MINELRES: News from Moldova: racist articles in the newspaper/CoE decision
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Mon Apr 26 12:38:09 2004
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News from Moldova: racist articles in the newspaper/CoE decision
YHCA-Moldova
NICOLAE DABIJA DID NOT GIVE UP HIS RACIST IDEAS
Chisinau, April 22 /Moldpres/ - Nicolae Dabija, Deputy
Chairman of the Social-Liberal Party /PSL, extraparliamentary/
and editor-in-chief of the weekly "Literatura si Arta" - the
press body of the Writers' Union - insists that his racist ideas,
set forth in the editorial "Rusoaicele-2" /The Russian women-2/,
are right and, according to him, they will prove to be true in
future.
At the end of a large article published in the last but one
number of the weekly "Literatura si Arta", Dabija writes that
"some years should pass, maybe twenty, maybe fifty, so that you
see, however, how right I was".
His stand was backed by Cornel Cuirea, another PSL deputy
chairperson and the author of leading articles of the newspaper
"Democratia". In the 13 April number of "Democratia", the PSL
Deputy Chairman justifies the beliefs of Dabija. Cuirea said that
the latter, "being a writer, had the right to write an article of
the kind "Rusoaicele-2". The idea of "ethnic pureness",
implicitly promoted by Dabija, is not even a racist one. The
arguments of the writer can be simply interpreted as a
sociological biologism", Cornel Cuirea writes.
Editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Timpul" /The Time/
Constantin Tanase backs Nicolae Dabija. In his opinion, the
latter "was caught on the wrong foot, and now he is being hit in
order to be defeated". In the article "Who are the prosecutors?",
published in the "Timpul" number of April 9, the author writes
that "not Dabija is hit, but Serebrian, Urecheanu, and by
"rebound", all the intellectuals who have not joined the current
regime under its banner".
In the same number, "Timpul" publishes an interview with
poet Grigore Vieru, who also supports Nicolae Dabija, and says
that "the scandal around Nicolae Dabija is artificial".
Editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Jurnal de Chisinau" Val
Butnaru in the number of April 9 publishes an article entitled
"The lesson of the cowards". He wonders why "so much fuss" about
the statements of Dabija. "As long as all the people in
Bessarabia do not learn and do not speak both languages fluently,
we can not even expect interethnic peace. If you want harmonious
bilinguism, let it be harmonious", Butnaru writes. He recognizes
that "it is a pure nonsense to say that children with handicap are
born in the mixed families. However, as I have said, there is the
problem and it is worth being discussed", Butnaru writes in
conclusion.
The appeals to xenophobia that are contained in the
editorials signed by Nicolae Dabija were condemned by leaders of
the political parties of the country and by the European
organizations, while the leadership of the Social-Liberal Party
did not apply any sanction against him on party line, although
"PSL withdrew its support publicly from the statements made by
Dabija".
Member of the standing Bureau of the Alliance "Moldova
Noastra" Anatol Taranu said that "the statements of Dabija
concerns the author, and only he can reason why he thinks in one
way or another". "The stands of Dabija are not worth the
attention they were paid", Taranu underscored.
Chairman of the Social-Democratic Party Ion Musuc said that
"if the article was a joke of April 1, then it was a broad one.
The material shows a primitive thinking, of cave. We declare for
the unification of the Moldovans and for the constitution of an
honest nation, while Dabija calls to division and hatred in his
article. I am against the division of the people according to
certain principles, including ethnical ones. It is an archaic
concept that is condemned by the whole Europe".
Chairman of the Christian Democratic People's Party /CDPP,
in opposition/ Iurie Rosca refused to comment on the article of
Dabija. He suggested that if MOLDPRES is interested in his stand,
it can take over the piece of information diffused by "the
independent agency Flux", the CDPPP leader is the main
shareholder of.
The Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers labelled the
article "Rusoaicele-2" as an example of xenophobia, racism and
linguistic hatred.
Nicolae Dabija continues to exercise the post of deputy
chairman of the Social-Liberal Party. -0-
ition/ Iurie Rosca refused to comment on the article of
Dabija. He suggested that if MOLDPRES is interested in his stand,
it can take over the piece of information diffused by "the
independent agency Flux", the CDPPP leader is the main
shareholder of.
The Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers labelled the
article "Rusoaicele-2" as an example of xenophobia, racism and
linguistic hatred.
Nicolae Dabija continues to exercise the post of deputy
chairman of the Social-Liberal Party. -0-
COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS OF COUNCIL OF EUROPE DISAPPROVES OF CALLS
TO XENOPHOBIA OF DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF SOCIAL-LIBERAL PARTY
Chisinau, Apr 22 /Moldpres/ - The Committee of Ministers of
the Council of Europe labelled yesterday evening, the article
"Russian women 2" by Nicolae Dabija, Deputy Chairman of the PSL,
and Editor-in-chief of the paper "Literatura si Arta", body of
the Writers' Union of Moldova, as an example of xenophobia,
racialism and linguistic hate.
The representative of the Government of Romania to the
Committee of Ministers recoznised that Bucharest financed the
"Literature and Art", but not on the purpose of spreading the
racist ideas.
The CE Committee of Ministers recommended to the European
Commission for the fight against racialism and intolerance to
take attitude regarding this manifestation of xenophobia and hate
against other ethnical groups, inadmissible in a modern and
democratical Europe.
The CE Committee of Ministers considered as opportune the
adoption of such a decision, since lately in Moldova, in press
and other bodies of public attitude, it is seen the
rehabilitation of the xenophobe attack of Dabija. The purpose of
this decision is to notice Moldovan society and the international
community on the inadmissibility of such actions.
The Representative of the Government of Romania to the CE
Committee of Ministers criticised the article of Dabija and
reiterated readiness of Bucharest to put up resistance to
racialism, xenophobia and intolerance in all the cases without
any exceptions.
Making reference to the fact that the paper in which was
published the article - "Literatura si Arta" - is financed by
Romanian Government, the dighnitary of Bucharest stressed that
Romania has never financed xenophobia, racialism and intolerance,
including in Moldova. If "Literatura si Arta" was financed by
Romania, the purpose of this action was not the spread of racist
ideas through the paper.
Moldovan representative to Strasbourg expressed regret
regarding the use not in conformity to the destination of the
money of Romania on the territory of Moldova. He underlined that
this case, alongside many others, demonstrates the necesity of
coordination with Chisinau of the actions of the Romanian
Government on the territory of Moldova. -0-