Russia Wants Bulgarians to Stop Vandalizing Soviet Monuments
By Anna Dolgov
Aug. 19 2014 15:55
Last edited 15:55
Ignat Ignev / WikicommonsFigures of Soviet soldiers at the base of a Soviet Army monument were previously transformed into superheroes in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Russia is demanding that Bulgaria try harder to prevent vandalism of Soviet monuments, after yet another monument to Soviet troops in Sofia was spray-painted, ITAR-Tass reported.
The Russian Embassy in Bulgaria has issued a note demanding that its former Soviet-era ally clean up the monument in Sofia's Lozenets district, identify and punish those responsible, and take "exhaustive measures" to prevent similar attacks in the future, the news agency reported Monday.
The monument was spray-painted on the eve of the Bulgarian Socialist Party's celebration of its 123rd anniversary, the Sofia-based Novinite news agency reported.
The vandalism was the latest in a series of similar recent incidents in Bulgaria — each drawing angry criticism from Moscow.
Early this year, unknown artists painted another monument to Soviet troops in Sofia in the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
In August last year, a Soviet army monument in Sofia was painted pink in an "artistic apology" for Bulgaria's support of Soviet troops who suppressed Czechoslovakia's Prague Spring revolt against Moscow-based communist rulers.
This monument is not related to the suppression of Czechoslovak Spring, but rather to the millions of people who died to stop the Nazi German armies that didn't simply seek to make E. Europe communist but rather turn it into agrarian hinterlands of the Reich and annihilate or expunge most of the Slavs and other untermenschen living there.
Then again, I wouldn't object to people vandalizing war monuments of other major powers, so I guess it doesn't matter that much.
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Lì paludi, minacce, cecchini coi fucili, documenti, file notturne e clandestini
Qui incontri, lotte, passi sincronizzati, colori, capannelli non autorizzati,
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I find my self rather split on this. I mean on one hand I guess I'm one of those few who doesn't believe that monuments should be vandalized, if you don't like it then at least break it down and ship it to a museum for tourist the gawk at, but that's the part of me who wants to record and save as much of history as possible for future generations. Both the good and the bad. On the other hand this particular monument (as Stas said) is specifically to the people who died stopping the Nazis, so perhaps it doesn't really matter who build it but to whom it was dedicated. Has Bulgaria thought about maybe rededicating it for that purpose and removing anything soviet specific from it? I'm not even sure that's possible but it's an idea, possibly a bad one. Have any monuments ever been rededicated in such a fashion?
Also I recognize Superman, Ronald McDonald, Cap. America, Wonder Woman (I think), Santa Claus and the Joker but who are the two in the back left (yellow and yellow on blue) and the one kneeling in red and green?
The one kneeling looks like Robin. Yellow on blue looks like Wolverine.
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Paint can be taken off. I'm just glad they didn't sledgehammer it.
"The 4th Earl of Hereford led the fight on the bridge, but he and his men were caught in the arrow fire. Then one of de Harclay's pikemen, concealed beneath the bridge, thrust upwards between the planks and skewered the Earl of Hereford through the anus, twisting the head of the iron pike into his intestines. His dying screams turned the advance into a panic."'
gigabytelord wrote:I'm not even sure that's possible but it's an idea, possibly a bad one. Have any monuments ever been rededicated in such a fashion?
Yeah, in Poland, we have rabid right-wing minority demanding removal and/or cleansing of anything wrong (read, tied in any way to communist or even left wing ideas). 9 times out of 10, it's done in way that makes me want to puke or alternatively face-palm at shocking ineptness.
Example from my home city, Polish Anti-Nazi Fighters movement (doubly idiotic because, first, it's dedicated to Poles, two, figure on it is Greek Goddess Nike, so far removed from communism as possible). Can you spot anything weird on it?
What, the cross at the top? At first glance it doesn't appear to be a German Army Balkenkreuz, if that's what you mean.
EDIT: Or at the very least it doesn't appear to be a WW2-era one, from my limited knowledge I understand that those tended to be straight rather than curved.
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I see a gargantuan stone vagina, complete with clitoris at the top. So um...yeah.
Yeah, I've always taken the subtext of the Birther movement to be, "The rules don't count here! This is different! HE'S BLACK! BLACK, I SAY! ARE YOU ALL BLIND!?
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Destiny and fate are for those too weak to forge their own futures. Where we are 'supposed' to be is irrelevent.
Tribble wrote:What, the cross at the top? At first glance it doesn't appear to be a German Army Balkenkreuz, if that's what you mean.
EDIT: Or at the very least it doesn't appear to be a WW2-era one, from my limited knowledge I understand that those tended to be straight rather than curved.
Yeah, huge slab with Maltese Cross (after the church in background) that was at once supposed to de-Sovietize it and hopefully rip off top so monument can be torn as public danger. Oh, also slapped inflatable billboard to the side, despite modifications being illegal without monument architect and landmark conservator office agreement (neither did).
End result, like someone already said, the monument has mocking nickname 'giant vagina' among some now (it was indeed 'rabbit ears' before), ruining the image of old, antique church in neighbourhood. Oh, and is favourite meeting point of skaters that after changes turned side of stairs into skate-park. Did I mention right winger thoughtless ineptitude yet?
That isn't a maltese cross, that is a german style Iron cross. At the very best it is a poorly-done cross patteé.
Whoever says "education does not matter" can try ignorance
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A decision must be made in the life of every nation at the very moment when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat. Then, it seems that the only way to survive is to use the means of the enemy, to rest survival upon what is expedient, to look the other way. Well, the answer to that is 'survival as what'? A country isn't a rock. It's not an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for. It's what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult! - Chief Judge Haywood
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It's hard to tell from that picture but the iron cross usually had curved lines for most of its existance (including current Bundswehr use) or in the case of some simplified WWII styling was straight lines forming 90 degree angles at the center. If it's using stright diagnals I'd go with Maltese cross.
Patroklos wrote:It's hard to tell from that picture but the iron cross usually had curved lines for most of its existance (including current Bundswehr use) or in the case of some simplified WWII styling was straight lines forming 90 degree angles at the center. If it's using stright diagnals I'd go with Maltese cross.
Nope, the maltese cross has four sharp V-shaped elements. This is the photo I took from the knights of malta in Rome: http://i.imgur.com/EY6Kw09.jpg
The cross patteé is this, the Iron cross is a variant of the cross patteé. Like the polish one probably.
But it is not a cross of Malta.
Whoever says "education does not matter" can try ignorance
------------
A decision must be made in the life of every nation at the very moment when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat. Then, it seems that the only way to survive is to use the means of the enemy, to rest survival upon what is expedient, to look the other way. Well, the answer to that is 'survival as what'? A country isn't a rock. It's not an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for. It's what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult! - Chief Judge Haywood
------------ My LPs
Am I the only one who thinks that'd look, bloody hilarious painted up like a Dead Space marker?
"Put book front and center. He's our friend, we should honour him. Kaylee, find that kid who's taking a dirt-nap with baby Jesus. We need a hood ornment. Jayne! Try not to steal too much of their sh*t!"
Thanas wrote:That isn't a maltese cross, that is a german style Iron cross. At the very best it is a poorly-done cross patteé.
According to Polish heraldry encyclopaedia, it's chevalier cross variant of Maltese cross. Unless, of course, 700 year old heraldry given by medieval Polish king to Walddeutsche settlers was just badly done copy:
Funnily enough, German administration of Habsburgs did change it to cross pattée with some extra stuff they invented:
But as soon as the dual monarchy fell the cross was straightened again and the extra bling deleted:
