Saint-Raphaël's right-wing mayor, no stranger to media stunts, has vowed to 'put an end to the lies about the reality of communist totalitarianism.' In response, the French Communist Party and other left-wing groups denounced the 'revisionism of history.'
Despite strong opposition from left-wing representatives, Frédéric Masquelier, the mayor of Saint-Raphaël on the French Riviera, unveiled France’s first monument to the “victims of communism” on Saturday, August 23. Masquelier, a member of the right-wing party Les Républicains, said, “Nazism and communism (…) are two sides of the same tragic coin.” The monument depicts a man pushing back two massive blocks and was placed next to a memorial dedicated to the martyrs of the Resistance, many of whom were communists.
Other than the obvious “mayor is a fascist” part, why the fuck does a French town need a monument for “victims of communism”? Communist Russia and China were very brutal, but what exactly did they do that directly affected France? Surely the monument is not for the handful of French communists who lived in the USSR and were victims of various purges.
Big difference between standing up against oppression and erecting monuments. I guarantee that this town doesn’t have a growing collection of monuments dedicated to victims of oppression around the world and doesn’t plan to, either.
Other than the obvious “mayor is a fascist” part, why the fuck does a French town need a monument for “victims of communism”? Communist Russia and China were very brutal, but what exactly did they do that directly affected France? Surely the monument is not for the handful of French communists who lived in the USSR and were victims of various purges.
So they should not stand up against Israel (for example)?
Empathy. That’s why.
Big difference between standing up against oppression and erecting monuments. I guarantee that this town doesn’t have a growing collection of monuments dedicated to victims of oppression around the world and doesn’t plan to, either.