WINNIPEG — Michael Ignatieff once viewed Ukrainians as "nasty anti-Semites," according to a flyer distributed by a Conservative cabinet minister.
Vic Toews has resurrected allegations the Liberal leader is anti-Ukrainian in a flyer sent to communities in his Manitoba riding with large Ukrainian populations.
The flyer includes a photo of Ignatieff and two excerpts from his 1995 book Blood and Belonging, which includes the quotes, "Ukrainian independence conjures up images of embroidered peasant shirts, the nasal whine of ethnic instruments, phoney cossacks in cloaks and boots, nasty anti-Semites." It also refers to Ignatieff as a "Great Russian" with a "taste of old Russian disdain for these 'little Russians.' "
The same remarks were raised against Ignatieff in 2005 when he ran for the Liberals in the Toronto riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore, and have haunted him repeatedly since, despite his attempts to explain they were meant as irony to rebut long-standing stereotypes of Ukrainians held by Russians.
On the flip side of the flyer, Toews outlines things the Conservatives have done for Ukraine and Ukrainian Canadians, and includes a photo of Toews with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.
Source: Montreal Gazette
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Anything related to Ukrainians living in Canada and Ukraine. Special dedication to 10 million innocent vicims of Ukrainian Holodomor 1932-33 "Ukraine Remembers, the World Recognizes."
5 comments:
It would be interesting to know how far Ignatieff wants to distance himself from those remarks.
Has he come up with a list of the things the Liberals have done for the Ukrainian community when they were last in power? Might be a good place to start.
Assuming, of course, that he has any real interest in the Ukrainian community...
He didn't say that he believes these things to be true, he said Ukrainian independence conjures up images of these things. Words and sentences mean what they say, not something else, or what you want them to mean. BC conjures up images of drugs, but when I lived in the Lower Mainland for a year, I didn't see any drugs, but I'm sure they were there somewhere. In a few places. I know a rabid anti-Semite in Montreal, but I don't believe most Montrealers are anti-Semite. I've been to Kiev and I know an Orthodox Christian Ukrainian/Russian there who is close friends with a Jew from Donetsk. Why is Mr. Toews doing this? This seems like gutter, hot tub politics. And I'm generally conservative.
Ignatieff has since been pressed to apologize for these statements several times, and continues to refuse apology. Ignatieff is a bigot, plain and simple.
Never heard Ignatieff appologize for his comments, even though he says, they were taken out of context. Many differnt views can be come about, thus until he officially appologizes, Ignatieff can be classified a rasist chauvanist ukrainianphobe.
Never heard Ignatieff appologize for his comments, even though he says, they were taken out of context. Many differnt views can be come about, thus until he officially appologizes, Ignatieff can be classified a rasist chauvanist ukrainianphobe.
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