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\n Journalist Alaksandar Knyrovi\u010d, speaking to Euroradio<\/em>, referred to the Belarusian ruler as a \u201clatent Nazi,\u201d citing past statements that seemed to praise Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hitler mentioned in a positive light<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In a 1995 interview with the German newspaper Handelsblatt<\/em>, \u0141uka\u0161enka discussed the need for a presidential republic in Belarus and credited Hitler for Germany\u2019s post-war recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt its time, Germany was raised from ruins thanks to its very strict government. Not only everything bad is associated in Germany with Adolf Hitler,\u201d he said, adding that the German order had been shaped over centuries, reaching its peak under the F\u00fchrer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is what corresponds to our understanding of a presidential republic and the role of the president in it. . . . Germany rose thanks to strong leadership and the nation\u2019s ability to consolidate and rally around a strong leader,\u201d \u0141uka\u0161enka remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He later retracted the statement, claiming it was a false fabrication spread by Polish sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u0141uka\u0161enka’s Nazi salute draws criticism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Historian Alexander Friedman described the 1995 interview as \u201cscandalous.\u201d In an interview with The Viewer<\/em>, he suggested that \u0141uka\u0161enka might have been misled by Soviet propaganda, which painted Nazis as still popular in West Germany. Friedman referenced Alaksandar Fiaduta, a former associate of \u0141uka\u0161enka, who is now imprisoned on charges of conspiring to seize power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regarding the January 26 salute, Friedman observed that \u0141uka\u0161enka feels emboldened to do as he pleases. \u201cPreviously, propaganda tried to erase his statements from memory, pretending they never happened. But now, he has nothing to fear. If he wants to shock someone, he can. Perhaps he thinks it is clever,\u201d Friedman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman noted that \u0141uka\u0161enka lacks a deep understanding of German Nazism, with his knowledge limited to Soviet films and possibly a few books. He does not grasp the ideology, the reasons behind its emergence or the aesthetics of Nazism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The historian also pointed out that \u0141uka\u0161enka’s main flaw is the absence of a clear ideology. \u201cIf we look at Hitler\u2019s Nazism or [Benito] Mussolini\u2019s fascism, they had clear ideologies. Today, in the West, there is debate about whether Putinism represents Russian fascism. \u0141uka\u0161enka, on the other hand, is ideologically empty. He only wants to retain power.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman argued that \u0141uka\u0161enka is a mishmash of borrowed ideas, including Soviet propaganda, his past interactions with far-right Russian figures like philosopher Aleksandr Dugin and writer Aleksandr Prokhanov, and the Russian state-controlled media he is now exposed to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman also noted that if a German politician had made such a gesture, their career would likely be over. Although there are far-right organizations in Germany, there are no openly Nazi politicians in the mainstream, especially considering that Nazi symbols and gestures are banned by law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Impunity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u0141uka\u0161enka enjoys near-total impunity in Belarus. He has ignored the electorate’s will since 1996, so what is there for him to fear?<\/p>\n\n\n\n During his January 26 news conference, \u0141uka\u0161enka openly made controversial remarks, unlike Western politicians, who are constrained by public opinion. He made racist comments about former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, saying it was strange for \u201cIndians to govern the English.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Homophobia, racism and antisemitism have long been features of \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s rhetoric, despite being criminal offenses in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe slurs he utters reveal his primitiveness,\u201d Friedman said. \u201cThey reflect his narrow view of the world. . . . It\u2019s grotesque, especially given his anti-racist rhetoric in which he condemns Anglo-Saxon imperialism. In reality, he does not hesitate to make everyday racist remarks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friedman also pointed out that \u0141uka\u0161enka has isolated Belarus from broader global trends, imposing his own narrow worldview on its society. \u201cAll the global changes that have occurred during his rule have passed him by.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n His government\u2019s homophobia, according to Friedman, is selective: \u201cWhen it\u2019s necessary for anti-Western propaganda, it is used. But when relations with the West improve, it is conveniently forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Britt\u2019s 14 characteristics as applied to Belarusian regime<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2003, British political scientist Lawrence Britt analyzed the regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, Francisco Franco, Ant\u00f3nio de Oliveira Salazar, Georgios Papadopoulos, Augusto Pinochet and Suharto, identifying 14 characteristics of fascism. These characteristics are highly relevant to the \u0141uka\u0161enka regime:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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