It’s good that he opposes Putin but because of that people seem to completely overlook the fact that this guy is a right wing populist himself.
Edit: because people apparently cba to read the article, let me add some additional info: Amnesty International’s Moscow office reluctantly rescinded his “prisoner of conscience“ status. Russians who complained about e.g. his anti immigrant stance, equating immigrants to „cockroaches“ or dressing as a dentist and making a metaphor that immigrants were a pain that needs to be removed. He hasn’t distanced himself from these statements. Therefore, even though Amnesty International initially dismissed those complaints they had to comply because there were just too many complaints.
That’s not true and it wouldn’t matter even if it was true. You got to know a lot about Russian current culture to understand the specifics.
It’s useless to apply current standards of developed countries on Russia in order to approve some politician. Russia needs to change before that could even work. I imagine Navalny could’ve been one of drivers of that process.
Also Amnesty reversed that decision since. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/05/statement-on-alexei-navalnys-status-as-prisoner-of-conscience-2/
I don’t see why it is useless to apply the standards of developed countries, if you’re a right wing shithead with horrible views, you’re a right wing shithead with horrible views. Just because you are imprisoned by a bigger shithead doesn’t excuse your views or actions.
We ofc should keep advocating for his release under spurious charges that he finds himself under as we should across the world.
Someone calling you a shithead doesn’t make you a shithead, simple as that.
People not having a slightest idea about what people in Russia would think about what they assume by “right wing” won’t help Russian people at all, they would only confuse themselves.
The reason, though, is that by telling other people who has no idea about how Russia works to note how another Russian person is bad by their standards (also doing no work to actually research and confirm that) will only make it much less likely for any Russian person to be liked or accepted by the rest of the world. Not because they are really that bad or stuff, but because of only high probability of people getting misled by crap articles and Kremlin propaganda and then refusing to do proper research.
If you’d read the article, you’d have seen that those complaints didn’t come from Westerners, but rather from Russians who complained about e.g. his anti immigrant stance, equating immigrants to „cockroaches“ or dressing as a dentist and making a metaphor that immigrants were a pain that needs to be removed. He hasn’t distanced himself from these statements. Therefore Amnesty International’s Moscow office reluctantly rescinded his “prisoner of conscience“ status.
You pretend like nationalist authoritarianism is a phenomenon exclusive to Russia, or like this would be some kind of special case. No it is not. I come from a place with equally rotten politics and we have people being marked as terrorists nowadays who were pushed as freedom fighters by the Westerns back in the day because they were against their enemy. The Americans conveniently ignored all their fascistic tendencies or said something like you do about having to understand the specific culture, etc. to justify supporting those people. And now they’re backing someone else to get rid of the people they once supported, again ignoring anything that doesn’t fit into their narrative. If you now think you know where I’m from, believe me you don’t, this is such a common trope it has happened in too many places. Your situation is not unique and if you support a fascist you get fascism.
didn’t come from Westerners, but rather from Russians who complained
If you read the article and do some research it really comes from either Kremlin propaganda or people not knowing who Navalny really is.
his anti immigrant stance, equating immigrants to „cockroaches“ or dressing as a dentist and making a metaphor that immigrants were a pain that needs to be removed
And? You don’t know that about 70% of Russian population use much more cruel words about immigrants every day? You don’t know that there is a real problem with salaries in Russia that could be affected if Russia required proper visa from immigrants (something that a lot of other countries already do but you seem to not complanin about their immigrant stance)?
If you assume a politician who did and said that much as Navalny towards immigrants will do some real unimaginable shit towards them if he gets power… I think any Russian will tell you that you are wrong.
You pretend like nationalist authoritarianism is a phenomenon exclusive to Russia
Excuse me what? Where did I?
Your situation is not unique and if you support a fascist you get fascism.
-
I know Russia’s situation is not unique. That said, Navalny is unique as a political person still.
-
Surprise, you already have fascism in Russia even without Navalny. And there will be much more as long as Putin (at least) is in power.
Not that I hope that Navalny will at some point will get any power to do anything. But people lose too much when they judge others by single episodes from their past (that aren’t even getting interpreted properly, heh).
