Russian media reported that “I love Russia” demonstrations took place simultaneously in 15 American states and hundreds of people took to central city squares to declare their love of Russia on the Russian national holiday known as Russia Day.
The segment shown on Russia’s Channel Five television however, shows only a small number of people. The television presenter declares that prominent politicians and actors also participated in these American outpourings of Russian love; however, none of them are featured in the story.
The official organizer of this event is the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots of the USA, which asked people to show their affection for Russia by having their picture taken while holding up a sign that reads “I love Russia”.
Russian NTV television channel opined that such an even could show the world that Russia is not indifferent to Americans and that the number of Americans ready to admit they love Russia is not insignificant.
At the same time the last Gallup poll shows that Americans are increasingly viewing Russia as a threat and the US’s top enemy. 18% said they see Russia and America’s enemy number one, compared to just 3% in 2011.
Furthermore, the only actual American shown in Channel five’s story on the “I love Russia” campaign show is a young woman identified as Michele Fuchs of the Lyndon LaRouche political movement.
What began as a Marxist movement in the 1960s, today, the LaRouche movement is a right wing extremist movement focusing on assorted conspiracy theories. The movement gained particular notoriety in the last years by portraying US President Obama with a Hitler moustache.
NTV, channel 5, TASS, Rossiyskaya gazeta, Izvestia, RG.RU, MK.ru and other Russian media featured this story prominently in their programs and on their web sites.
