Vitaly Milonov

V. V. Milonov

Vitaly Valentinovich Milonov (Russian: Виталий Валентинович Милонов), born 23 January 1974 in Leningrad, Soviet Union is a Russian politician and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saint Petersburg ("United Russia" faction).[1][2]

After studying Local Governance Administration in the North-West Academy of Public Administration in St. Petersburg, from which he graduated in 2006, he completed a correspondence course at the St. Tikhon Orthodox Humanities University in Moscow.

His political career began in 1991, when he joined the Free Democratic Party of Russia. From 1994 to 1995, he was an assistant to Vitaly Viktorovich Savitsky, chairman in the 1990s of the existing Christian Democratic Union of Russia (CDU). During this time Milonov was also chairman of the "Young Christian Democrats", a political youth branch of the CDU Russia. Later he became a friend of the Russian politician Galina Starovoitova who supported him politically as well. After the murder of Starovoitova, he turned away from politics. In 2004 he began again his political career at the municipal level as a council member of the community "Dachnoe", in 2005 as head of the city administration "Krasnenkaya rechka". In 2007 he successfully ran for election to the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg and was in his first term Chairman of the Committee for the establishment of the government, local government and territorial management structure. In 2009, he moved to the Chair of the Committee for legislation. In 2011 he was re-elected as an MLA. While in the legislature, Milonov was the principal sponsor of legislation criminalizing homosexual propaganda directed toward minors.[3]

He is married and has two children. In 1991 he joined the Baptist church. Later, in 1998, he converted to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Controversy

Homosexuality

In 2013, Milonov stated that gay athletes could be subject to arrest at the Sochi Olympics, if promoting homosexuality to minors.[4] He stated, "If a law has been approved by the federal legislature and signed by the president, then the government has no right to suspend it. It doesn't have the authority."[5] Milonov also protested the Side by Side LGBT film festival in November 2013.[6]

On October 30, 2014, Milonov spoke out about Apple CEO Tim Cook's homosexuality and said on the FlashNord website: “What could he bring us? The Ebola virus, AIDS, gonorrhea? They all have unseemly ties over there.” [7]

Milonov is interviewed in the 2014 documentary film Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda.[8]

Antisemitism

On March 19, 2014, Milonov reportedly made anti-Semitic statements to St. Petersburg legislative council. According to the svodka.net news website, Milonov stated that Jews "vilify any saint, it is in their tradition of 2,000 years, beginning with the appeals to crucify the Savior, ending with accusations of anti-Semitism against St. John of Kronstadt." Regarding allegations that St. John of Kronstadt, a 19th-century religious leader, was a supporter of the Black Hundred, Milonov argued that this allegation was based on “complete lies, a modern neo-liberal fable with a sulfuric, deep history of Satanism."[9][10]

References

  1. ↑ Молодежные движения и субкультуры Санкт-Петербурга V. V. Kosti︠u︡shev, Institut sot︠s︡iologii (Rossiĭskai︠a︡ akademii︠a︡ nauk). Sankt-Peterburgskiĭ filial, Sankt-Peterburgskiĭ gosudarstvennyĭ universitet. Fakulʹtet sot︠s︡iologii - 1999 p115 "Виталий Милонов практически полностью раскрыл в нем основные идеи, которые исповедуют Молодые Христианские Демократы Санкт-Петербурга. Что касается самой фигуры лидера и отношения к нему других членов МХД, ..."
  2. ↑ St. Petersburg Times Milonov: 'The Sin of Sodom Is Repellent To Me' 2012 3 28 "Vitaly Milonov, the man behind the controversial bill against “promoting sodomy, lesbianism, bisexualism and transgenderism to minors,” fully intends to catch Madonna committing a possible offense when the pop diva visits ..."
  3. ↑ Schwirtz, Michael. Anti-Gay Law Stirs Fears in Russia, The New York Times, 29 Feb 2012
  4. ↑ Radia, Kirit, Russian lawmaker: Gay athletes could be prosecuted at 2014 games, WHAS11, 1 Aug 2013, http://www.whas11.com/news/world/Gay-athletes-could-be-prosecuted-at-2014-Russian-games-217919921.html
  5. ↑ Radia, Kirit, Russian lawmaker: Gay athletes could be prosecuted at 2014 games, WHAS11, 1 Aug 2013, http://www.whas11.com/news/world/Gay-athletes-could-be-prosecuted-at-2014-Russian-games-217919921.html
  6. ↑ Chernov, Serge (2013-11-27), "LGBT Film Festival Faces Bomb Threats and Cancellations", St. Petersburg Times
  7. ↑ http://www.buzzfeed.com/maxseddon/russian-official-says-apple-ceo-should-be-banned-from-russia
  8. ↑ "Russia's Deadly Campaign". Out. 2014-05-16. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  9. ↑ Putin ally accused of pushing Jews-killed-Jesus trope, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, April 2, 2014.
  10. ↑ Russian Jews fear anti-Semitism amid Crimea fervor by Stephen Ennis, BBC, March 28, 2014.

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