This was heart-wrenching to observe because there’s a very pressing need for all countries to band together in collectively fighting the scourge of terrorism, and this global struggle is hindered if some states don’t properly recognize the sacrifices of others. President Trump, for example, called President Putin to offer his condolences, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “the presidents noted that terrorism is the evil against which it is necessary to fight together”. This was a promising signal, and it was also relieving to see the Eiffel Tower turn off its lights in commemorating the victims, but there were regrettably other instances which left a very sour impression.
Take for example Berlin’s refusal to light up the Brandenburg Gate in the colors of the Russian flag, something which it had previously done for France, Belgium, and Israel when they experienced similar attacks. Local officials’ excuse was that Saint Petersburg isn’t a sister city, yet neither is Jerusalem or even Orlando, though both the Israeli and rainbow flags were projected onto this famous world monument regardless of that. These examples suggest that Germany is deliberately employing double standards in order to avoid paying respect to the Russian victims, but it gets even worse if one follows the Mainstream Media.
James Nixey, the Head of the Russia and Eurasia Program at Chatham House, wrote an article for the UK Independent in which he explained the West’s callous and frigid reaction to what happened in St. Petersburg as being due to Russia’s supposedly “unsavoury geopolitics” and “brutalised society”. The BBC was just as bad, if not worse, because correspondent Sarah Rainsford peddled a crude conspiracy theory which hinted that the suicide bombing was somehow carried out on President Putin’s command in order to distract from the unsanctioned protests that were held in Moscow a few weeks ago.
Both instances represent new lows in “journalistic standards” but are unfortunately emblematic of the West’s malicious dislike – and sometimes outright racism – of anything that has to do with Russia, as it would be unimaginable for the Independent and BBC to ‘report’ the same way about France, Belgium, Israel, or the US.
Vladimir Rodzianko, Managing director and editor at The Duran, and Marcus Godwyn, Political commentator based in Saint Petersburg shared their views.
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