How the Western Media Deciphers the Neo-Nazi Code

Prof Michel Chossudovsky

There are no Neo-Nazis in Ukraine.

According to the Western media, its all part of “a relentless Kremlin-driven propaganda offensive that uses World War II-era terms and imagery”.

Moscow is accused of using the words Nazi and Fascist to describe a pro-Western government in Kiev, which is indelibly committed to the tenets of “real democracy”.

In Odessa, on May 2nd, Neo-Nazi thugs set fire to the city’s Trade Union building leading to countless deaths of innocent civilians who were burnt alive within the building. This diabolical and criminal undertaking was part of a carefully planned paramilitary operation, which was barely acknowledged by the mainstream media.

The Western media blamed the Odessa tragedy on pro-Russian rebels. The criminal actions undertaken by Neo-Nazi  Brown shirts were not mentioned. The atrocities were blamed on Moscow.

In the media’s coverage of unfolding atrocities directed against civilians in Eastern Ukraine, the words Nazi, Fascist or Neo-Nazi are a taboo. They have been eliminated from the anthology of investigative reporting. The Right Sector militia are casually referred to by the Western media as “patriots”, “Ultra-conservatives” and “freedom fighters”, despite the fact that they visibly display Nazi insignia and openly pledge their allegiance to the memory of Stepan Bandera and Adolf Hitler.

Neo-Nazi Rally in Ukraine, with portrait of Stepan Bandera

On May 9, another occupied building was set ablaze in Mariapul by the regime’s National Guard, which is under the direct command of the Ukraine Council for National Security and Defense controlled by the two Neo-Nazi parties.

In a bitter irony, while there was no mainstream coverage of the role of Neo-Nazis in relation to the Mariapul atrocities, the broader Neo-Nazi issue was nonetheless making the headlines on May 9.  On the very same day, a stream of syndicated articles was released focussing on the alleged use of a “secret” Neo-Nazi insignia on a box of liquid detergent recently released by Procter and Gamble.

The sensationalist headline on the Daily Mail read as follows:

Aryan automatic! Detergent giant caught up in Nazi row after Ariel boxes feature secret far-right code in Germany

• Packages printed with large number ’88′, used by extremists for ‘Heil Hitler’
• Germany bans Nazi slogans, symbol used as H is 8th letter of alphabet
• Company forced to apologise after outraged shoppers took to Twitter
• Also forced to pull ‘Ariel 18′ liquid as ’18′ is symbol for ‘AH’ or Adolf Hitler

The articles describe outraged German shoppers following the display of a “well known” Neo-Nazi insignia on a box of liquid detergent:

Outraged shoppers had posted pictures online of Ariel powder boxes featuring a white soccer jersey with a large number “88.” The number is sensitive because far-right extremists in Germany often use it as a code to skirt a ban on the use of Nazi slogans in public: since “H” is the eighth letter of the alphabet, “88″ represents the phrase “Heil Hitler.” Similarly, “18″ is used to stand for “A.H.” or Adolf Hitler.

The company apologized for its unintended use of a secret Neo-Nazi insignia.

Number 88 has nothing to do with “Heil Hitler”, said a company representative, it  was “intended to show how many loads of laundry buyers would be able to do with one package.”

“We very much regret if there are any false associations and distance ourselves clearly from any far-right ideology,” company spokeswoman Gabi Hassig said in a statement.

The issue of Ariel “18″ being mistaken for Adolph Hitler may have been the source of laughter and ridicule, yet under the circumstances it demonstrated how the Western media actually deciphers Neo-Nazi codes.  While it  has no difficulty in cracking the secret Nazi code on a box of liquid detergent, it fails to acknowledge the role of the two main Neo-Nazi partuies in the Kiev coalition government.

On the one hand it refuses to provide news coverage pertaining to the criminal actions of self proclaimed Neo-Nazi groups in Ukraine with clearly identifiable insignia. (see below)

On the other hand, it misleads public opinion’s perception of the threat of neo-Nazism by accusing Procter and Gamble of promoting unwarranted neo-Nazi symbols on a packet of detergent.

Trivia become newsworthy. Number”18″ on a packet of Ariel detergent receives extensive coverage as a despicable symbol of “far-right ideology”, representing AH (Adolph Hitler)

.

Yet at the same time, on the same day, the western media is not able to decipher the atrocities committed by Neo-Nazis in Ukraine. Nor does it acknowledge the fact, amply documented, that the Right Sector and Svoboda militia in Ukraine are supported by Western governments, not to mention Special Forces within paramilitary ranks (photo: John McCain with the leader of Svoboda (centre))

A google news search for the Word “Nazi” on May 9 confirms the Western media’s self-denial of the role of neo-Nazism in Ukraine. The word is never mentioned in relation to Ukraine. Journalists and editors are instructed not to use the term.

While google will list alternative media reports including GR pertaining to neo-Nazism in Ukraine, the google list for mainstream Western media sources pertains to the unwarranted use of “secret Nazi codes” on a packet of liquid detergent, in derogation of the rights of German consumers.

To say that this constitutes “double standards” is a blatant understatement. The “visible insignias” underlying Neo-Nazi atrocities in Ukraine are not acknowledged.

As an instrument of propaganda, the mainstream media by denying the very existence of Neo-Nazi formations in Ukraine is complicit under Nuremberg in crimes against humanity.

For further details on AH “18″ (aka Adolph Hitler) on Ariel detergent see the following

1. Germans in lather over ‘Nazi code’
   

   Irish Independent-May 10, 2014

   Detergent maker Procter & Gamble has prompted anger in Germany after unintentionally placing a neo-Nazi code on promotional packages for …
   
2. German detergent box pulled for neo-Nazi code
   

   The West Australian-May 9, 2014

   The number 88 is used by the far right in Germany to stand for the Nazi salute “Heil Hitler” because H is the eighth letter of the alphabet, thus …

1. Procter & Gamble Pulls Laundry Detergent Over Neo-Nazi Symbol
   

   Investorplace.com-May 9, 2014

   Procter & Gamble (PG) has pulled a laundry detergent from shelves after consumers accused the product of promoting neo-Nazi ideals.

1. Germany pulls detergent over neo-Nazi code
   

   SBS-May 9, 2014

   A laundry detergent featuring an image of a large number 88, a neo-Nazi code, on a white soccer jersey has sparked anger in Germany.

1. Ariel caught up in Nazi row after boxes feature secret far-right code …
   

   Daily Mail-May 10, 2014

   However, it is common knowledge in Germany that neo-Nazis have given the number a new meaning. The symbol derives from that fact that ‘H’ …
   
2. Detergent pulled in Germany over neo-Nazi code USA TODAY-May 9, 2014

    

   Procter & Gamble pulls out detergent in Germany over neo-Nazi code Toronto Star-May 9, 2014