A well-known Russian gay activist has caused consternation with a sudden spate of anti-Semitic rants on Facebook and Twitter. Some have expressed concern that the activist, Nikolai Alexeyev, may have been threatened by the Kremlin.
Alexeyev’s latest posts included statements such as, “I definitely give an interview ASAP to any credible western media about the Jewish mafia trying to overtake the world and now LGBT fight in Russia.”
Another said, “Tomorrow and around the world the protest at Russian diplomatic missions will be held under Peter Tatchell’s slogan ‘Love Russia. Hate homophobia.’ We suggest another one – ‘Love Jews. Hate yids (kikes)!”
Another post said, “Jids are pissed. It’s not them who suffered for LGBT fight in Russia for a decade. But on the Olympics wave they thought they can overtake it! No way.”
A fourth post laments, “Jewish lobby in US worked well. USA is a totalitarian state with no freedom of speech! I have much more freedom here in Russia!”
When several of Alexeyev’s followers objected to his statements, he responded, "Don't like? Get the [obscenity deleted] away? Too many jids here."
Earlier in the week Alexeyev startled many of his followers by retweeting hateful messages about a Jewish gay activist who publicly expressed concern over Alexeyev’s recent behavior. Among the messages he shared with followers was one calling the activist, Michael Lucas, a “Jewish pig” and “Israeli monkey.”
Alexeyev also wrote his own post stating, “If my 72yo mum dies because of @MichaelLucasNYC article I will personally hire a contract killer to kill him.”
Michael Lucas, who grew up in Russia, had expressed concern that Alexeyev had somehow been compromised. In an article for Out, Lucas compared recent anti-Western statements from the well-known activist to propaganda from Russia’s Anti-Zionist Committee – a 1980s group consisting of well-known Russian Jews who were coerced into denouncing Zionism.
“It could not be clearer to me that the Kremlin is up to its old tricks — and that somehow, it has gotten to Alexeyev,” Lucas declared.