DISINFO: Ukrainian local police have approached people wearing the ribbon of St. George, just like in Nazi Germany the police used to attack Jews
SUMMARY
The local police in Ukraine have approached people wearing ribbons of St. George, just like in Nazi Germany when the police used to attack Jews. Now Ukraine treats Russians the way Nazi Germany treated Jews.
RESPONSE
Russian State TV compares Ukrainian local police approaching people wearing St.George ribbons, on the occasion of May 9, with “police attacking Jews” in Nazi Germany. Nazi Ukraine is an often-encountered pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative. The St. George ribbon was banned in Ukraine in 2017 as part of continuing efforts to de-Communise Ukraine. The law introduced fines and potential jail time for people who appear in public wearing a black-and-orange ribbon, after it became widely viewed as a symbol of Russian aggression. The exception is for World War II veterans. On 9 May, Ukrainian police registered 45 incidents in Ukraine about the use of prohibited symbols (“St. George ribbon,” red flags, sickle and hammer symbols), according to the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In fact, this has nothing to do with the way Jews were persecuted in Nazi Germany.