas, such as the elimination of the gipsy minority stems from it. As far as "the young educated Muslims who are hopefully open to reality" are concerned, I do hope that you prove right. Although I think that they should first get the necessary information that is to enlighten their delusion. It is in that part that I think they may face a problem, especially if the freedom of speech is monitored and filtered, which would inevitably obstruct the dispersion of those facts.
by Harlem on Thu Apr 20th, 2006 at 07:35:26 PM EST
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Harlem I guess you are talking for the Attack or Ataka-the right wing Bulgarian party that profited in the last parliamentary elections by having in their political agenda elimination of the gipsy minority once they get in power.

I am not really sure if the leader of this political party was recently imprisoned for paedophilia and sexual abuse of gipsy male children (at least that was what I read in the Macedonian press). Is he the same man who wrote the book you are mentioning or not?
And I've found this information about him, so it is really surprising that he is allowed to form another political party instead of being in jail.

by pavlovska (transbluency(at)mailcity.com) on Fri Apr 21st, 2006 at 06:15:27 AM EST
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Yes, you are right. It is the Attack leader that I had in mind. He is the one that claims to have found the root to all Bulgarian problems -the gipsy minority. Also Siderov (the name of the party's leader) truly believes that he has, too, found its solution. He believes that their eradication would redirect the unnecessary funds spent on them toward other sectors of the economy. I see that it is so much easier if one can put a face on a problem, a face that is alive and breathing, but I hope that none of those who voted Siderov truly thinks that gypsies are the real problem of our society. It seems nicer to kill them all instead of trying to integrate them and allow them take their share in our progress. Nevertheless, hatred makes people do strange things.

I am sorry about the confusion I have created. It is Siderov who wrote the book I mentioned. The man you are speaking of is a member of his party. I hope the chief prosecutor deprive him of his immunity so that he can be sentenced.

by Harlem on Fri Apr 21st, 2006 at 01:07:12 PM EST
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