The Ribbon of Saint George is a symbol promoted by Russia and its history is different from the one that is currently presented. Even if this symbol is seen in Ukraine and in other states as one related to separatism, it cannot be banned in Moldova because this can cause confrontations. Such opinions were stated by participants in the public debate “Ribbon of Saint George that unites and divides: motives and solutions” that was staged by IPN News Agency in cooperation with Radio Moldova.
Igor Botan, executive director of the Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT), who is the project’s permanent expert, said that when we speak about symbolic things, we must understand that the symbols can create particular tension. There are meanings hiding behind symbols. “This symbol – the Ribbon of Saint George – will cause dissatisfaction among some, while for others it will be an element for which they will show devotion. The people cannot be banned from wearing this ribbon and from showing thus their wish for Moldova to be near Russia. Another idea is that this symbol is associated with the separatist movement in Ukraine,” said the expert, adding that in Moldova there are a number of geo-political not political parties that promote an integration course and everything depends on the wisdom of politicians here.
Vlad Batrincea, a member of the Party of Socialists of Moldova, said the discussions on the Ribbon of Saint George become problematic because this issue is politicized a lot. The ribbon is a symbol liked by the largest part of the population and, if particular political parties do not put forward initiatives to ban this symbol, no problems will appear. “We do not want this symbol to be politicized. We want the people to be able to choose by themselves what to wear,” stated the MP.
Liberal lawmaker Valeriu Munteanu said the Ribbon of Saint George is a foreign symbol for Moldova and its presentation as a symbol of the victory in World War II is mistaken. The black and orange ribbon is used by the separatists in eastern Ukraine and the Liberals consider that this symbol goes through the state security system as it creates preconditions for separatist manifestations. “Given that we face such a danger, we must take measures to ensure security. We must be pro-active and the state must intervene,” he said.
Historian Octavian Ticu said the ribbon has a relatively recent history that was built on the basis of the imperial plans of the Russian Federation. There are three distinct periods that refer to this ribbon. The first is the period before World War II. It was then representative for three awards of the Russian Empire. Since 1917 until 1992, it had been banned. It has nothing to do with the symbols of the victory in World War II. The ribbon’s history began in 2005, when it was celebrated the 60th anniversary of the end of the war and was promoted by the media outlets affiliated to the Russian administration. This ribbon didn’t include the red color, which represented the Communist Party, but was aimed at cultivating the people’s piousness to the victory in World War II.
CreDO executive director Sergiu Ostaf said there are three Ribbons of Saint George that are different from each other. The current ribbon is different from the initial one. There is a hypothesis that the parties use this symbol to cultivate and maintain particular separatist aspirations, as the practice in Ukraine shows. This is serious if it’s true in relation to Moldova. But the Moldovan parties that use it probably aim to identify themselves with it rather than to shatter and fragment the country.
The public debate “Ribbon of Saint George that unites and divides: motives and solutions” is the 38th of the series of debates “Developing political culture through public debates”, organized by IPN with support from the German foundation “Hanns Seidel”.
