London and Moscow are the scene of great collective events. Each one expresses its own values. In England, the splendors mask the origin of rich ornaments, often stolen without scruples. In Russia, celebrating the martyrs of the Second World War is a commitment to the same sacrifice for the fatherland. In London, success is measured in terms of what you have taken. In Moscow, it is measured by what you have done for your people.
The celebrations of May 6 in London and May 9 in Moscow were staged to manifest two worlds alien to each other.
The staging of the United Kingdom
In England, on May 6, we witnessed the coronation of the greatest of all kings. The British press preemptively assured us that he had no political rights, only a representative function. Is that so? Then how did the Prince of Wales manage to change the agenda of the House of Commons a hundred times during his mother’s reign and have subjects removed that displeased him? Experts assure us that these were only minor bills, but what right did the Prince, not the MPs, have to deem them unimportant?
As Prince of Wales, Charles has become a patron of the Muslim Brotherhood, a secret political organization created by MI6 during the colonization of Egypt. It is banned in many Muslim countries because of their pro-British terrorist activities. In 1993, he became the head of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, from which the Brotherhood and MI6 would radiate throughout the Middle East in the tradition of Lawrence of Arabia. The zeal of Prince Charles is such that London is transformed into Londonistan, hosting many leaders of the Brotherhood, including the Saudi Osama Bin Laden. The prince went 120 times to meet Gulf monarchs supporting the organization.
The end of a world
Under the name of Charles III, the Prince of Wales had just been crowned monarch of Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the United Kingdom, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. Detachments from the armies of his kingdoms marched to escort him to his palace.
About a hundred heads of state and government came or were represented. The official BBC images did not show them. They were guests, nothing more.
The North Koreans, Syrians and Russians were not welcome at the coronation. The Chinese were invited, but caused a scandal by sending Vice President Han Zheng, who was portrayed in the United Kingdom as the man responsible for the anti-British crackdown in Hong Kong.
The ceremony had not changed much since the decolonization of the Empire on which « the sun never sets ». At most, a few gems stolen from India were removed from the Crown Jewels.
It is, of course, foolish to evaluate an old-fashioned ceremony by the standards of another era. But the British chose ancient symbols as if they were still acceptable in the 21st century. For example, a beautiful embroidered screen masked the king when he was anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, so that the light of God would not blind the audience. Was anyone really afraid of being dazzled? After the coronation, King Charles III was proclaimed "God’s lieutenant on earth. How could ministers of many religions join in this masquerade?
These pompous events did not seem to correspond to the advent of a king, but rather to the funeral of a world. That of the West dominating humanity.
Fatherland’s Day
Today, May 9, Russia celebrates the victory of the USSR over Nazism. The Soviet population suffered as much as the Polish population during the Second World War. 27 million people died, including more than half of its armies. In total, that’s 1 in 7 Soviets (compared to 1 in 10 Germans, 1 in 83 French and 1 in 655 Americans).
To face the enemy, the country came together. First Secretary Joseph Stalin freed the prisoners of the Civil War (the gulags were populated by dissident communists, the Mensheviks). He ended religious persecution and made an alliance with the Orthodox Church. So that this tragic period is also the crucible of reconciliation and national unity.
The May 9 celebrations are therefore both a remembrance of the horrors of war and the ability to save each other. In this period, Russians are aware that the "integral nationalists" they are fighting in Ukraine are the heirs of those who joined the Nazis to massacre as many Jews, Gypsies and Slavs as possible (According to the current official Ukrainian doxa, Ukrainians are not Slavs as such, but descendants of a Viking tribe, the Vareg, mixed with Slavs).
The Immortal Regiment
Traditionally, since 1965, Russians also march on Victory Day, May 9, in honor of their grandparents and great-grandparents killed fighting the Nazis. From 2012, this parade became widespread throughout the country and was organized under the name of the "Immortal Regiment". Today it is not so much to celebrate the dead, but to pose as his successors, to say that we are ready to die to defend others. Russians are patriotic, not chauvinistic, but capable of sacrifice.
Given the Ukrainian attacks, most of these parades will not take place this year. Vladimir Putin will preside over the events, including the traditional parade of armies on Red Square. In the West, he is described as a dictator living in luxury, far from his people. His fellow citizens know that this is not true. He is of Russian culture and therefore considers, like them, that luxury should not make him forget that he is a man.
The two worlds
If the subjects of King Charles III are fascinated by the magnificence of the Crown, the citizens of President Putin consider that there is no nobility in adorning themselves with stolen jewels. For them, only what one has earned oneself has value.
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