澳彩开奖

In September 2014, the聽World Congress of Families聽representative in Russia, Alexey Komov, was contacted by a young woman who had spoken at a congress in Moscow on聽鈥淟arge Families: The Future of Humanity鈥� a week earlier. Upon her return, she wrote, she had been harassed by American authorities. She was worried:

Since I returned to the USA, I have been living a nightmare in terms of finding myself鈥攖o my surprise鈥攊ntimidated and harassed by the local authorities (first Homeland security in Houston, then Houston Police Department, EMS!) trailed by numerous cars when I leave my house and when I return, even at night, under surveillance elsewhere, and otherwise having my personal space bizarrely impinged upon, not only when I drive my car, but when I ride my bicycle. Absurd. I have reason to believe my Internet and cell phone use have also became the object of scrutiny. I realize the seriousness of what I am reporting and am scandalized and horrified to think what all this may imply.

The 鈥淟arge Families鈥� forum had already led to diplomatic conflict. The forum was initially organized by the influential聽World Congress of Families聽(WCF), an American-based Christian evangelical organization. An 澳彩开奖-designated anti-LGBT hate group, the WCF is dedicated to halting the spread of LGBT rights overseas in the name of the defense of the 鈥渘atural family,鈥� which they define as a husband and wife and their biological children. Since increasing its presence in Russia around 2011 after hiring Komov as a regional representative, in 2014 the WCF was planning its annual congress in Moscow. Like every year, the congress would unite anti-LGBT activists and politicians from all over the world.

But in February 2014, Russia鈥檚 invasion of Crimean territory in eastern Ukraine put a damper on those plans. The country was torn by protests in response to then-Ukrainian president Viktor Yakunovych鈥檚 decision to withdraw from an agreement with the European Union (E.U.) and move closer to Russia economically and politically. The situation eventually devolved into a full-blown civil war. The E.U. and the United States faced off against Russia鈥檚 desire to expand its influence and territory in Ukraine. As retaliation after the Crimean invasion, the U.S. and E.U. decided to sanction the high-level individuals who had been involved in the invasion, in which many WCF allies and backers soon found themselves embroiled.

For fear of American sanctions, the WCF鈥檚 American leadership聽publicly聽dropped its affiliation to the congress. Despite WCF officially pulling out, behind closed doors,聽聽with a similar program, similar attendees, and 鈥� initially 鈥� the WCF listed as organizers. It was even attended by WCF communications director Don Feder and late聽managing director Larry Jacobs. Though Komov mentioned the WCF were organizers in the media, Jacobs maintained it was not.听

As a new look at a trove of emails聽聽in 2014 by the Russian hacker collective Shaltai Boltai (Humpty Dumpty) reveals, the 2014 Moscow Congress was just the tip of the iceberg. WCF鈥檚 involvement in Russian geopolitics runs deep and led to a collaboration that gave Russian Orthodox oligarchs apparent access to the powerful American Christian evangelical political machine.听

鈥淧ersecutions against Christians in the West will soon begin鈥�

Komov has been the WCF鈥檚 representative in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (formed by 10 former Soviet Republics) for close to two decades. An influential man, he is deeply intertwined with various key figures within the Russian Orthodox Church. The young woman who wrote him was hoping he could help her with some advice, despite 鈥渢he delicate situation in which our countries, quite unfortunately, find themselves.鈥澛�

After speaking to her, Komov emailed Konstantin Malofeev, one of the Russian Orthodox oligarch who bankrolled the 鈥淟arge Families鈥� forum in Moscow. As the founder of the investment company Marshall Capital, Malofeev heads the largest Orthodox charity in Russia, St. Basil the Great, which has a聽. Komov leads one of its charities. Both Komov and Malofeev are intimately tied to various facets of Russian politics, and Malofeev has a hand in everything from media to technology to security.

In his email to Malofeev, Komov suggested they bring the young woman鈥檚 case to trial in the U.S., fearing that her story revealed that 鈥渙pen persecutions against Christians in the West will soon begin.鈥� To do so they could put the powerful American Christian evangelical apparatus in motion:

鈥淐an discuss the plan of action with Brian [presumably, Brian Brown, who would become the聽president聽of the WCF but was then head of WCF ally National Organization for Marriage] to start? We can attract our best lawyers from the Alliance Defending Freedom or HLSDA, start collecting signatures under the appropriate petition all over the world through CitizenGO and launch a large-scale campaign in the press about this egregious case. It can turn out to be an excellent nationwide campaign, the guys from Personhood deal with such cases. If you do not answer with dignity, then they will break down and terrorize the entire American movement. What do you think?鈥澛�

罢丑别听Alliance Defending Freedom聽(ADF) is the most powerful Christian Right legal group in the U.S. and known for its recent case before the Supreme Court representing a baker who refused to provide service for a gay couple. The 澳彩开奖 designates the ADF as a聽hate group.听

After Malofeev expressed skepticism at the authenticity of the young woman鈥檚 story, the men decided to run a background check on her. Based on the results, Komov abandoned the idea of a legal case, believing the young woman to be a plant. 鈥淗aving carefully studied the profile of our martyr I am almost sure that she is sent to us,鈥� he wrote Malofeev.听

Though the case itself never left the brainstorming stage, the email provides a rare look into how the U.S.-based WCF network operates and how its Russian representatives seek to impact American political and judicial discourse. It is only a small example of how the WCF network has been appropriated to serve as a soft power platform for the strategic interests of a small group of Russian Orthodox oligarchs.

A global alliance between Orthodox and Catholics

In 2013, Austin Ruse, who heads the U.S.-based聽Center for聽Family and Human Rights聽(C-Fam聽is also an 澳彩开奖-designated anti-LGBT hate group and part of the WCF network)聽after meeting Malofeev: 鈥淸Malofeev] wonders if some sort of grand global alliance between the Orthodox and Catholics can be achieved and what effect that might have on the global culture war advanced by the sexual left. I wonder, too.鈥澛�

An interfaith but overwhelmingly Christian network of global anti-LGBT 鈥減ro-family鈥� allies, the WCF is an ideal platform to unify otherwise disparate groups. Anti-LGBT sentiment is the linchpin of opposition to the human-rights driven 鈥渓iberalism鈥� of the United Nations, the E.U. and, until recently, the U.S. While vehemently opposed to American cultural expansionism (equated to 鈥渢he sexual left鈥�), the WCF has become increasingly linked to some of the most prominent advocates for Russian expansionism.

Since the start of Putin鈥檚 third presidency in 2012, contemporary Russia has been defined by a 鈥渕uscular, politically tinged Orthodox Christianity,鈥� as Russian expert Charles Clover writes in聽Black Wind, White Snow. One feature of this Orthodoxy is 鈥減ro-family鈥� values. Another is nostalgia for the strong Russia of old, united by Russian Orthodox values with its influence rippling across Europe, advanced by cultural, political or military means. Malofeev is a perfect embodiment of this duality, and one of Orthodox Russia鈥檚 most powerful figureheads.听

A longtime funder of anti-LGBT 鈥減ro-family values鈥� in Russia through his foundation, Malofeev聽, 鈥淚 want the Russian Empire back. I don鈥檛 want to be head of it.鈥� Malofeev is such a dedicated monarchist that he recently聽聽a school to prepare the Russian elite鈥檚 youth for a future Russian monarchy. As he told the聽Guardian, he hopes Putin could be crowned tsar: 鈥淓veryone wants Putin to carry on forever.鈥�

True to his expansionist ideals, Malofeev reportedly funded聽Russia鈥檚 2014 Crimean聽聽and is inextricably tied to it. Two of the leaders of the new pro-Russian Crimean Republic聽聽and also held short-lived minister positions in the rebel government of the self-declared Donetsk Republic, a Russian-backed separatist region in Ukraine. For his role in Crimea鈥檚 annexation and subsequent referendum, Malofeev was聽聽by the聽.and the聽.

Using anti-LGBT sentiment as a wedge in Eastern Europe

Besides Malofeev鈥檚 role, the 2014 鈥淟arge Families鈥� congress was inseparable from the invasion. A number of congress attendees or supporters were eventually聽聽by the U.S. and/or E.U. for their support of it.听

One, for instance, was Russia鈥檚 hard-right parliamentarian Elena Mizulina, author of the infamous 2013 law banning聽鈥減ropaganda for non-traditional sexual relations鈥� which led to聽聽in the five years since the law鈥檚 passage. At the 鈥淟arge Families鈥� congress, Mizulina led a legislative session in Russia鈥檚 lower chamber of parliament, the Duma, to teach attendees how to pass anti-LGBT legislation.听

At the congress, Malofeev spoke on a topic dear to him during a聽聽on 鈥淔amily Policy in Ukraine: Conclusions and Warnings for Russia.鈥� He pointed out that the battle over LGBT issues was instrumental to the struggle over whether or not the country would join the E.U., which forbids discrimination against LGBT people for employment:

In Ukraine, which is our fraternal country, association with European Union was not signed last year because, in this case, the Ukrainians learned that they had to allow propagation of homosexuality and gay parades.

At this stage, the WCF had already placed pressure on some groups in Ukraine to move away from the E.U. by raising the specter of E.U.-imposed LGBT rights. Under Komov鈥檚 leadership, the WCF sent聽聽(only a few months before the Crimean annexation) and declared in its subsequent press聽release that:

The Ukrainian leaders expressed concern about the pressure brought to bear on their nation to accede to the homosexual agenda (including 鈥榞ay marriage鈥�) as a condition for membership in the European Union.

In fact, the E.U. does not require the legalization of same-sex marriage from its member states. One of the groups that the WCF met with in Ukraine, the All Ukrainians鈥� Parents Committee, declared:聽鈥淲e oppose the signing of the association agreement with the E.U., because it will lead to the inevitable homosexualizing of Ukraine.鈥澛犅燱CF leaders also met with some聽聽of the Ukrainian parliament.

WCF鈥檚 involvement in the campaign to push Ukraine not to join the E.U. 鈥� and into the Russian fold 鈥� is not a coincidence. By all accounts, people shuttling through the WCF advocate for the same kind of agenda that Russian orthodox oligarchs have been pushing for.听

In April 2017, the former French WCF representative, Fabrice Sorlin, organized the first WCF regional conference in Paris. The list of events seemed oddly skewed towards the Balkans and Caucasus, featuring the following panels:

• Tactics and strategies of the gay lobby at the European Union
• Georgia鈥檚 Liberal Experience
• Russian Revival in the 21st century鈥�
• Europe or European Union 鈥� which way for Serbia?
• The aggressive anti-family policy of the European Union as a factor in destruction of Ukrainian statehood聽

Sorlin is the former head of a brutal Catholic militia Dies Irae, whose mission was to prepare white French Catholic youth for a civil war against immigrants, black people and Muslims. He became the WCF French representative in 2013, during which time he traveled with the WCF leadership聽. Before his sudden death on April 30^th, 2018, Larry Jacobs, the managing director of the International Organization for the Family, which oversees the WCF, denied that Sorlin was still employed when reached by Hatewatch. Sorlin, however, still lists his WCF position on his LinkedIn account.

罢丑别听聽by Russia to influence Eastern European countries to return to its fold and聽. This is聽. For this, the WCF is a crucial platform.

In France, Sorlin was a non-negligible Russian ally: before his time at the WCF, Sorlin presided over the French group, Alliance France Europe Russia (AAFER). As historians Jean-Yves Camus and Nicolas Lebourg suggest, the AAFER was key in pushing the French far-right party, the National Front, toward Russia.听

In turn, Malofeev聽, when approached by National Front member Aymeric Chauprade, also a speaker at the 鈥淟arge Families鈥澛�. The WCF鈥檚 overseas allies, it turns out, are enmeshed in a network of extreme-right activists and politicians in Europe.

Eurasian networks: WCF members befriend neo-Nazis and the far-right聽

In a piece written while serving as the WCF鈥檚 French representative, Sorlin聽supported the idea of an expanded Russia:

This Europe of the people and of nations would substitute technocratic Europe with a more traditional European civilization; it would promote Christianity within Europe, which has until now been dominated by the LGBT lobby. It must ally with Vladimir Putin鈥檚 Russia in order to create a version of Europe that stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

This vision of a Europe led by Russia, also called Eurasianism, is one that is closely tied to the Russian Orthodox vision of the world. Its father, the influential ultra-nationalist philosopher Alexander Dugin, serves as聽聽of Malofeev鈥檚 far-right Tsargrad TV channel.听

At its core, 鈥淓urasia鈥� is shorthand for Russian dominance of the Eurasian continent, though it is presented as a utopian vision for a unified but diverse civilizational bloc. For Dugin, who is fascinated with Nazi Germany, Eurasia would be a federation of countries led spiritually by Russia but聽聽鈥渢he empire鈥檚 constitutive nation鈥� and 鈥渢he only national community within a supranational imperial complex.鈥澛�

Popular in white supremacist circles in Europe and the U.S., Dugin has identified white nationalists as聽聽for the Eurasian project insofar as they are traditionalists. Dugin was聽聽by the聽. for his role in the Crimean conflict. Since then, he and Malofeev聽, seemingly not on behalf of the Russian state, though their reach leaves much to wonder.听

Dugin has been at the helm of a new strategic soft-power initiative, in which the WCF is also embroiled: a聽Eurasian聽conference, planned by Dugin alongside聽Emmanuel Leroy, the co-leader of the AAFER with Fabrice Sorlin. Leroy, who聽聽at the same racist 鈥淲hite Forum鈥� conference as white supremacist David Duke in 2007, has been involved with a shady pro-Russian 鈥渉umanitarian鈥� group in Ukraine.

A second installment of Dugin鈥檚聽Eurasian conference聽was held in Chisinau, Moldova, in December 2017, and hosted by pro-Russian Moldovan president Igor Dodon. The WCF was present, with Alexey Komov attending. So did the Georgian WCF organizer and anti-LGBT activist, Levan Vasadze. Speakers and attendees included far-right figures, neo-Nazis and identitarians.听

The WCF ties to the Eurasian efforts seemed strengthened when it was announced that Moldova would also be the location of聽, slated for September 2018. Moldova is currently in the midst of a tussle between pro-E.U. factions in the country, and pro-Russians, led by president Dodon.听

In August 2017, Dodon met with Malofeev to ask him to聽聽the upcoming congress according to聽Balkan Insight, which also alleges that Yakunin and Malofeev are the WCF鈥檚 main sponsors. Though WCF funding is hard to trace, as Christopher Stroop, a scholar focusing on Russia and the U.S. Christian Right, tells Hatewatch, 鈥渙bviously [WCF] have a bigger budget than they let on.鈥澛�

Komov, though not directly involved in the Eurasian project despite being closely tied to its networks, might share its ideological vision. Emails聽聽by the hacker collective Shaltai Boltai (Humpty Dumpty) show Komov emailing Dugin and Malofeev a picture of Serbia preparing for Putin鈥檚 visit with the caption "Our Serbs decorated the city for the arrival of Putin (the king of the Orthodox.)"

聽facilitating meetings between Malofeev and far-right and far-left European political figures. One email from November 2014 shows Komov emailing Roberto Fiore, the co-founder of the neo-fascist and violent Italian far-right party Forza Nuova. Fiore put Komov in touch with the far-right ELAM party in Cyprus, a Greek-only party聽.

In the email, Fiore, who seems to be planning on visiting Greece, also asks Komov to send a lawyer to a jail where leaders of the Greek Golden Dawn were being held: 鈥渃an you send a lawyer for the 12 of December. We need name (sic) also to allow him, together with MEP and MP to enter the jail where the leaders of Golden Dawn are.鈥�

Komov, referring to Fiore as 鈥渙ur pro-Russian Italian friend鈥� then forwarded the email to the owner of the hacked account, Georgyi Gavrish. At the time, Gavrish was an employee at the Russian Embassy in Athens who, the emails show, is close to Dugin. He seems to have been running background checks on behalf of Komov and Malofeev. Komov wrote Gavrish:

鈥淗e [Fiore] asks if we can recommend lawyers and journalists in Athens - see below鈥︹��

What happened to the request is unclear. What is clearer is that the WCF鈥檚 Russian arm, through Komov, is intertwined with violent far-right political actors in Europe.听More publicly, the WCF Russian representative is close to the Lega Nord (since renamed the Lega), the far-right anti-immigrant party that arrived at the top of the right-wing coalition in the recent Italian elections, which is a聽. Komov serves as the honorary president of the Associazione Culturale Lombardia Russia, ACLR, which orbits around Lega,聽聽its formation.

As the cache of emails聽, Malofeev has also been a key agent in spreading Russian influence in various European countries.听Malofeev聽聽a secret meeting for far-right parties in early March 2014 in Vienna through his Saint Basil the Great foundation, which he attended alongside Alexander Dugin. The meeting included Heinz-Christian Strache of the far-right Austrian party the FP脰 and presently Austria鈥檚 vice-chancellor; the National Front鈥檚 Aymeric Chauprade and Marion Mar茅chal-Le Pen; as well as far-right groups ranging from Bulgaria鈥檚 Ataka party to Spain鈥檚 monarchist and radical Catholic Carlist movement. It was meant to commemorate the alliance of Russia with Prussia and Austro-Hungary. At the meeting Dugin said: 鈥淲e must conquer and join Europe. We are supported by a pro-Russian fifth column in Europe.鈥澛�

Malofeev, a WCF funder, Komov, the WCF鈥檚 Russian representative, and Sorlin, formerly the WCF鈥檚 French representative, seem to be working to advance a coherent geopolitical vision, which is not far from Dugin鈥檚 own Eurasian vision.听

It is unclear how enthusiastically the American leadership of the WCF is backing this civilizational project. The head of the International Organization for the Family and of WCF, Brian Brown, has been聽聽to Moscow often, seemingly to promote his organization and to push for anti-LGBT legislation. The American leadership has made sympathetic statements about Russia and Hungary鈥檚 鈥渋lliberal鈥� political regimes, with聽the late聽managing director of the WCF Larry Jacobs declaring that聽鈥渢he Russians might be the Christian saviors of the world.鈥�

In choosing who to save, the alliance between WCF and Russian Orthodox oligarchs might be more selective than Noah putting together his ark, with its ferocious anti-LGBT sentiment and exclusive focus on heterosexual married unions. Nonetheless, Malofeev sees it as equally聽:

Civilization is on the verge of destruction, and only Russia can become a center of consolidation of all the healthy forces and resistance to the聽, that is why the whole of Europe is looking at it with hope.

Photo credit: Anton-Shekhovtsov,聽blogspot