In an op-ed for Estonian news portal Delfi.ee, EKRE member and former Olympic champion Mait Riysman criticized his party’s defense of an MP who had praised Nazi Germany and the “positive nuances of fascism.”
The Estonian Conservative People’s Party (EKRE), embroiled in a scandal earlier this month involving a recently elected parliamentarian’s comments about the “many positive nuances” of fascism, was hit again on Saturday in an op-ed by a famous party member and national sports champion who said that he had once been told that he was just another “illiterate athlete who must first go to the nearest library and read the works of Hitler.”
Earlier this month, the EKRE was hit by scandal following local media’s discovery of an old blog post by recently elected MP Jaak Madison, who noted in 2012 that he saw “fascism as an ideology that consists of many positive nuances necessary for preserving the nation-state.” The young politician also noted that while “it’s true that there were concentration camps, forced labor camps, and a fondness for the use of gas chambers, at the same time, [the Nazis’] ‘iron-fisted’ rule did bring Germany out of deep trouble as the development initially based on military industry growth made the country one of the most powerful in Europe in just a few years.”
The scandal widened after Madison tried to defend the post, which had also appeared on the party’s website until recently, saying that it was merely “a hasty attempt to apply moral relativism to different political systems,” Estonia’s Public Broadcasting had earlier explained. Party leader Mart Helme’s defense of Madison only sunk the party further, his statements that the opinion piece was dug up on the orders of the Kremlin proving unconvincing. Prime Minister Taavi Roivas condemned both the statements and EKRE’s defense of Madison, noting that “the text of his blog is completely at odds with my values,” but adding that “in Estonia we have freedom of opinion and expression, and we have to protect these values.”
Complete story at - Estonian Sports Hero Condemning Fascism Told to Go Read Works of Hitler
The Estonian Conservative People’s Party (EKRE), embroiled in a scandal earlier this month involving a recently elected parliamentarian’s comments about the “many positive nuances” of fascism, was hit again on Saturday in an op-ed by a famous party member and national sports champion who said that he had once been told that he was just another “illiterate athlete who must first go to the nearest library and read the works of Hitler.”
Earlier this month, the EKRE was hit by scandal following local media’s discovery of an old blog post by recently elected MP Jaak Madison, who noted in 2012 that he saw “fascism as an ideology that consists of many positive nuances necessary for preserving the nation-state.” The young politician also noted that while “it’s true that there were concentration camps, forced labor camps, and a fondness for the use of gas chambers, at the same time, [the Nazis’] ‘iron-fisted’ rule did bring Germany out of deep trouble as the development initially based on military industry growth made the country one of the most powerful in Europe in just a few years.”
The scandal widened after Madison tried to defend the post, which had also appeared on the party’s website until recently, saying that it was merely “a hasty attempt to apply moral relativism to different political systems,” Estonia’s Public Broadcasting had earlier explained. Party leader Mart Helme’s defense of Madison only sunk the party further, his statements that the opinion piece was dug up on the orders of the Kremlin proving unconvincing. Prime Minister Taavi Roivas condemned both the statements and EKRE’s defense of Madison, noting that “the text of his blog is completely at odds with my values,” but adding that “in Estonia we have freedom of opinion and expression, and we have to protect these values.”
Complete story at - Estonian Sports Hero Condemning Fascism Told to Go Read Works of Hitler
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