KIEV (JTA) — Ukrainian officials will not allow schools to screen a film about the Holocaust after pressure from an ultranationalist party.
A Jewish group had organized the screening of “Two Tangos,” which deals in part with Ukrainian collaboration with the Nazis, in seven schools. A regional commission based in Lviv acceded to demands from The Freedom Party, led by Oleg Tyagnybok, to ban the film, Jewish.ru reported this week.
Popular support for the party has swelled in some recent regional elections, alarming human rights watchdogs.
Tyagnybok was ousted from the mainstream “Our Ukraine” political bloc in 2004 when he praised members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a World War II force that combated Russians and Germans and targeted Jews. He had commended the army for having fought against the Russians, the Germans and “the kikes and other filth who wanted to take from us our Ukrainian state.”
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
