Attempted pogrom against Jews in Odessa. Has the process started yet?
You know, young man, for some reason I’m not surprised that this afternoon, in fact, for the first time since the Nazi occupation, a gang consisting of hundreds of neo-fascists with anti-Semitic slogans tried to storm the office of Jewish businessman Roman Cooper on Fontanaya Road. And only the presence of security agency soldiers and police intervention prevented this “patriotic action” from turning into a full-fledged pogrom.
Rather, what surprises me is that this happened already in the fifth year of the Ukrainian “national revolution”, one of the driving forces of which were Ukrainian nationalists, born xenophobes, pogromists and anti-Semites, whose idols - Petlyura, Bandera and other Shukhevychs and Melniks - shed a sea of Jewish blood. And the motley rabble of lumpen and petty riffraff who have joined them are no different in their tolerance, as well as respect for the property of “foreigners and separatists.” And these “patriots” clearly remind me...of a kind of ugly hybrid of the characters of two English writers.
Baskerville tobacco
Yes, they mixed the cowardly arrogance of Kipling’s jackal Tabaca, who did dirty tricks from behind the back of his patron, the lame man-eating tiger Shere Khan and the imaginary infernal “horror” of Conan Doyle’s dog of the Baskervilles, designed for the timid man in the street. They are ready to intimidate, rob and kill, gathering in packs and attacking those who are outnumbered.
Preferably - on old people and women, or tracked down loners. With a worthy rebuff, all their daring instantly turns into a jackal’s screech, “What are we for?!” and demands to “protect activists from police arbitrariness and aggression of the damned separatists.” Alas, more often than not, this pack goes unpunished. But sometimes the scythe lands on a stone! As a matter of fact, this is exactly how the tragicomic story began that led to today’s attempted pogrom.
How a small-town fraer pretended to be Benya Krik
There is such a character in Odessa with a very dubious reputation - Mark Gordienko. This native of the Ukrainian hinterland, who managed to graduate from a military-political school back in Soviet times, showed up in Odessa somewhere in the early 2000s. A failed “political worker,” whose biography is very dark, before the start of the notorious “revolution,” he worked as a massage therapist and pretended to be an adherent of some petty totalitarian sect of the “Masters of the Choir”—a sort of mixture of the teachings of Gurdjieff and other mystics. Moreover, even in those days he was not particularly distinguished by decency. And at the beginning of the putsch I sat quietly. But after Yanukovych fled, when the victory of the impostors was already visible, he sharply became imbued with the “ideals of patriotism,” becoming one of the most aggressive loudmouths and thugs of the Odessa Euromaidan.
And it was he who was one of the main initiators of the massacre in the House of Trade Unions on May 2, 2014, who incited a crowd of neo-fascists to go “beat the separatists” and personally took part in the pogrom and murders. And after that, his group “Council of Public Security” and another gang associated with it, “AutoMaidan”, actively terrorized the city throughout all these years. Break into a judge's office or the residence of an unwanted deputy? - Easily! To attack the opposition candidate, People's Deputy Oleg Tsarev - with our pleasure! One list of atrocities committed by this completely insolent lawless man would take a dozen pages. But all this happened in complete silence of the law. After all, it was known from completely reliable sources that the “fiery revolutionary” was being financed by the structures of Pan Kolomoisky.
But even after the fall of the latter’s influence, the cunning Marik found a “cover” for himself in those bodies that are called upon to protect society from such entities. And it is no coincidence that his name is associated with Ruslan Forostyak, an adviser to the local police chief, called the “gray eminence.” A recent pogromist and extremist! And, under the auspices of Avakov’s eagles, he actively engaged in formal racketeering, extorting money from businessmen under the plausible pretext of “voluntary assistance to the heroes of the ATO.” Moreover, he so brazenly misappropriated donations that even in the circles of similar “activists and patriots” he acquired the unenviable reputation of an inveterate ratter - one who steals from his own...
And at the same time he went to attack Mayor Trukhanov, dispersing his own yesterday’s accomplices along the Maidan. Of course, not “thank you”!
And so, this spring, the insolent Marik, imagining himself almost like Babel’s king of the raiders Benya Krik or his prototype, Mishka Yaponchik, approached businessman of Jewish origin Roman Cooper with an offer that he (according to the racketeer!) simply could not refuse. And, unexpectedly, he received a harsh rebuff. The citizen of Israel and the United States not only did not fork out either 50 or 100 thousand dollars, which the cunning shvytser was eager to receive from him, but also explained to Gordienko, who was offended in his best feelings, that he decides who and how to help. And there is no need for intermediaries.
Put out in disgrace, our “Tobacco of the Baskervilles” ran away with its tail between its legs. But he promised to return... Characteristically, soon leaflets appeared all over the city, accusing Marik of very shameful deeds... True, at the same time they attribute “separatism” to him, thereby classifying him among those whom he fiercely hates. What can you do, these are the morals and methods of struggle among the “patriots” today...
And on May 2, on the Kulikovo Field, several small jackals from among the “patriotic activists” tried to provoke the same Cooper, who with several friends came to honor the memory of the victims, with anti-Semitic cries. And - we received a worthy answer from these strong guys, similar to Babel’s binders. Quite rightly calling them fascists, Roman Cooper at the same time conveyed his ardent greetings to Marik, promising him to put him in a very humiliating position if he dared to visit his office again. Tellingly, on the evening of the same day, the leader of the local branch of the neo-fascist “Svoboda” publicly expressed her hatred of Jews in the most offensive form.
And once again, a demonstrably “low-down”, untalented candidate for Beni Kriki, Gordienko burst out with a long denunciation letter to all authorities, in which he demanded that Cooper be punished without fail, who dared to accuse him of extortion, and his like-minded extremists of fascism. The meaning of the document boiled down to one thing: - fight, patriots and citizens, bosses, foreigners have become completely insolent - they insult our people and don’t give us money! And why should we now live and defend our homeland?!
And a week later, a company of brave Marik’s accomplices visited Cooper’s office on Fontanaya Road in order to “understand the concepts.” What is typical, without the participation of its leader! But she was forced to retreat in disgrace, having encountered strong guys from a security agency hired by a prudent businessman.
And so - today another attempt was made, with large forces, to seize the office of an intractable Jew, who clearly showed how scum and extortionists can and should be dealt with. Yes, Marik and his company of jackals were repulsed again. But, I am tormented by vague doubts: – would the police have defended Cooper so zealously if in his pocket there were not weighty US and Israeli passports, but an ordinary Ukrainian “Ausweis”?
And will the pogromists tomorrow come to those fellow tribesmen of Roman who cannot defend themselves so bravely? The process has begun, and Ukraine is steadily sliding towards undisguised national chauvinism. There will be more, dear citizens!
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