The associations of Ukrainian refugees in Spain, as well as the russian opposition in exile, have deplored the presence in Social Forum of the Rototom reggae festival which has just been inaugurated this Wednesday in the Castellón town of Benicassimof Italian politicians apologists for Vladimir Putin as well as a former editorial board of the Russian government channel RT, banned in Europe at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. Both stand out in separate protest statements the controversial trajectories of the Italian politician Alessandro di Battista and the ex-propagandist Inna Afinogenovafirst praising the russian leader and defending the interests of Moscow publicly, and the second promoting in its day from its old information medium narratives about Ukraine that allowed the Kremlin to justify the invasion. And they take advantage of the occasion to demand that the public institutions that finance the event carry out a detailed inspection of the organization, the invitations that are issued and the message that is transmitted
‘The event has a very noble motto -‘united for peace‘- but the associations of Ukrainians see many contradictions in the organization of the conference”, reads the text issued by KRAI, a plataform which brings together the majority of associations of the Ukrainian diaspora settled in Spain. These groups transmit their “profound discomfort and worry by the participation of personalities related to the Kremlin, who have publicly spoken in favor of the Russian Federation, denying the atrocities carried out by the Russian Army in Bucha or Izium”, referring to Di Battista.
Absence of Ukrainians
The signatories of the text are also outraged by the absence of “Ukrainian personalities who could reproduce reality with direct experiences.” “They invite people who have never set foot in Ukraine to talk about peace in Ukraine, they have no right,” he strongly criticizes. Ksenia StriukUkrainian originally from Dnipro, resident in Valencia and in charge of an organization called Bandera de Ukraina whose objective is to improve knowledge in Spain of the nation and the ukrainian traditions. Rototom’s organization “should go to Ukraine and talk to Ukrainians,” he continues. “I feel sad and strange that these people are going to inform the Spanish people about the Ukrainian reality”, who by distance “lacks first-hand information” about what is happening in their country, denounces Anastasiia Brovko, from the Ukrainian center but also based in the Valencian Community. In his opinion, this makes it easier to fall “into stereotypes such as that Russia and Ukraine are the same country, or that this war is a simple dispute between sister nations“, keep going.
In identical terms, the Free Russians Associationwhich brings together the citizens of Vladimir Putin’s country critical of the Kremlin’s policy. in an open letter sent to The Independent and entitled ‘Zero Tolerance for Putinism’, the group reviews the two guests mentioned above, and also dwells on the case of Giulietto Chiesa, a guest at the 2015 edition, where he repeated the entire argument of the Kremlin to justify the annexation of Crimea a year after it materialized, in a debate with a Ukrainian journalist of the same ideological bias based in Moscow and moderated by Juan Carlos Purseone of the founders of Can.
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Chiesa “had relations with prominent members of the ultra-conservative elite in Russia and he starred in gatherings with the ideologues of the most aggressive branch of Russian nationalism, justifying the xenophobiathe homophobia and the militarism“, reads the letter in relation to Alexander Dugin. After recalling that in several countries around the world “Putinism has been officially designated as an ideology of hate and its apology classified as a crime in the Penal Code”, the group regrets that “Spanish taxpayers, who are making considerable efforts to mitigate the criminal actions of the Putin regime, should not have to finance, through their resources, the dissemination of putinism messages“.
Contacted by this newspaper, the organization of rototom He has brandished freedom of expression as an argument to justify the invitations extended to Chiesa or Di Battista. “We have always been open to the free expression of diverse opinions at the level of debate and this prism is what gives meaning, precisely to our Social Forum,” reads a response message from EL PERIÓDICO. The communicator and ex-propagandist Afinogenova plans to intervene Friday the 18th in a debate titled ‘Who defends peace?’ together with others three speakerswhile the former deputy Di Battista will do so at the table ‘In support of Assange’, where he will be present Stella Assangelawyer and partner of the founder of WikiLeaks, and of Sabrina Pignedolliof the Five Star Movementa formation in which the former parliamentarian himself was a member.
The controversial Chiesa, the “inspiring soul of the event”
Giulietto Chiesalong-time Moscow correspondent and former Italian MP, passed through Rototom in 2015 and died five years later. But it is “the soul of the event, the inspiring spirit,” says a source who knows the ins and outs of the organization and who prefers to remain anonymous. Even the director of the event, Filippo Giuntahe dedicated an obituary to him on his Facebook account where he honored having “shared so many battles” with the deceased.
Chiesa is a figure very controversial in the world of experts, commentators or ‘influencers’ of the post-Soviet space. He International Center for Countering Russian Aggression describes it as “propagandist” of the Kremlin, while denouncing his denialism regarding the covid-19 epidemic.
Stop Fakea website specialized in russian disinformationobserve their actions since 2014, the year of the annexation of Crimeaan event that in the same Rototom Social Forum, he justified with the same argument as Moscowqualifying as “Nazi” to the Ukrainian Government and “legitimate” voting for incorporation. Precisely that same year, a student demonstration to protest against privatizations, precarious wages and temporary jobs in Rome it was ‘transformed’ by the work and magic of Chiesa in a protest action against Ukraine and in favor of Russia. “Chiesa speaks Russian, and in front of the microphones of NTV -one of the Russian federal channels- he said that those gathered were protesting against Ukraine; he took advantage of the fact that nobody understood what he was saying; in Europe, nobody was protesting against Ukraine and it was important that the media show to the Russians, I support the Kremlin,” explains Yehven Fedchenkodirector of Stop Fake.
Chiesa, who had excellent relations with Alexander Duginideologue of one of the most aggressive branches of Russian nationalism, regularly accused the correspondent in Italy of StopFake, Mauro Voerzioof being a fascist. The dispute ended with a complaint de Voerzio in court, which ended up opting for him and ordering Chiesa to pay compensation of 3,000 euro.