Eco-Fascism: Difference between revisions

=== Tsagaan Khas ===

Tsagaan Khas is a Mongolian neo-Nazi organisation. It was founded by Ariunbold Altankhuum in the 1990s, during Mongolia's transition to a market economy and the resulting increase in economic inequality. According to Altankhuum: "The reason we chose [neo-Nazism] is because what is happening here in Mongolia is like 1939, and [Adolf] Hitler's movement transformed his country into a powerful country." Altankhuum has praised Francisco Franco and Genghis Khan. The group's co-founder, who goes by the alias "Big Brother", said: "Adolf Hitler was someone we respect. He taught us how to preserve national identity ... We don't agree with his extremism and starting the Second World War. We are against all those killings, but we support his ideology. We support nationalism rather than fascism." The group's members dress in Nazi attire (such as uniforms resembling that of the Schutzstaffel) and use the "sieg heil" greeting, the Iron Cross, and the Nazi eagle. Its members have justified their use of Nazi imagery by pointing to the Asian origins of the swastika.

The group's members are characterized by their extreme anti-Chinese sentiment and opposition to interracial marriage. One follower of the group has expressed the view that: "We have to make sure that as a nation our blood is pure. That's about our independence ... If we start mixing with Chinese, they will slowly swallow us up. Mongolian society is not very rich. Foreigners come with a lot of money and might start taking our women." The group has been accused of harassing and promoting violence against interracial couples, immigrants, prostitutes, and the LGBT community. The group has targeted Mongolian women who have had relationships with Chinese men, shaving their hair off and sometimes tattooing their forehead. Some negative attitudes towards Chinese people in Mongolia from groups such as Tsagaan Khas may be traced to the Soviet Union's policy of casting China as a threat to Mongolia, so as to receive allegiance from Mongolia. During the Sino-Soviet split, the Mongolian People's Republic gave the Soviet Union its steadfast support in all matters. Another Connection is the creation of a modern mongolian state through the millitary campaigns of Roman von Ungern Sternberg.

In 2013, the group adopted an eco-fascist mentality, fighting pollution resulting from mining in Mongolia. In an interview with Reuters, Altankhuum stated, "[O]ur purpose changed from fighting foreigners in the streets to fighting the mining companies." Its members have appeared at mining operations, demanding to see paperwork and sometimes sabotaging the operations if they deemed it mismanaged. The group has demanded soil samples from the mining operations, in order to check for soil contamination. According to Altankhuum, the group wants to fulfill a role which the local authorities have supposedly failed at concerning foreign mining companies.