Britain’s Communist Party has called on authorities to “act swiftly” against posters depicting Russians as pigs and calling for their deaths. The communists – who view the war in Ukraine as a clash of capitalist powers – said that the posters recall the Nazi-era persecution of Jews.
The posters feature a pig in the colors of the Russian flag, along with the text “Good Russian = Dead Russian.” According to the Russian news outlet Readovka, they appeared in London, and the logo of London’s public transport corporation can be seen in the background of a photo shared by Readovka.
“IF YOU SEE ONE, RIP IT DOWN,” the Communist Party of Britain tweeted on Monday. “Authorities should act swiftly against such anti-worker posters,” the communists continued. “We need unity between people. Because the first picture below is just a short goose-step from the second.”
The second picture posted by the party showed anti-Jewish propaganda from wartime Poland.
It is unclear how many posters were put up, or whether they have been taken down by now. Likewise, it is unclear who put up the posters.
While the Communist Party of Britain has repeatedly drawn attention to the prevalence of Nazi ideology in the ranks of the Ukrainian military, it opposes both sides in the Ukraine/Russia conflict. The communists view Ukraine as fighting for the “expansionist NATO powers” and Russian President Vladimir Putin as protecting the interests of “Russia’s big business oligarchs.” Nevertheless, the communists, like Russia, see a demilitarized and neutral Ukraine as the war’s ideal end state.
The posters appeared amid a wave of anti-Russian sentiment in the Western world. Russian musicians and performers have been blacklisted in the US and Europe for refusing to denounce Putin, Russian products have been pulled from the shelves in American stores, and Russian shops and restaurants have been vandalized from Berlin to Washington DC.
With punishing economic sanctions impacting the lives of ordinary Russians at home, Russian schoolchildren have reportedly faced bullying in European schools and one medical clinic in Munich, Germany even said it would refuse to treat Russian and Belarussian patients earlier this month, before reversing its decision amid a public outcry.
Earlier this month, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was taking note of “the unprecedented level of Russophobia” and that “those responsible will be brought to responsibility in accordance with the current law.”